What's behind Numbers, Colors and Symbols?

Why most of political parties choose certain colors and symbols for their logos and slogans?

How countries select their flags’ colors and some put symbols on them?

Why it is important to a country or a political party to have specified colors and symbols reflect their political trends?

How does religion interact with politics through numbers, colors and symbols?

What do numbers mean to religions and societies?

Cultural, religious, political, social individuals and groups use colors to represent their traditional concepts or feelings, or to evoke physical reactions. They express in colors some kind of communication or gestures.

Generally speaking colors refer to certain personal moods, or reflect certain resemblance; for instance, BLACK is the color of night and its mysteries. Sometimes represent evil, and can also be relating to elegance or class. It may also refer to power, sophistication, wealth, sadness, depth, anger and mourning. It is taken to symbolize Anarchism, Fascism and Catholicism.

WHITE on the other hand is sacred and pure, and is the color of Gods, Angels, peace, purity, simplicity, youth, but can also refer to sadness and mourning. It can be symbol to humility, winter, cold and sterile and refers to Monarchism.

Whereas BLUE is mostly known as Virgin Mary's color, accompanies pure and innocent females. It is the color of oceans, skies and indicates life, calmness, stability, security, loyalty, technology and depression.

BROWN is always associated with Earth, Home, comfort, endurance, simplicity. GREEN represents nature, environment, good luck, youth also jealousy and misfortune. It is also associated with some Islamic groups and countries.

ORANGE associates with balance, warmth, enthusiasm and demanding of attention. PINK goes with innocence and child-like character. It is also considered as color of good health. Sometimes it accompanies love, femininity, sexuality and purity. PURPLE can be color of royalty, nobility, wisdom, enlightenment, also cruelty and arrogance. RED is the color of blood and can symbolize strong emotions, life and vitality. It indicates to the Sun as symbol of energy. RED and WHITE together mean happiness, and used in weddings and ceremonies mainly in far eastern countries. The combination is also the color of bond and commitment. It is associated with Socialism, Communism and Nationalism.

YELLOW is joy and happiness and signifies optimism, idealism, gold and also dishonesty, cowardice, deceit, illness and danger. It also signifies Liberalism, and symbolizes extremity.

Symbols in general are signs or marks that define certain brand or idea and represent some information. Most of old languages started as symbols before they were developed to characters and words. Symbols are found in Religious, Artistic, Alchemical, Astronomical, Chemical, Electrical and Mathematical works. Maybe symbols go back to the time of creation when they were perhaps the only means of communication.

By the time ancient civilizations were founded, nations started to choose certain colors and symbols to indicate their identity. The same ancient symbols and colors resemble today the political or religious or social definitions.

Symbols surround us in many forms and most of them are taken for granted today as static signs of religious or secular life that was created long ago. Over time, they have acquired layers of increasingly complex meaning, and this evolution of meaning tells us many ideas about how the nature of life and universe was developed.

The CIRCLE for example is the most common and universal signs, found in all cultures. It is the symbol of the sun in its limitless or boundless aspect. It has no beginning or end, and no divisions, making it the perfect symbol of completeness, eternity, and the soul. It is also the symbol of boundary and enclosure, of completion, and returning cycles. The wedding ring symbolizes not just a pledge of eternal love, but the enclosure of the heart- a pledge of fidelity.

The equal armed SOLAR CROSS is another universal symbol, and the first truly theological emblem, marking not only the points of the solar calendar, but the juxtaposition of the realm of the material with the realm of the divine.

The ARC is found in more complex symbols, especially planetary symbols, represents ascension or striving. It is a traditional element of architecture and often figures in commemorative monuments of triumph and achievement.

The CRESCENT represents the powers of the moon- reflective and receptive. A reversed crescent often represents emptiness and illusion.

The TRIANGLE is associated with Christian trinity or Freemasonry. To the ancient Pythagoreans, the triangle was, as the first complete polygon, the womb of number and the essence of stability.  The upward moving triangle is sometimes called the blade and it is a symbol of aspiration or rising up, male force, and fire. The downward pointing triangle maybe referred to as the chalice. It is the symbol of water, the grace of heaven, and the womb, a representation of the genitalia of the goddess.

The ARROW is known to be a symbol of power and also shows swiftness and knowledge. It was used by the Greek goddess Artemis and the Greek god Apollo who were both known as hunters.  Also used by Greek god Eros, Roman god Cupid, and the Hindu god Kama – all are known as gods of sexual attraction.

The LION is a symbol of power, also indicates bravery and ferocity.

A CRESCENT MOON is a symbol of the aging goddess (crone) to contemporary witches and victory over death. In Islamic lands, crescent can be seen enclosing a lone pentagram.

DRAGON is a mythical monster made up of many animals: serpent, lizard, bird, lion... It may have many heads and breathes fire. To medieval Europe, it was dangerous and evil, but people in Eastern Asia believe it has power to help them against more hostile spiritual forces. In the Bible it represents Satan, the devil.

HEXAGRAM or Six-pointed Star when surrounded by a circle, it represents the "divine mind" (a counterfeit of God's wisdom) to numerous occult groups through the centuries. Many still use it in occult rituals. But to Jewish people, it is their Star of David.

SPIRAL is linked to the "circle". It is as ancient symbol of the goddess, the womb, fertility, feminine serpent force, continual change, and the evolution of the universe.

The square represents the physical world. Like the quartered circle, it points pagans to the four compass directions: north, east, south and west. While the circle and "spiral" symbolize female sexuality in many earth-centered cultures, the square represents male qualities.

SWASTIKA 1 is an ancient occult symbol of the sun and the four directions. Revived by Hitler, it represents racism and the "white supremacy" of Neo-Nazis. Like other occult symbols, it is often placed inside a "circle".

UNICORN means power, purification, healing, wisdom, self-knowledge, renewal and eternal life. Medieval myths suggested it could only be caught with help from a virgin who would befriend it.

All-seeing EYE in the PYRAMID is the official symbol for DARPA Total Information Awareness, a surveillance and information system established by they U.S. government.

CADUCEUS is a figure of two serpents wrapped a center rod where the rod is a symbol of transforming alchemical power. The two serpents represent polarity or duality. Together with the sprouted wings depict the caduceus having an alchemical meaning of balance, duality and following the alchemical process leading to unity. The caduceus is also seen in medical circles.

PENTACLE is a symbol of harmony, health and mystic powers. The Pythagoreans adopted it as a sign of health and the marriage of heaven and earth. As a sign of heaven, earth, as well as human body and mind, the pentacle holds great power.

The LABYRINTH is a winding, maze-like path, often resembling a spiral and almost always has spiritual significance.

The Symbol of SCIENTOLOGY consists of the letter “S” interlaced with two triangles. Each triangle represents three inseparably linked concepts; the KRC (Knowledge, Responsibility and Control) and the ARC” (Affinity, Reality and Communication).The S, stands for “Scientology.”

The ASCLEPIUS (Aesculapius) Wand is the true symbol of the medical profession. It dates to antiquity, and was a symbol of the Greek God of healing, Aesculapius. The symbol of a serpent entwined staff also appears in the biblical book of Exodus, wherein Moses is instructed to erect a brass pole with a serpent; whoever looked upon it was healed. It is the symbol of medicine and pharmacists.

The eight points in the STAR OF ISHTAR represent the movements of the planet Venus associated with this Goddess, and the eight gates of the city of Babylon.

BABYLONIAN TREE OF LIFE (Mesopotamian Tree of Life) in Babylonian mythology was a magical tree that grew in the center of paradise. The Apsu, or primordial waters, flowed from its roots. It is the prototype of the tree described in Genesis: the biblical Tree of Paradise evolved directly from this ancient symbol; it is the symbol from which the Egyptian, Islamic and Kabalistic tree of life concepts originated.

The Four letters in the TETRAGRAMMATON (Greek, ‘four letters’) is the 

true’ name of the God of the Hebrew Scriptures. It never appears complete in written form; only the four consonant letters, YHVH (Hebrew, Yod Heh Vau Heh, read right to left), or in the Latin version, IHVH. In modern Judaism, the Tetragrammaton is commonly referred to as “HaShem,” meaning, “The Name,” and the pronunciation rules still apply.

