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

Is Pride in the Middle East a Virtue or Curse?

People of the Middle East including the people of the European countries that have coasts on the Mediterranean Sea; Italy, Greece, Spain, France in general, and Arab and Muslim people in particular, are famous in describing themselves as people of pride. And they have through out history engaged in military battles mainly because ordinary people or leaders feel that their pride has been injured by their offenders.

Pride played a major role in the Middle East when foreign occupied forces invaded the region. Their political plans were to play on the Pride issues to split people and gain some alliances from them, which in the end proved to be false sympathies of individuals or groups that hailed the occupants to seek revenge against their own opponents, basically because of hurt feelings.

Arabs specifically are people with long history of feuds caused by hurt feelings and pride. They are proud of their pride, and famous historic wars were made between their tribes because of this pride.

Pride is a very nice human feature, however if it is stubbornly practiced it can become an ugly beast that can eat its owner.

It plays between high sensitivity and ego, and can be the direct antonym of humility or guilt. The excess of pride as a vice leads to vanity. And vanity can manifest very fast to tyranny. Tyranny is certainly a killer.

When pride involves a nation it becomes National Pride and this can turn easily to Ethnic Pride.

When pride is a rebel on slavery it becomes a victory of morals and liberates the person or group from remaining subservient.

The slogan "Black Pride" helped black people in America to take their liberty and be identified as a respected heritage with equal rights in the country.

Whereas the slogan "White Pride" was used in the USA not only to identify the White Race but also to indicate the White Supremacy.

In religion when pride becomes a vanity, it directs immediately to the story of creation and the rebel of Lucifer against God. Later all world dictators were and still are hit by this disease.

The German National Pride for example is a term that is usually associated with the Nazi regime. Here the term is just the opposite of Patriotism.

The famous Chinese/Japanese conflicts and wars through out history were based on national pride that the people of both countries shared against each other. In this case Honor was touched, and National Pride definitions can vary in each country.

Honor is touched in a different way when Europe colonized most of the Middle East. People considered themselves really hurt in their Pride and Honor. They were treated with real humiliation, and were forced to accept every singly oppression practiced against them.

Several revolutions erupted for liberty. People got their freedom, however their pride was not released after their new rulers kept a strong grip over them.

Some dictators, social groups and political parties developed narcissism and they become in love and obsessed with their own images. So they put their slogans, photos and images everywhere where they can see them and they make sure that all public can see them.

In recent history, hereditary dictatorship remained a common phenomenon. In Muslim and Arab countries of the Middle East, such dictatorship are seen in republican regimes, where rulers practice and absolute monarchy, and power is transmitted between members of the same family due to the overwhelming authority of the leader.

Most of the hereditary regimes in the Middle East are under totalitarian rules, where the state is under power of a single political person, faction or political party. In such regimes, ordinary citizens do not have even a minimal share in the state decision making. Such regimes are usually bound schemes of ideological beliefs that direct all aspects of public and private life.

Ironic enough, such dictators and for different reasons, always have some kind of supports from Western countries, consequently they use those supports as an advantage in helping them remain in power, and attempt to transmit this power to other individuals in their families.

When normal people rebel against their leaders, they do so because their tolerance against oppression has reached its limits, and suddenly their pride become more important than their lives.

Igniting such rebels is a different story.

The pride of rulers is also emerged by their refusal to respond positively to people’s demands, and their resistance to leave the authority. They find in such rebels a deep insult to their honor. Their resistance in this case becomes brutal against their people because it is vital for their existence.

After decades of ruling, rulers find it difficult to believe that their people do not like them, and absolutely impossible to leave the authority.

They relate any kind of rebellion to an outside conspiracy against them and the country, and they believe without doubts that rebelled groups in the streets are not from people but rather foreign groups that penetrate the streets and influenced innocent people.

They try to inject some rapid reforms to absorb the anger.

In the end they leave or forced to leave.

Recent history gave many examples; Hitler, Marcos, Mussolini, Idi Amin, Milosevic, Chowchesko, Saddam Husein, Husni Mubarak, Zain Eddine Bin Ali etc...

Today the struggle in the Middle East is a struggle of existence.

It is a struggle to control.

It is a struggle of challenges.

Above all, it is a struggle of pride and prejudice.

May be Pride in the Middle East has become a virtue and a curse at the same time.