The TRIQUETRA makes an ideal Christian symbol. It is a perfect representation of the concept of “three in one” in Christian trinity beliefs, and incorporates another popular Christian symbol, the fish, in its original form of the Vesica Pisces. It is sometimes enclosed within a circle to emphasize the unity aspect.

The right EYE OF HORUS/Eye of Ra (Udjat, Wedjat) reflects solar, masculine energy, as well as reason and mathematics. The left eye reflects fluid, feminine, lunar energy, and rules intuition and magic. Together, they represent the combined transcendent power of Horus. The Masonic all seeing eye, the Eye of Providence symbol found on American money, and the modern Rx pharmaceutical symbol are all descended from the this symbol.

The STAR AND CRESCENT OF ISLAM emblem is commonly recognized as the symbol of the Islamic faith, is very ancient, dating back to early Sumerian civilization. The symbol was adopted by the Ottoman Dynasty, who is mainly responsible for its association with Islam. Today, the star and crescent is widely accepted as a symbol of the Islamic faith, and is used in decorative arts, jewelry, and national flags- much like the cross in Christian countries.

The HAMSA, Hand of Fatima is an ancient symbol, used as a protective amulet by both Jews and Muslims. The name Hamsa is derived from the Semitic root meaning “five.” The hand symbol is called the Hand of Fatima by Muslims, named for the daughter of Mohamed, and is sometimes said to symbolize the five pillars or tenets of Islam. In Jewish use, it is sometimes called the hand of Miriam, after the biblical heroine. The eye in hand is considered a powerful talisman against the ‘evil eye,’ and is usually worn around the neck or hung on walls or over the doors of homes and businesses.

The WINGED HEART is a symbol of the Sufi movement, a mystic branch of Islam. The symbol is a heart with wings, symbolizing ascension; the five pointed star represents divine light, the moon responsiveness to this light.

The MASONIC SQUARE AND COMPASS is one of the most common symbols of Freemasonry. The compass and square are architect’s tools, and symbolize God as the architect of the universe, among other things. As measuring instruments, the tools represent judgment and discernment. The compass, which is used to draw circles, represents the realm of the spiritual- eternity. It is symbolic of the defining and limiting principle, and also of infinite boundaries. The angle measures the square, the symbol of earth and the realm of the material. The square represents fairness, balance, firmness, etc.

Together, the compass and square represent the convergence of matter and spirit, and the convergence of earthly and spiritual responsibilities. The two symbols together form a hexagram, the union of earth with the heavens, matter and mind, etc.

Image via WikipediaThe DOUBLE-HEADED EAGLE is the emblem of the thirty second and thirty-third (and highest) degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. Alchemically, the eagle was a symbol of purified sulfur, and was used in alchemical images to portray the ascending spirit. The double heads are often emblematic of the reconciliation of matter and spirit. Other elements in the Masonic eagle reinforce the alchemical symbolism- a sword representing heavenly fire, and the crown of spiritual attainment.

The point within the CIRCUMPUNCT is a symbol used in Freemasonry. It is a solar-phallic symbol used in ancient Egypt to represent the eternal nature of the sun god Ra. The lines which enclose the circle call to mind the Akhet, the ancient ‘gate’ of the sun, a symbol of rebirth and resurrection. To the Pythagoreans, the point and circle represented eternity, whose “center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere.”

The Greek mathematician Pythagoras is credited with the discovery of the GOLDEN RECTANGLE. The Golden Rectangle is built on the “golden ratio” or “golden proportion,” which is determined by the irrational number known as Phi. (Symbolized by its namesake, the Greek letter phi.). To put it simply, a golden rectangle is a rectangle divided in such a way as to create a square and a smaller rectangle that retains the same proportions as the original rectangle. To do this, one must create a rectangle based on the golden ratio. To find the Golden Ratio, one must divide a line so that the ratio of the line to the larger segment is equal to the ratio of the larger segment to the smaller:

There’s an enormous range of symbolic roles that numbers have played in various cultures, religions, and other systems of human thought.

(ONE) is a number, numeral, and the name of the glyph representing that number. It represents a single entity. It is considered to be a primordial unity. The beginning. The Creator. It is the First Cause or the First Mover. One is the sum of all possibilities. It is essence, the Center and refers to isolation. It is seen as the number that gives cause to duality as multiplicity and back to final unity.

Chinese refer to one as Yang, masculine; celestial. For the Christians ONE is the God the Father.  For Hebrews it is Adonai, the Lord, the Most High, the I am. For Muslims it is ONE GOD as unity; the Absolute; self sufficient.

TWO is: Duality- Alteration - Diversity – Conflict - Dependence. It is a static condition. It is rooted, seen as balance (two sides); stability; reflection. Two are the opposite poles. It represents the dual nature of the human being. It is desire, since all that is manifest in duality is in pairs of opposites. The Buddhists see two as the duality of Samsara; male and female. Two is theory and practice; wisdom and method. It is blind and the lame united to see the way and to walk it. For the Chinese it is Yin , feminine; terrestrial; inauspicious. For Christians it is Christ with two natures as God and human. For Hebrews TWO is The life-force. In Kabala it is wisdom and self-consciousness. The Hindu’s Two is duality, the Shakta-Shakti.

THREE is the third dimension. It's roots stem from the meaning of multiplicity. Three is a moving forward of energy, overcoming duality, expression, manifestation and synthesis. Three is the first number to which the meaning "all" was given. It is The Triad, being the number of the whole as it contains the beginning, middle and an end.

The power of three is universal and is the Tripartide nature of the world as heaven, earth, and waters. It is human as body, soul and spirit. Three is birth, life, death. It is the beginning, middle and end. Three is a complete cycle unto itself. It is past, present and future. The symbol of three is the triangle. Pythagorean’s three means completion.

Egyptian’s Hermetic tradition, Thoth is the Thrice Great, 'Trismegistus'. The Supreme Power.

FOUR represents the cardinal points; four seasons; four winds; four directions (as in North, South, East, And West); four elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth).

There are four sides to a square; four arms to a cross. There are four rivers to Paradise. There are four watches of the night and day, quarters of the moon. There are four quarters to the earth. Four is a symbolic number used throughout in the Old Testament. The quaternary can be depicted as the quatre-foil as well as the square and the cross.The Buddhist’s Damba Tree of Life has four limbs and from its roots four sacred streams of Paradise that represent the four boundless wishes of compassion, affection, love impartiality. In Buddhism there are four celestial guardians of cardinal points are Mo-li Ch'ing, the East, with the jade ring and spear; Virupaksha, the West, the Far-gazer, with the four-stringed quitar; Virudhaka, the South, with the umbrella of choas and darkness and earthquakes; Vaisravenna, the North, with the whips, leopard-skin bag, snake and pearl. The Chinese Four is the number of the Earth, symbolized by the square. There are four streams of immortality. It is Yin in polarity. Christian’s Four is the number representing the body, with three representing the soul. Again we see the theme of the four rivers in Paradise. There are four Gospels, Evangelists, chef arch-angels, chef-devils, four Fathers of the Church, Great Prophets. There are four cardinal virtues--prudence, fortitude, justice, temperance. There are four winds from which the One Spirit is said to come. There are four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The Egyptian Four is the sacred number of Time, measurement of the sun. Four pillars support the vault of heaven. Greek Four is the sacred number of Hermes. Four in Hebrew represents measurement; beneficence; intelligence. In the Kabbalah four is memory; four represents the four worlds of the Kabbalah. It also represents the four directions of space and the four levels of the hierarchical organism of the Torah. It is Totality; plenitude; perfection in Hindu. The Four faced Creator in Brahma. The temple is based on the four sides of the square, symbolizing order and finality. Mayan’s Four giants support the celestial roof. Four is seen as the number of support. Pythagorean’s Four is Perfection; harmonious proportion; justice; the Earth. Four is the number of the Pythagorean oath. Four and ten are divinities. The Tetraktys 1+2+3+4 =10.

FIVE is the symbol of human microcosm. It is the number of the human being. Human forms the pentagon when arms and legs are out stretched. The pentagon is endless ---sharing the symbolism of perfection and power of the circle. Five is a circular number as it produces itself in its last digit when raised to its own power. Five in Hindu is a circle. The pentacle, like the circle symbolizes whole, the quincunx being the number of its center and the meeting point of heaven, earth, and the four cardinal points plus the center point. Five is also representative of the Godhead - Central Creator of the four fours plus itself equaling five. The number five symbolizes meditation; religion; versatility. It represents the five senses (taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing) everywhere except in the East The five pointed star depicts individuality and spiritual aspiration, and education when it points upward. If pointed downward it represents witchcraft, and it is used in black magic. Chinese five elements. Five atmospheres; conditions; planets; sacred mountains; grains, colors, tastes, poisons; powerful charms; cardinal virtues; blessings; eternal ideas; relations to human kind.

Christians’ Five senses; Five points to the cross; Five wounds of Christ; fishes feeding five thousand; and Five books of Moses. Five is the nuptial number of love and union.. It is the number of Venus. Venus years are completed in groups of five. Apollo as god of light has five qualities: omniscience, omnipresence; omnipotence, eternity, and unity. Hebrew’s Five represents strength and severity; radical intelligence. In kabala five represents fear. Hindu’s Five elements of the subtle and coarse states; their primary colors; of senses; five faces of Siva and the twice-five incarnations of Vishnu. Islam’s Five pillars of religion; five Divine Presences; five fundamental dogmas; five actions; and five daily times of prayer.

SIX represents equilibrium; harmony - balance. It is the perfect number 1+2+3=6. It is the most productive of all numbers. It symbolizes union of polarity, the hermaphrodite being represented by the two  interlaced triangles, the upward- pointing as male, fire and the heavens, and the downward-pointing as female, the waters and the earth. Six is the symbol of luck; love; health; beauty; chance. Chinese Six represents Universe. Chinese’ six senses: taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing, the sixth being mind. The day and night each have six periods. Christian’s Six is perfection; completion because man was created on the sixth day. Six is man's number The most obvious use of this number is in the notorious passage containing 666. (Rev 13:18 NIV) This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666. In Hebrew and Islam There are six days of creation. It symbolizes meditation and intelligence. It is beauty and creation in Kabala. Luck for Pythagoreans.

SEVEN is the number of the Universe. It is the three of the heavens (soul) combined with the four (body) of the earth; being the first number containing both the spiritual and the temporal. It represents the virginity of the Great Mother - feminine archetype - She who creates. There are 7 ages of man. 7 ancient wonders of the world. 7 circles of Universe. 7 cosmic stages. 7 days of the week 7 heavens 7 hells 7 pillars of wisdom 7 rays of the sun 7 musical notes. In Alchemy there are seven metals involved with the Work.

There are seven stars of the Great Bear which are indestructible. There are seven Pleiades-- sometimes referred to as the, Seven Sisters. Buddhist’s Seven is the number of ascent and of ascending to the highest; attaining the center. The seven steps of Buddha symbolize the ascent of the seven cosmic stages transcending time and space.

In Christianity there are seven sacraments; 7 gifts of spirit; the seven of 3+4 theological and cardinal virtues; 7 deadly sins. There are 7 councils of the early church – 7 crystal spheres containing the planets - 7 devils cast out by Christ – 7 joys and sorrows of Mary - 7 liberal arts – 7 major prophets – 7 periods of fasting and penitence - seventh day after the six of creation In the Old Testament there are the seven altars of Baalam; 7 oxen and 7 rams for sacrifice; 7 trumpets; 7 circuits of Jericho; seven times Naaman bathed in the Jordan. The Ark rested on the seventh month and the dove was sent out after seven days.

The Egyptian priestesses of Hathor have seven jars in their seven tunics. Ra has seven hawks representing the seven Wise Ones. Six cows and a bull represent fertility. There are seven houses of the underworld and Seven is the sacred number of Osiris. Apollo’s lyre has seven strings, Pan had seven pipes and there are seven Wise Men of Greece.

Seven is the number of occult intelligence. There are seven Great Holy Days in the Jewish year; the Menorah has seven branches; the Temple took seven years to build; and there are seven pillars of wisdom. Hinduism’s Seven Jewels of the Brahmans, seven gods before the floods and seven Wise Men saved from it. It is the perfect number in Islam; 7 heavens, 7 climates, 7 earths, 7 seas, 7 color.

Seven is a cosmic number with three of heaven and four of the world. There are seven lunar divisions and days of the week. There are seven zones of earth; heavens, symbolized by the planes of ziggurat. There are seven branches to the Tree of Life each having seven leaves There are seven gates of hell, seven demons of Tiamat and seven winds to destroy her. Seven is a mystic number traditionally associated with Venus and more recently with Neptune.

Spiritually EIGHT is the goal of the initiate, having gone through the seven stages.

Eight is Infinity - Paradise regained. Eight is solidarity as the first cube and it denotes perfection by virtue of it's six surfaces. There are eight winds and intermediate directions of space. Eight represents the pairs of opposites. The octagon is the beginning of the transformation of the square into a circle and vice versa. Eight is Felicity, Perfect rhythm, Regeneration, Resurrection

Buddhist Eight is completion, all possibilities. There are eight symbols of good augury. In China Eight represents the whole. It is all possibilities in manifestation. Eight is seen as a good luck number. Eight is significant in the  trigrams and pairs of opposites in the PAKUA. There are eight delights of human existence. Eight in Christianity is rebirth and regeneration. Eight is perfect intelligence; splendor. The digit value of "IHVH" is the "Number of the Lord". Hindu: 8x8 symbolism is the order of the celestial world established on earth. Temples are built on the pattern of the MANDALA, which is the 8x8 symbol. In their belief system there are eight regions of the world, suns, divisions of the day, and eight Chakras. The Throne in Islam, which encompasses the world, is supported by eight angels, corresponding to both the eight divisions of space and the groups of letters in the Arabic alphabet. Japanese Eight is the "many". There are eight Gods in the heavens. Plato has eight spheres of different colors surrounding the luminous pillars of the heavens. Pythagorean’s Eight is solidarity and stability.

NINE is composed of the all-powerful 3x3. It is the Triple Triad - Completion; fulfillment; attainment; beginning and the end; the whole number; a celestial and angelic number - the Earthly Paradise. It is the number of the circumference, its division into 90 degrees and into 360 for the entire circumference. Nine is symbolized by the two triangles which are a symbol of male, fire, mountain and female, water, and cave principles. Buddhist tradition holds nine to be the supreme spiritual power, and a celestial number. Chinese Nine is a celestial power. It is 3x3 being the most auspicious of all the numbers. Nine also signifies the eight directions with the center as the ninth point known as the Hall of Light. There are nine great social laws and classes of officials. In land divisions for Feng Shui there are eight exterior squares for cultivation of the land by holders and the central, and ninth, square is a "god's acre", dedicated to Shang-ti, the supreme ruler. It is also known as the Emperor's Field, giving homage and respect denoting the position of heavenly power.

Christians’ Nine is the triple triads of choirs of angels and nine spheres and nine rings around hell. Egyptian mythology nine represents The Ennead. There are nine Greek/Roman Gods and nine muses. Hebrew Nine is pure intelligence (eight was perfect intelligence). Also represents truth, since it reproduces itself when multiplied. Kabbalism nine symbolizes foundation. Hindu Nine is the number of Agni, fire. The square of the nine forms the mandala of eighty-one squares and leads to, and encloses the Universe. Mayan Nine underworlds each ruled by a God. Pythagorean Nine is the limit of all numbers, all others existing and coming from the same.

TEN is the number of the cosmos---the paradigm of creation. All things and possibilities. It is the radix or turning point of all counting. Ten is all-inclusive representing law; order and dominion. The Tetraktys 1+2+3+4= 10 symbolizes divinity and one represents a point; two, length; three, a plane or surface (as a triangle); four, solidity or space. It is seen as the perfect--the return to unity. When based on the digits of the two hands, it is completeness and the foundation of all counting. Its highest ranges of completeness, 100 and 1000, are the basis of all Hindu cosmology and in China the Ten Thousand Things, ie: the uncountable, symbolize the whole of manifestation. Ten is also the number of completion of journeys and returns to origins. Ten is the sum of the number nine of the circumference with the one of the center---being perfection. Chinese character chi, symbolizing the self facing both ways as both Yin and Yang, which is considered to be the perfect figure. The Ten Celestial Stems (Kan) are possibly connected with the names of the ten-day week on the prevailing cyclic calculations, as evident in the number sixty.