Sami Cherkaoui

www.samicherkaouiarabicblog.blogspot.com

Mesopotamia and Canaan Under Muslim Eras

Past, Present and Future of the Cradle of Civilizations (6)

Continue Station Fifteen…

Jews specifically, 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 traditions. Many Christians and Jews held important posts under various Muslim Caliphs.

Muslims rulers in Jerusalem removed all restrictions that Romans and Byzantines had placed on the right of Jews to visit and inhabit Holy City.

Station Sixteen

Muawiya Bin Abu Sufyan started what is called the Omayyad Era. He was proclaimed the 5th Caliph of Islam, and he took Damascus as his Capital city.

Damascus emerged as a significant city, and its new leaders were keen to link it with Jerusalem in an attempt to embrace the three religions.

Muawiya insisted to have excellent relations with the Christian communities of Syria, and actually one of his closest advisers was Sarjun who was the father of Saint John of Damascus. Sarjun also supervised taxes for the Omayyad Caliph for the entire Middle East.

John of Damascus served before being ordained as Chief Administrator to the Muslim Caliph.

However, Muawiya at the same time was tough on the Byzantine Empire. He took Rhodes and Crete and launched from there several attacks against Constantinople.

Muawiya also expanded his military power towards North Africa and founded the city of Kairouan, and Central Asia where he invaded Kabul, Bukhara and Samarkand.

 

The Byzantine province of Palaestina Prima became a military sub-province named Jund Filastin under the Omayyad rule. It formed a division of Greater Syria or Jund Al Sham. Jund Filastin extended from Sinai to the Plain of Acre or Akko (Akka) which extends from Lebanon borders in the north to the Carmel Promontory in Palestine in the south, including Rafah, Caesarea, Gaza, Jaffa, Nablus and Jericho. Lod or Al Lid was the capital of the province and later Ramla city took the lead. Jund Al Urdunn was the region to the north and east of Filastin that included cities of Acre or Akko, Bisan and Tiberias.

When Abed 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 Abed 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 Omayyad rule were given the official title "People of the Book" with reference to the common roots they share with Muslims.

A group of Jewish attendants were reported to be in charge of cleaning the Mosque and Temple Mount, and also responsible for the maintenance of their lighting. They were rewarded by being exempted from poll taxes.

The Omayyad Caliphs employed Jews and Christians and some of them attained high posts in the government hierarchy. More churches were built.

Muawiya established the principle of heredity for caliphate and before his death he appointed his son Yazid as his successor, whose opposition centered mainly in Persia, Iraq and Hejaz.

The end of Omayyad regime was plagued by natural disasters. A number of earthquakes occurred in Palestine and they caused heavy loss of life and the collapse of the Dome of the Rock.

Station Seventeen

Supported by the province of Khorasan Iran, Ibrahim Al Imam a fourth descent of Abbas Bin Abed Al Muttalib, the youngest uncle of Muhammad, rebelled against the Omayyad Caliph Marwan II, but was captured and died in prison. His brother Abdallah known as Abu Al Abbas Al Saffah, carried on the rebellion, defeated the Omayyad and was subsequently proclaimed Caliph.

The first change he made was to move the caliphate’s capital from Damascus to Baghdad. The Persian Mawali(s) in Iran (who were non Arab Muslims supported) the new caliph. Part of the Mawali(s) demanded less Arab dominance in the region.

Baghdad by now is a significant city, which is already equipped to embrace polymath scientists as well as religious scholars.

Abu Abbas Al Saffah sent his forces to Central Asia, Sindh, Arabia, Anatolia, North Africa Egypt and entered Damascus to set up a new dynasty controlled from Baghdad.

He killed the remaining members of the Omayyad family at one dinner party, but one survivor Abed Al Rahman I, escaped to Al Andalus (Spain) where he assumed the title of Caliph and took Cordoba as a rival Caliphate’s Capital to Baghdad. He built up a Kingdom that dominated North Africa and lasted for about three hundred years.

Jews, Nestorian Christians and Persians were well represented in Abu Al Abbas’s government and in succeeding Abbasid administrations.

Before his death, Abu Al Abbas appointed his brother Abu Ja’far Al MansourAbi Taleb, the cousin of Muhammad and the fourth Caliph. Al Mansur also founded the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.

Shia’s believed that after the death of Muhammad, his cousin Ali was the one who should be the first Caliph and not Abu Bakr. They were very annoyed when Omar Bin Al Khattab and Othman Bin Affan became the second and third Caliph respectively.

When Ali Bin Abi Taleb proclaimed the fourth Caliph, Muawiya fought him and managed to be a Caliph instead of Ali after the latter was surprisingly murdered while praying in the mosque.