There are Ten Commandments of the Decalogue; as there are ten parables of the ten lamps, 10 virgins, and 10 talents. In Solomon¹s Temple there were ten layers, 10 tables and 10 candlesticks. The cherubim were ten cubits high and ten Levites minister before the Ark.  

The number ELEVEN is double digit that repeats itself - therefore is considered as a Master or Power Number. In Numerology - 11 represents impractical idealism, visionary, refinement of ideals, intuition, revelation, artistic and inventive genius, avant-garde, androgynous, film, fame, refinement fulfilled when working with a practical partner.

Eleven is a higher octave of the number two. It carries psychic vibrations and has an equal balance of masculine and feminine properties. Because eleven contains many gifts such as psychic awareness and a keen sense of sensitivity, it also has negative effects such as treachery and betrayal from secret enemies.

11:11 is a digital code for awakening. 11 represent balance. It is the Spiraling Twin DNA

In systems such as Astrology and basic Numerology, eleven is considered to be a Master Number. Ten being the perfect number, eleven represents the exceeding of both. When broken down (1+1=2) It comprises the Two of duality.

TWELVE is the number of Illusion. 12:12 references the digital code for the illusion of time. 2012 in the Mayan Calendar, 12 is the end. The 12 Around 1 to create a matrix or consciousness programs of reality. 12=3 = third dimension = 3D.

Reality is created by 12 a source. 12 is a measure of time - the calendar months - clocks - astrology - etc.

There are twelve signs in the standard Zodiac and twelve months in our year. Twelve hours of the day and night. 12 is a higher octave of the number three and is an indicator of great understanding and wisdom. There were twelve tribes in Israel, twelve disciples, twelve astrological signs in the zodiac, twelve months in the year, and the modern clock is divided into two groups of twelve hours. It is considered to be the ancient number of completion as it signals the end of childhood and the beginning stages of adulthood. The ancient numbering and measuring systems are based on this number, as evidenced by terms such as a dozen (12), a gross (12 times 12), a shilling (12 pence) and a foot (12 inches). There are twelve fruits of the Cosmic Tree, twelve members of the council of the Dalai Lama, twelve paladins or peers of Charlemagne and twelve knights of the Round Table at King Arthur's court. There are twelve Chinese Terrestrial Branches: (chih) Boar- Cock – Dog – Dragon- Goat- Hare – Horse – Monkey – Ox – Rat – Snake –Tiger These are the Beasts of the Constellations and are under the six branches of the Year Tree; there are six wild,---Yin and six domestic---Yang animals represented. There are twelve gates and foundation stones of the Holy City. Herodotus says there are twelve gods and goddesses of Olympus. Aaron had twelve precious stones in his breastplate. There were twelve sons of Jacob. There are twelve months of the year and there were twelve torments.There are Twelve descendants of Ali the cousin of Muhammad. Zodiac has six northern (wet) and six southern (dry) signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius are fire, hot and dry, East. Taurus, Virgo, Capricorns are earth, cold, dry, South. Gemini, Libra, Aquarius are air, hot, wet, West. Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces are water, cold, wet, North.

The number THIRTEEN is probably the most common of all superstitions, considered a bad luck number. 13 is a Fibonacci Number (F7). 13 is the second Star Number. There are 13 circles in Metatron's Cube. 13 is the atomic number of aluminum. The Luna-solar calendar generally has 12 months but every second or third year has 13. With the 12 around 1 = 13 people at the Last Supper, 12 disciples around Jesus, his death creating bad luck, until he returns. Some streets do not contain a house number 13. In some forms of motor sport, for example Formula One, there is no number 13 car. The legion with which Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon was the Legio XIII Gemina or the 13th legion. The Code of Hammurabi does not contain a thirteenth law. The Apollo 13 spacecraft malfunctioned after being launched on April 11th at 13:13 CST, forcing it to return to Earth without a landing on the moon and imperiling its crew.

TWENTY-ONE is a number of mystical import, partly because it is the product of 3 and 7, the most sacred of the odd numbers, but especially because it is the sum of the numerical value of the letters of the Divine Name, Eheyeil, thus:5+ 10+ 5+ 1 = 21.

It is little valued in Freemasonry, but is deemed of great importance in the Cabala and in Alchemy; in the latter, because it refers to the twenty-one days of distillation necessary for the conversion of the grosser metals into silver.

THIRTY-SIX In the Pythagorean doctrines of numbers, it symbolized the male and female powers of nature united, because it is composed of the sum of the four odd numbers, 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 16, added to the sum of the four even numbers, 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 = 20, for 16 + 20 = 36.

FORTY is the multiple of two perfect numbers four and ten. The alleged period of probation of our Adam and Eve in Eden; the continuous deluge of forty days and nights, and the same number of days in which the maters remained upon the face of the earth; the Lenten season of forty days' fast observed by Christians with reference to the fast of Jesus in the Wilderness, and by the Hebrews to the earlier desert fast for a similar period; of the forty years spent in the Desert by Moses and Elijah and the Israelites, which succeeded the concealment of Moses the same number of years in the land of Midian. Moses was forty days and nights on the Mount. The days for embalming the dead were forty.

The forty years of the reign of Saul, of David, and of Solomon; the forty days of grace allotted to Nineveh for repentance; the forty days' fast before Christmas in the Greek Church; as well as its being the number of days of mourning in Assyria, Phoenicia, and Egypt, to commemorate the death and burial of their Sun God; and as well the period in the festivals of the resurrection of Adonis and Osiris; the period of forty days thus being a bond by which the whole world, ancient and modern, Pagan, Jewish, and Christian, is united in religious sympathy.

Well there is more in this strange mystic life.

What do we know!

Sami Cherkaoui

www.samicherkaouiarabicblog.com

US Lawmakers hail Netanyahu’s Equivocating Speech

US Senates applauded the Israeli Prime Minister’s 40 minutes speech 30 times!
Could Israel possibly wish for more than that?

Well, there is no harm in following certain politics and stand strong with certain friends and political allies.  However the harm is in trying to rewrite history in a tailor made version that makes the wrong right and the right wrong.

If Jewish people are not foreign occupiers of the land, Israel certainly is.

In his speech before the US Congress, the Prime Minister of Israel said to his listeners, “if you know Samaria; the Jewish people are not occupiers”. And Jerusalem to remain the Capital of United Israel!

Well I am not sure how well most of the Senates who stood and applauded Netanyahu speech know Samaria and or the history of Jerusalem. But Samaria and Jerusalem was occupied by the Jewish people in the past to establish the Kingdom of Israel and again in the present to establish the State of Israel.

Samaria is now Nablus Mountains, and it is located in the Northern part of the West Bank. And according to the Bible it stretched from the Mediterranean coast to Jordan Valley. Samaria City was once the Capital of the Kingdom of Israel.

How this happened?  And how the Jews came to this Land?

If we go to the roots of history and according also to what was mentioned in the Old and New Testaments about the first inhabitants of the region that is named Canaan Land, there were always people living in the area long before Ibrahim decided to move from his native city in Mesopotamia to Canaan and make it his home.

Of-course Ibrahim is the Father of the three main religions.

The Jebusites were also offspring of Canaan, and were settling in Philistine where they built the city of Jebus (Now Jerusalem) till it was later conquered by King David.

Aprachid (son of Shem), was the father of Eber who is the main seed of Hebrews.

From Eber came Joktan who is the main seed of Arabs.

The other son of Eber whose name is Peleg (brother of Joktan), settled in Babel, and the Book of Genesis marked that in his days "the Earth was divided", which was politically translated to the start of a “feud” between the two brothers (Peleg and Joktan).

As a result Joktan fled Babel to settle in the Arabian Peninsula. His descendents were Adnan and Maad, from whom Mohammed was a descendent. Prophet Muhammed goes to his roots and stops at Adnan, saying he does not wish to go further back?

From Peleg’s descendents was Abraham who had a son from Lady Sara called Isaac and a son from Lady Hagar called Ismail. Ismail was raised by Arabs and Isaac was raised by Hebrews and from him came Jacob, the father of the Israelites.

Abraham left Babylon towards Canaan land, and settled in a place called Shechem (Biblical name) which is now known as Nablus in Palestine.

Later, following the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua assembled the Israelites in Shechem and encouraged them to reaffirm their adherence to the Torah, and take the Promised Land.

According to Book of Genesis, God promised this Land to Abraham’s descendants.

This is may be why all three religions claim the Land.

By the time when Moses was born (around 1300 BC), the Hittite Empire was extended to most of Anatolia and parts of Syria and Canaan.

Although the Mesopotamian region maintained its independence through this period, it was not a power in the Near East, and mostly sat out the large wars fought over the Levant between Egypt, the Hittite Empire, and Mitanni, as well as independent peoples in the region. Assyria participated in these wars toward the end of the period.

Following the Biblical times, Exodus from Egypt happened in a time between 1400 and 1300 BC. During that period Assyria became the most powerful kingdom on Earth and Egypt lost its grip over the Levant.

Sinai was the first stop of Moses, and the Israelites refused to enter the “Promised Land”, (Land of Canaan) because they were afraid of the Giants “The Amorites”.

Moses could not enter the Promised Land and died at the eastern shores of Jordan River.

First Occupation

After Moses death, Joshua invaded Canaan and destroyed Jericho and from there he was able to lead the Israelites to several victories, securing much of the Land of Canaan.

The Israelites settled there till the time when King David came and the Kingdom of Israel was established.

The Jews consider David as the King of Israel and the Jewish people, but he is also a prominent figure to the Christian and Islamic cultures.

The Kingdom of Israel was always mentioned in history as the Northern Kingdom which is different than the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

It was a union of all the twelve Israelite tribes living in the area that presently approximates today the land of occupied Palestine by Israel.

Shechem was the first capital of the Kingdom of Israel. Afterwards it was Tirzah, which is now a little town near Nablus called Tal Al Farah.

King Solomon was the third king of the United Monarchy and the final king before two kingdoms split.

On the succession of Solomon's son, Rehoboam, in c. 930 BCE the country split into two kingdoms: Israel (including the cities of Shechem and Samaria) in the north and Judah (containing Jerusalem) in the south.

Israel continued to exist within its reduced territory as an independent kingdom until around 720 BCE, when it was again invaded by Assyria and the rest of the population deported.

When the Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of Israel, Jerusalem was strengthened by a great influx of refugees from the northern kingdom.

The First Temple period ended around 586 BCE, as the Babylonians conquered Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed the Temple.

In 538 BCE, after 50 years of Babylonian captivity, Persian King Cyrus the Great invited the Jews to return to Judah to rebuild the Temple.

Construction of the Second Temple was completed in 516 BCE, during the reign of Darius the Great, 70 years after the destruction of the First Temple.

In about 445 BCE, King Artaxerxes I of Persia issued a decree allowing the city and the walls to be rebuilt.

When Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire, Jerusalem and Judea came under Macedonian control, eventually falling to the Ptolemaic dynasty under Ptolemy I. In 198 BCE, Ptolemy V lost Jerusalem and Judea to the Seleucids under Antiochus III.

In 63 BCE, Pompey the Great of Rome captured Jerusalem, incorporating Judea into the Roman Republic.

As Rome became stronger it installed Herod as a Jewish client king.

In 4 BC Herod's son, Herod Archelaus was allotted by Caesar Augustus the greater part of the kingdom (Samaria, Judea, and Idumea) with the title of Ethnarch (Ruler) until 6 AD when Judaea province was brought under direct Roman rule at the time of the Census of Quirinius, which was the time when the Roman provinces of Syria and Lydia were enrolled by the Roman Empire for tax purposes.

Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was appointed governor of Syria, after the banishment of Herod Archelaus and the imposition of direct Roman rule on what became Iudaea Province (the conglomeration of Samaria, Judea proper, and Idumea).

In Christianity, the Gospel of Luke connects the birth of Jesus to a worldwide census in which individuals had to return to their ancestral cities.

Jesus' mother Mary and step father Joseph, travelled from their home in Nazareth, Galilee, to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.

This census explains how Jesus, a Galilean, could have been born in Bethlehem, the city of King David.

When Romans conquered the Levant shortly before the time of Jesus, they took the name, 'Philistia' and applied it to the entire region that is south of Canaan Lands, including the land occupied by the Jews and their neighbors. It is from this word, 'Philistia,' that we get our modern English name 'Palestine.'

Palestine at time of Jesus was part of the Roman Empire, which controlled its various territories in a number of ways.

Jews were not the only ones to move west into this new area of influence. Native Mesopotamians also migrated on a large scale. In fact, the region of western Syria had become so racially "Babylonian" by the end of the Seleucid rule, that Strabo the geographer of the 1st century B.C.E. said the peoples of Mesopotamia and those of Syria were then a homogeneous group.

Mesopotamia by the 1st century BC, the Arabs had replaced the earlier people in the south and made up a third of the country (Strabo).

Christians refer to Palestine as the Holy Land because it was the scene of Jesus' life. It is also holy to Hebrews, and Muslims.

Ancient Palestine lay in both the geographic and cultural center of the known world, surrounded by such great ancient civilizations as the Hittite, Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Egyptian, and the Mediterranean civilizations to the west.

At the time when Jesus was born, the Jews understood the world to be divided into two types of people: Jewish and Gentile (non-Jew). The Jews worked hard to disassociate themselves from the Gentiles.

Jerusalem was center of the Christian Church in the 1st century, because it had the prestige of being the city of Christ's death and resurrection and the center of the Apostolic Age. But it became decentralized and the 2nd century witnessed fierce attacks on the Apostles.

Islam revived the term (Hanif) that refers to an era prior to the advent religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Islam it refers to the pre-Islamic people in the period of (Jahilyah) or the Age of Ignorance, who rejected polytheism (Shirk) and retained the tenets of the monotheist religion of Ibrahim.

In other words Islam considered Ibrahim neither Jew nor Christian, but referred to him and his son Ismail as the first Muslims.

Muslims believe that Ibrahim and Ismail built the Ka'aba in Mekkah, and they are the ancestors of Arabs.

The Sassanid and Byzantine Empires collapsed under Muslim conquests, which reacquired the lands of Egypt, Palestine and Syria.

Jews and Christians eventually lost their influence in these territories.

Romans re-named the Land of Canaan; Palaestina, and also re-named the area including Negef, Sinai and the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula as Palaestina Salutoris, sometimes called Palaestina III.

By 635, Palestine, Jordan and southern Syria with the exception of Jerusalem and Caesarea (Quisaryah) were in Muslim hands. Quisaryah shortly was lifted but resumed after the Battle of Yarmouk untill it fell in 640.

Muslims then decided to take Jerusalem, and the city rulers conditioned their surrender only to Caliph Omar bin Al Khattab in person, who came and took the keys of the city.

Syria was divided by the Muslims into four districts: 1- Jund Dimashq Al Sham(Damascus). 2- Jund Hims (Homs). 3- Jund Al Urdun (Jordan) and Jund Filastin (Palestine). A fifth district was later added to Palestine; Jund Qinnasrin.

In Arabic, the area approximating the Byzantine Diocese of Palaestina I in the south (roughly Judea, Philistia, and southern Jordan) was called Jund Filastin (meaning "the military district of Palestine", as a tax administrative area), and the Diocese of Palaestina II in the north (roughly Samaria, Galilee, Golan, and northern Jordan) Jund al-Urdunn. Land of Canaan

Muslims considerslims consider themselves the natural successors of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all the other Prophets, and this is why Palestine was and still is of extreme significance.

The Jews and most of the Christians welcomed the Muslims after they had been severely oppressed in the aftermath of the wars with Persia.

Jews especially enjoyed more freedom under Muslim rule than anywhere else in the world. They were granted in Palestine considerable autonomy to make and enforce their own religious, judicial and social rules. Many Christians and Jews held important posts under various Muslim Caliphs.