Later Ali’s son Al Hasan abandoned the Caliphate to Muawiya on the condition that he becomes the Caliph after him, which Muawiya accepted, but then appointed his son instead, and Al Hasan later was mysteriously murdered by his wife who poisoned him for no unknown reasons.

The other son of Ali, Al Husein decided to fight Muawiya claiming the Caliphate for himself after his supporters urged him to do so. But Yazid the son of Muawiya who is by now the new Caliph defeated him, and he was brutally killed and later all his wives and sons were murdered except one.

Shi’as believe that Ali is the first Imam of the line of twelve Imams who are the rightful successors of Prophet Muhammad. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam with the exception of Husein bin Ali who was the brother of Hasan bin Ali.

The Twelfth and final Imam is Muhammad Al Mahdi who the Shi’as strongly believe that he is still alive and hidden until his return to bring justice to the world.

Same belief that the Christians apply on Jesus Christ that he shall return to save the world.

It is reported that Al Mansur flogged to Muslim scholars, Abu Hanifah and Imam AL Malki who both were founders of two out of four Muslim schools of law (Shari’a).

Under the rule of the second Abbasid Caliph AL Mahdi, the Barmakid family gained greater powers and worked closely with him to ensure stability and prosperity of his kingdom.

Several of the Abbasids’ caliphs were known to spent time in Jerusalem on their way to and from Makah. When Caliph Al Mansour visited Jerusalem, he ordered the destruction of the crosses on the churches and forbade the Christians to hold services at night.

However later Caliph Harun Al Rachid who was known to be a close friend of King Charlemagne of France, allowed the building of many new churches in the city including monasteries, a hostel, a marketplace and a library.

His son Abu Is’haq who was the Governor of Egypt, and later was Caliph Al Mu'tasem, had the inscription of the Dome of the Rock altered by inserting his own name in place of Abed Al Malik the Omayyad Caliph who first built the Dome.

Harun Al Rachid moved his capital city from Baghdad to Al Raqqah, close to the borders of the Byzantine borders.

Al Rachid depended heavily on his mentor and long-time associate Yahya Al Barmaky, and later his son Ja’far. He appointed him his first minister and his vizier and granted him full executive powers. Yahia and his sons served the Caliph faithfully and sincerely.

Yahia Al Barmaki was Persian and a member of the Barmakids family.

He and his sons helped in translating many Persian works. Ja’far convinced Harun to open a paper mill in Baghdad, which they had its paper making secrets from China.

Ja’far was executed for allegedly having a love affair with Harun’s sister. Some say it was a conspiracy that made the Caliph fears a Shi’a movement against him led by the Barmakids.

During the Abbasid period the Muslim world became a challenging intellectual center of science, knowledge and education. Both Arab and non Arab Muslim scholars translated and gathered the entire world’s knowledge into Arabic.

The Muslim scientists without doubt significantly advanced the knowledge of ancient Roman, Greek, Chinese, Indian, Persian and Egyptian civilizations.

Many thinkers and scientists believe that the Abbasid Era played an important role in transmitting Islamic science to the Christian West.

The Abbasids however made a fatal turn against the Shi’as, who most of them fled to the Maghreb to establish the Idrisid and later other Kingdoms. They also executed their Imam Jafar Al Sadiq.

The Byzantine Empire was continuously fighting the Abbasids in Syria and Anatolia.

Former supporters of Abbasids split and formed their own kingdom in Khorasan in northern Persia.

By the 10^th century the Abbasids lost most of Iraq.

Outside Iraq all provinces became de facto states.

The Ismaili Fatimids challenged the Abbasids’ authority. They ruled in Tunisia and moved to Egypt, Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, Malta, Levant and Hejaz. They were Arabo Berber Muslim Shi’a.

The Fatimids, although had a swift successful era, they could not avoid the ethnic conflicts that split their armies mainly between the Berber and the Turks. The Turkish forces managed to seize Cairo.

Eventually the Berber declared their independence from the Fatimids and recognized the Sunni Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad by 1040.

Later the Fatimids were challenged by the Turkish invasion in the Levant coast and parts of Syria. After the first Crusades the Fatimid’s territory shrank to only Egypt. However, by 1160, the Seljuks ended them, and a new Era of the Ayyubids under Saladin began in Egypt and Syria.

The Seljuk Empire, a Sunni Empire was founded in 1037, and controlled a large area stretching from The Hindu Kush to Eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Arabian Gulf.