Muslims removed the restrictions that Romans and Byzantines had placed on the right of Jews to visit and inhabit Jerusalem.

When Abd Al-MAlik Bin Marwan became Caliph, he ordered to build the Dome of Rock near Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Later Al Aqsa Mosque was rebuilt by orders of Caliph Walid Bin Abd Al-Malik.

The site where the Dome was built is also known in Judaism as the Foundation Stone, the spot where Jacob saw in his dreams a ladder to the sky that he climbed and God gave him the name Israel.

Muslims believe that this is also the spot from where Muhammad ascended to heaven in the course of a night journey.

By building the Dome of Rock, Muslims actually were expressing their reverence for Jerusalem, as city of the Prophets from Abraham to Muhammad who according to Islam is the "Seal of Prophets".

Christians and Jews under Umayyad rule were given the official title "People of the Book" with reference to the common roots they share with Muslims.

Jerusalem had been for centuries under Muslim rulings, and some Christians thought that it is time to get back the Holy City to Christian authorities.

The idea of Holy War came after many Western Christians cut out red crosses and sewed them on their tunics

The crusaders under Godfrey marched towards Jerusalem under Raymond St Gilles. They reached the Holy City by early 1099.

Godfrey ruled for one year and died. His brother Baldwin of Edessa succeeded him, and was the first person to take the title King of Jerusalem.

At the Battle of Hattin, Salah Eddin faced the combined forces of the Crusaders, he made his decisive victory against them and captured most of the Kingdom of Jerusalem by July 1187. This battle was a turning point in the history of the Crusades. Muslim army captured every Crusade city and all Jerusalem fell to Salah Eddin by October 1187.

Upon the capture of Jerusalem, Salah Eddin summoned all Jews and sent them to resettle in the city.

In 1228 Fredrick tricked the Egyptian Sultan of Ayyubids, who was facing a fierce rebellion, in a treaty to cede Jerusalem to the Franks, along with a narrow corridor to the coast. In addition Frederick had Nazareth, Sidon, Jaffa and Bethlehem. Muslims retained control over Temple Mount, Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. The Transjordan castles remained in the Ayyubids hands. The treaty made for 10 years.

However in the years to follow the City fell to the Khwarezman Turks, the Egyptians and the Tatars who handed it to the Mamluks.

The Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent took Jerusalem in 1517, and the city enjoyed prosperous period under his rule. Its huge walls around the Old City were rebuilt and it was also reckoned as the capital city of Palestine.

During the Ottoman Reign Palestine and Jerusalem enjoyed a religious and political peace. Jews, Christians and Muslims lived in harmony together.

The Second Occupation

After WWI, Samaria, which was part of the Ottoman Empire, was entrusted by the League of Nations to Britain as a British Mandate of Palestine.  Palestine was under the British Rule.

In 1948, the UN adopted the Partition Plan of Palestine to two states Jewish and Arab, with Jerusalem-Bethlehem area being under special international protection. To resolve the plight of Jews displaced as a result of the Holocaust, the Palestinians had to be displaced. Flows of Jews came to Palestine to establish the State of Israel.

After 1948 Samaria and Judea were incorporated with Jordan, and the territory was renamed the West Bank.

The Third Occupation

In 1967 Israel took Samaria (West Bank) and Jerusalem, during the six day war along with other lands occupied from Egypt and Syria.

In 1988 Jordan ceded control of the West Bank to PLO and this was confirmed later by the Israeli-Jordanian Peace Treaty of 1993. However Jordan recognized the Palestinian Authority as sovereign in the territory, and later in Oslo Accords the administration of "some" of the territory of Samaria was transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

It might be true that the Jewish people are not occupiers of the Samaria and the rest of the Palestinian lands because they were part of the inhabitants through out history, but Israel certainly is.

History witnessed Jews and Arabs living together at all times, and also witnessed many attempts by Jews to control the land politically using diplomatic and military methods.

What the American Lawmakers want to witness, after they have witnessed the elimination of Palestine in 1948, and the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza strip in 1967, and the agony of the Palestinians in their homeland and outside?

What painful compromises Mr. PM is referring to, when he is allowing a “Palestinian State” with borders he alone draws, with people he alone chooses and with laws he only makes?

What does he mean that Jerusalem is the capital of United Israel?

Can the US Senates explain that?

And yet they hail and applaud….. Strange!

Sami Cherkaoui

www.samicherkaouiarabicblog.blogspot.com

During and After the Crusades Era

Past, Present and Future of the Cradle of Civilizations (7)

…. Continue

Station Eighteen

Frequent Crusades

Jerusalem had been for centuries under Muslim rulings, and some Christians thought that it is time to get back the Holy City to Christian authorities.

Rumors started to spread that Constantinople will soon fall to Muslims, and if that happen the whole Christian existence in the Middle East would be at jeopardy. So the fight against Muslims and recapture Jerusalem became Holy War.

The idea of Holy War came after many Western Christians cut out red crosses and sewed them on their tunics. They were named the Croisades from the French croix or cross and later the word developed in English to crusades.

Before the preparation of the first Crusade, and by the start of 1096, there were some attacks on Jewish communities in France and Germany.

Christians were put (by some religious leaders) under general belief that both Jews and Muslims were enemies of Jesus Christ, and enemies were to be fought and converted to Christianity.

In Levant there were continuous battles between Saljuk Turks and other Turkish dynasties for control of Anatolia and Syria. The Saljuk Empire was divided into several smaller states.

Egypt and much of Palestine were controlled by the Fatimid Shi'as, however they lost Jerusalem to the Seljuks in 1073 but they recaptured it in 1098 just before the arrival of the First Crusaders.

The Normans, who are descendents from Norse Vikings, settled in France and gave their name to Normandy. They were famed for their martial spirit and Christian Piety. They quickly took Sicily and South Italy and formed their kingdom there. Then they invaded England in 1066 and brought it under the control of rulers originating from France. Later they moved to Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

The Normans' crusade influence, made the Church appeal for a conquest to the Middle East to protect Constantinople and liberate Jerusalem and the holy lands from Muslims.

In 1096 groups of Normans and Lotharingians from Lorraine marched under the command of Robert, Hugh and Godfrey.

Raymond of St Gilles commanded a strong army from South France and a large group of Norman war lords marched from southern Italy. They arrived in Byzantium after a tough journey in 1097.

They besieged Nicea (Iznik) the city capital of the Seljuk Turk Sultanate of Rhum, which was ruled by Kilij Arslan. The siege was assisted by Byzantine troops and naval blockade. Nicaea surrendered to the Emperor Alexius who did not allow the crusaders to pillage the city, a move that had bitter impacts later.

The crusaders marched towards Antioch, but were ambushed by Sultan Arslan at Dorylaeum. However the army which was under the command of St Giles and Adhemar surprised the Turks and forced them to flee.

This unexpected ambush although was not successful but left the crusaders' armies short of food supplies, lack of water,  and unsuitable equipment to resist freezing cold. To save the armies they annexed Edessa which was a powerful Christian Armenian kingdom that stretched from Cilicia all the way to the Euphrates. Edessa in the middle of the Muslim lands provided a secure flank for the crusaders.

The siege of Antioch began in October 1097. It took all winter when again the crusaders ran short of food that caused many deaths out of starvation including famous spiritual and military leaders. Many fled home.

One Armenian officer who had converted to Islam and was in charge of one of the city towers, allowed the crusaders in the city from that tower gate, but later they found themselves trapped inside with no hope to escape, as the brilliant Turkish leader Kerbogha had his army to surround the city.

The crusaders managed to engage with Kerbogha and break the siege. They spent the next few months consolidating their positions. Bohemond took Antioch and the rest of the crusaders marched towards Jerusalem under Raymond St Gilles. They reached the Holy City by early 1099.

Jerusalem at that time, was under the Fatimid Governor Iftikhar Al Dawla. He expelled all Christians from the city and desolated the countryside.

Led by priests chanting and holding their sacred relics before them, the entire army marched in slow and solemn procession barefoot around Jerusalem. Six days later the final assault began, and the crusaders forced their way into the city. They killed everyone they saw moving. They tore through Al Aqsa Mosque and slaughtered its occupants.

Jews took refuge in the city main synagogue which was burnt to the ground killing all inside. The Governor made a deal with St Gilles and was allowed to leave with his body guards. The crusaders council held a meeting in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and announced the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Godefrey was anointed as King of Jerusalem.

The Fatimid’s army marched with 50,000 troops with a mix of Arab, Turks, Iranians, Armenians and Kurds. But the crusaders surprised them at their camp outside the city and crushed them in a short battle. Their leader retreated to Egypt. After this battle most of the crusaders returned to their homes in Europe. Godfrey ruled for one year and died. His brother Baldwin of Edessa succeeded him, and was the first person to take the title King of Jerusalem.

Baldwin created during his reign a religious military group called the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller.

The first Crusade established Crusade States of Edessa, Antioch, Jerusalem and Tripoli in Palestine and Syria and allies such as the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia.

The political changes in the region had important impacts on Muslim Dynasties. Muslims from Egypt to Syria to Baghdad called for the expulsion of the crusaders, when later in the same century Salah Eddin Al Ayoubi recaptured Jerusalem and forced the crusaders to flee the lands. Saladin then united all surrounding areas.

Station Nineteen.

Salah Eddin recaptured Jerusalem

Knights Templar were the elite forces of the Crusaders, heavily armed and charged to advance the soldiers in key battles to break enemy lines. However, they were also set to manage the financial infrastructure of the Christian forces in the Holy Lands. Albeit their order was sworn to individual poverty, they were given control of wealth beyond direct donations.

They acted some times as banks, when noble people interested in participating in the crusades, they used to entrust their assets under Templar management while they are away. The accumulated wealth of the Templars allowed them to generate Letters of Credit for pilgrims heading to the Holy Land; a pilgrim used to deposit his valuables with a local Templar in Europe and receive a document indicating the value of the deposit. The pilgrim then used this document upon arrival to retrieve the funds.

Muslims began to unite their powers by the 12^th century. Disagreements and bitter conflicts arose among Christian factions in and concerning the Holy Land. Knights Templar were always in disagreement with the other two Christian forces; Knights Hospitaller and the Teutonic Knights.

The fall of Edessa in 1144 to Zengi of Aleppo ( A Malik Al Mansour) alerted Europe and the Roman Church. Pope Eugene III issued the “Bull Quantum Praedecessores” calling for a second crusade. Similar to what happened before the first crusade, Jews were under attack and several massacres against them were reported to happen in the Rhineland; Cologne, Mainz, Worms and Speyer. They were accused that they refused to contribute financially to the rescue of the Holy Land.

King of France Louis VII wanted the new expedition to be separate of the Pope’s call. Pope Eugene came personally to France to encourage for the expedition after he delivered the cross to the German King Conrad III.

European kings marched towards the East and Louis of France arrived first and was expected by Raymond of Poitiers to accompany him on an expansion against Aleppo, the Muslim gateway to Edessa. Louis refused and insisted to continue his pilgrimage to Jerusalem rather than focusing on the military aspect of the crusade. He was poisoned on the way and died before reaching the Holy City.

The crusades’ troops decided to attack Damascus first, and they gathered in Darayya. The Muslim Army was prepared for the attack and pushed the Crusaders away from the orchards outside Damascus. The king of Aleppo Nur Eddin helped Damascus in pulling out the Crusaders, who decided to change plans and move to the plain on the eastern side of the city and risk less food and water supplies. The local Crusader Lords refused to carry on with the siege of Damascus and the city eventually was abandoned when all troops retreated to Jerusalem.

In 1153 Baldwin II seized Ascalon and Jerusalem’s Crusades were able to make further advances into Egypt and occupied Cairo.

Salah Eddin Al Ayyubi, a nephew of one of Nur Eddin’s Generals, a military Muslim Kurd, became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria and founded the Ayyubid dynasty.

He first played a major role in defeating the Crusaders in Egypt and their commander Hugh of Caesarea was captured while attacking Salah Eddin unit.

Salah Eddin moved towards Alexandria and he stayed there to guard the city. By end of 1169 he defeated a strong Crusaders army near Damietta.

After having a strong grip on Egypt, he launched a full campaign against the Crusaders and besieged Darum (nowadays Dair Al Balah), which was a strong hold of Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller, who used the city as a military base to attack the Fatimid forces.

A Templar garrison moved from Gaza to assist in defending Darum, but Salah Eddin crushed them and took Gaza. He also attacked Eilat to clear it from his path.

Salah Eddin then moved to destroy Karak and Montreal (Shawbak) the desert castles of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, with Nur Eddin assisting him by attacking the Crusaders from Syria.

Meanwhile, in summer 1172 a Nubian army with an Armenian contingent besieged Aswan. But Salah Eddin forces defeated them and took Aswan then advanced to capture the Nubian town Ibrim.

Nur Eddin died in 1174 and was succeeded by his 11 year old son Salih Ismail Al Malik, who was then removed to Aleppo and the city was controlled by some veterans who claimed guardianship over him.

Salah Eddin entered Damascus and received homage salutations of the citizens. He put his brother Taj Eddin to govern the city and moved to liberate other cities; he conquered Hamah, Aleppo and failed a plot to assassinate him.

Raymond of Tripoli thought to engage Salah Eddin in a battle at Nahr Al Kabir north of Lebanon to deter him where his forces were well in place. However Salah Eddin preferred to enter Homs and capture its citadel.

After he won several battles against the Crusaders, and after he crushed his Zengids rivals, he proclaimed himself king, and the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad welcomed his assumption of power and declared him Sultan of Egypt and Syria.

The Crusaders sent a strong army to capture the fortress of Harim (Now a city within Idlib Governorate) north of Aleppo. Salah Eddin took it an excuse to nullify the truce that was set between him and the Christian leaders. He marched to Ascalon the Bride of Syria, and sacked Ramla, Lod and dispersed his army just outside the Gates of Jerusalem.

After allowing King Baldwin to enter Ascalon with 350 elite Knights Templar officers, he was surprised by their sudden attack at Tell Jazar near Ramlah. The surprise was so immense that he decided to retreat to his Egyptian territories.

In 1178 Salah Eddin decided to fight the Crusaders again. He took Homs and his troops in Hamah won a victorious battle and brought many prisoners of war to him. He ordered the captives to be beheaded.

The Crusaders planned a surprise attack against Salah Eddin east of Golan Heights. Baldwin proud of his previous victory, advanced foolishly in pursuit of Salah Eddin forces that were based south east of Quneitra, where he had a tough defeat. Baldwin in the following year set up an outpost on the road to Damascus to fortify a passage over Jordan River, known as Jacob’s Ford or Banat Ya’coub that commanded Banias Plain. Salah Eddin offered Baldwin gold to abandon his project because it was very offensive to Muslims. When Baldwin refused he decided to destroy the fortress, (which was called Chastellet and manned by the Templars). The battle ended with decisive victory to Salah Eddin and many high-ranking Knights were captured.

In 1180 Salah Eddin accepted a truce offer from King Baldwin. He used this truce to crush his internal enemies. In 1182 he marched to Damascus, and launched a naval ground attack to capture Beirut and led his army towards the Bekaa Valley. Later he abandoned the operation to focus on some issues in Mesopotamia.

Salah Eddin marched towards Euphrates and on his way he took Edessa, Saruj, Raqqah, Karkesiya and Nusaybin. Then he conquered Al Fudain, Al Husain, Maksim, Araban,and Khabur.

While Salah Eddin was having Mousl under siege, he received a message that the Crusaders had sent ships from Gulf of Aqaba to raid towns and villages off the coast of Red Sea. He ordered his ships to move from Fustat and Alexandria to the Red Sea under the command of an Armenian mercenary called Lu’Lu’, who broke the Crusaders’ blockade and destroyed most of their ships.

The Crusaders’ frequent attacks provoked responses by Salah Eddin especially when forces of Raynald of Chatillon harassed Muslim trading and pilgrimage routes mainly on the Red Sea, which Salah Eddin needed to keep open. He built a fleet to attack Beirut and in response Rayland threatened to attack Mecca and Medina.

At the Battle of Hattin, Salah Eddin faced combined forces of the Crusaders, made his decisive victory against them and captured most of the Kingdom of Jerusalem by July 1187. This battle was a turning point in the history of the Crusades. Muslim army captured every Crusade city and all Jerusalem fell to Salah Eddin by October 1187.

Upon the capture of Jerusalem, Salah Eddin summoned all Jews and sent them to resettle in the city.

The fall of Jerusalem alerted the Third Crusade that was financed by Richard I (The Lion Heart) of England, who conquered Acre and killed more than 3000 Muslims in the city. Salah Edin retaliated and killed all Franks that he captured in Jerusalem.

Both Kings engaged in the Battle of Arsuf, in 1191 and Salah Eddin army was defeated, however all attempts made by Richard to re-take Jerusalem failed.

By the nature of the Battles and their military plans, Salah Edin and Richard the Lion Heart developed a unique relationship based on mutual respect.

Richard proposed that his sister Joan of England and Queen of Sicily should marry Salah Eddin’s brother and that Jerusalem could be their wedding gift.

Joan of England declined the offer, however the two kings came to an agreement in the Treaty of Ramlah in 1192, whereby Jerusalem would remain in Muslim hands but would be open to Christian pilgrimages.

Salah Eddin died in 1193 right after Richard departure. He was buried in a mausoleum outside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.

 

The Fourth Crusade started in 1202, when the Crusaders from West Europe invaded Constantinople the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, and established a Latin Empire in the Byzantine lands they conquered.

The East and West Churches had their final split or schism after this invasion, as the Greeks felt deep sense of betrayal. The Crusaders never approached the Holy Land.

 

In 1218, a mixed army led by kings of Hungary and Austria together with a Dutch contingent, marched towards Canaan Land with the intention to reacquire Jerusalem.

They allied with the Seljuk king of Rhum in Anatolia, and attacked the Ayyubids in Syria.

After seizing the Egyptian Port of Damietta, they headed towards Cairo, but most of the Crusaders were forced to retreat under vicious attacks by Sultan Al Kamil, the rest of their army surrendered, and Al Kamil agreed to eight years peace agreement with Europe.

In 1248 King Louis IX of France made a failed attempt to recapture Damietta. However the Roman Emperor Frederick II made a successful diplomatic move that allowed him to gain temporary control of Jerusalem.

He married the daughter of the nominal ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1228 he sailed with his army to Syria then Cyprus and from there he sailed for Acre or Akka, the capital of the truncated Kingdom of Jerusalem claiming its throne.

Fredrick claimed that John Ibelin of Cyprus had an illegitimate regency and demanded the surrender of his mainland fief of Beirut to the imperial throne. Acre split in its support to Frederick, however the Teutonic Knights supported him. Although the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar refused to support the Emperor directly, they supported the Crusades when Fredrick agreed to remove his name from official orders.

Frederick was hoping to convince Al Malik the Sultan of Egypt to keep honoring his agreement signed at the time of the Fifth Crusade, while he engaged the Ayyubids in some battles. The Egyptian Sultan facing a fierce rebellion agreed to cede Jerusalem to the Franks, along with a narrow corridor to the coast. In addition Frederick had Nazareth, Sidon, Jaffa and Bethlehem. Muslims retained control over Temple Mount, Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. The Transjordan castles remained in the Ayyubids hands. The treaty made for 10 years.

In 1244 the Mongols advanced and took Jerusalem on their way to ally with the Egyptians Mamluks who ended the Ayyubid Era. This returned Jerusalem to Muslim control. Europe with the exception of France at that time was busy with internal struggles.

Louis IX sailed to Cyprus with Egypt as the object of his crusade. He landed in Damietta to provide a base from which he can attack Jerusalem. Later the flooding of the Nile grounded the king and his troops for nearly six months.

The French King marched to Cairo at the same time when its King Saleh Ayyub died. A contingency of Knights Templar attacked the city of Mansurah but was defeated. Louis main force was defeated by the strong Mamluk leader Al Zahir Baibars. He was taken captive and his army was annihilated. Louis ransomed himself and fled to Acre which was still one of a few remaining Crusader possessions in the Land of Canaan.

In 1267 Louis’ brother Charles of Anju convinced the king to avenge the Crusaders States. He also convinced him to start a new Crusade by taking Tunis which would make it easier to attack Egypt.

In 1270 Louis arrived Tunis but his soldiers were poisoned from poor drinking water. He also died from a stomach flux and his brother proclaimed Louis’ son Philip III as the new king. However because the new king was very young Charles became the actual leader of the Crusade.

Instead of invading Tunis, Charles made an agreement with Caliph Al Mustansir. The Christians gained free trade with Tunis, and residence for monks and priests were guaranteed.

Prince Edward of England headed to Acre for the Ninth Crusade in 1271, to help the Prince of Antioch and Count of Tripoli Bohemud VI in their resistance against Zahir Baibars, who recaptured Antioch in 1268 to secure the Mamluk northern front and threaten the small Crusader County of Tripoli. The English king formed a military alliance with the Mongols against Muslims, who managed to defeat both armies and forced the Mongols to retreat behind the Euphrates River.

Prince Edward and King Hugh reached an agreement with Zahir Baibars, however later Baibars attempted to assassinate Edward who had to depart Acre and return home.

Michael VIII re-established the Byzantine Empire. This move alerted Pope Martin IV and led the Sicilian Vespers to march against Constantinople in 1281, but quickly forced to return home.

In 1289 Sultan Qalawoon took Tripoli but faced heavy resistance and could not secure the city except after two years.

He then besieged Acre and ended the last independent Crusader State. The Crusades’ 208 years period to the Holy Land was over, when Ruad (Arwad) Island was lost in 1303.

Station Twenty

The Ottoman Empire

When the Portuguese adventurer Vasco De Gama found his way round the Cape of Good Hope in 1497, the Portuguese fleets started to attack any ship that carried freight to Muslim Pilgrims, from India and Red Sea.

Al Ghawri, the Mamluk Sultan of Cairo with the Rulers of the Indian State Gujarat and Arab Yemen, threatened to destroy all Christian Holy Places, as they considered the Portuguese actions a direct threat to Mecca.

Al Ghawri built a fleet of 50 ships and asked for the Ottomans’ Marine expertise. Later the Ottomans accused Al Ghawri (who was weakened by the continuous wars against the Portuguese), at giving the envoys of the Persian Safavid Ismail passage through Syria on their way to Venice and harboring refugees.

By 1517 Egypt and Syria fell to the Ottoman Sultan Selim I, who ended the Mamluk Era. However he retained some of their leaders to rule Egypt under his authority. So they remained vassals of the Ottomans.

Ottomans took Constantinople as their capital and center of power. They renamed it Istanbul in 1453. In that year Mohammed II agreed with the Orthodox Patriarch Gennadious that the Orthodox Church can keep its autonomy and land by accepting the Ottoman authority. Because of the bad relations between the Latter Byzantine Empire and the states of Western Europe, Orthodox Christians accepted and one of their Grand Dukes was famous in saying “ Better the Sultan;s Tarboush (Turban) than the Cardinal,s hat”.

The Empire acquired all Byzantine lands, however lost some territories in the Balkan; Thessaloniki, Macedonia and Kosovo, but were recovered by Mehemed II (The Conqueror), who was declared as Caesar Romanus and managed to occupy parts of the Italian Peninsula.

After establishing the Ottoman Rule in Egypt, Selim I created a naval presence on the Red Sea. Suleiman the Magnificent Captured Belgrade in 1521 and conquered the southern parts of Hungary. He besieged Vienna in 1529 but tough weather forced him to retreat.

Ottomans took Baghdad from the Persians in 1535 gaining more control in Mesopotamia and naval access to the Persian Gulf. They controlled much of the Mediterranean Sea and had many victories over Christian Navies, especially in Tunis and Algeria where they managed to evacuate many Muslims and Jews from Spain to Salonica, Cyprus (which were under their rule) and Istanbul.

Suleiman the Magnificent took Jerusalem and the city enjoyed prosperous period under his rule. Its huge walls around the Old City were rebuilt and it was also reckoned as the capital city of Palestine.

To be continued

Sami Cherkaoui

www.samicherkaouiarabicblog.blogspot.com