The Seljuks played a vital role in the first and second crusades.

Station Eighteen

The First Crusade

 To be continued .....

Sami Cherkaoui

www.samicherkaouiarabicblog.blogspot.com

Wrath of Wealth 2: Mysteries Of The Pyramids

 Continued from Quantum Leap to Ancient Egypt...

At this point, Asef turned to him and asked: do you notice any strange or distinguished things in this place?

“Yes. I see like electric lamps in the ceilings and on the walls. Also I feel that the place is air-conditioned. Is this real – Are we really in the old ages or this is a trick”? Adam asked Asef mockingly.

Then he looked around with more attention and he saw a large screen in-front of the king and his wife.

Is this an LCD screen? – A surprise look covered his face.

Asef put a humble smile on his face and said: do you think that technology started only in the age you are living in. You are only picking up what they have started thousands of years before. And you are trying to develop it but you are still in very early stages. 

Adam disagreed and said: but history told us that those ages were living on preliminary science only....

Asef interrupted: It seems it is quite to the contrary. The ancient Egyptians were first to practice scientific arts. Indeed, the word chemistry is derived from the word Alchemy which is the ancient name for Egypt. Egyptians really excelled in medicine and applied mathematics. Their exploits in engineering, astronomy and administration continue to be excellent resources to modern scientists.

They were the first to produce 365 days calendar (12 months of 30 days + 5 feast days).

They invented the making of glass articles with a glass blowing process that is used still in your time.

Lights you see in this hall are real electricity which you use in your time. They have generated electricity from solar energy, and used the solar energy to make other technologies which you will see shortly after we finish from here Let us listen to what the pharaoh is saying…” 

Amon: Kofo built the great pyramid in outstanding scientific accuracy. He put to the generations coming after some scientific basis; physics and mathematics formulas to work on and develop.

What the hell he is talking about? He asked Asef curiously.

Chapter 4

Mysteries Of The Pyramid

Asef began to explain “He is talking basically about PI and the Golden Ratio”

“What?!! – He exclaimed with big astonishment… How do you know about PI and the Golden Ratio … Then he corrected… I mean how they know”

 

“As told you before  ... they are the fathers of technology and modern science”

He could not believe his ears… Is this true what he is hearing.. But how …?

Asef interrupted: “ Even scientists in your time agree that for example when the height of the great pyramid is equal = 146.515 meters, and its base equals 230.363 meters they used a simple math to find that half of the base is 115.182 m and the "slant height"  is 186.369 meters. Dividing the "slant height" 186.369 meters by "half base" 115.182 meters gives 1.6180, which is practically equal to the golden ration! “

“Oh my God – you talk like a real scientist!”

“The Pharaohs bring this ratio by discovering that the earth/moon relationship is the only one in the solar system that contains this unique golden section ratio that "squares the circle".  If the base of the great pyramid is equated with the diameter of the earth, then the radius of the moon can be generated by subtracting the radius of the earth from the height of the pyramid. 

This proportion results from elegant design of the pyramid with the height equal two diameters of a circle and the base equal to the circumference of the circle.

The number Pi is the mathematical constant 3.1415, with the ratio of the diameter to the distance around the circle, called the circumference. In the pyramid it is the ratio of the height to twice the length of the base.”

“What?” Adam exclaimed with more astonishment

“You should also know that it is aligned with the four points of the compass. This means that its four sides point toward true East, West, North, and South.”

“Compass? East. West!” Adam was about to loose his mind.

Asef continued: “Each side of its base is 365.2422 cubits, which is the exact number of days in a solar year.”

“Solar Year?”. Adam was not able to absorb that all these scientific information is coming from a 4000-year-old man and even hinted by a 5000-year-old man.

Asef went on: “The Pyramid's perimeter, the distance around the four sides of the base, correlates with the circumference of the earth.

And by multiplying the height of the Pyramid's 35th layer by 10 derives the distance of the earth from the sun. Don’t you agree with Amon that all these information and scientific formulas were put to the generation coming after to follow and develop?”

“Yes I agree?” Adam confessed… “But how they were able to do all this amazing science? What was their secret?”

Asef said mockingly: “What would be in your opinion the secret of your civilization?

How did you come to the invention of electricity, electronics and other inventions such as airplanes, cars, and the destructive traditional and nuclear weapons?”

Adam did not know what to answer. Not only because he did not know the answers; but also because he was more amazed to hear Asef talks about these matters…as if he is actually living in the present times. He knows about all these technologies we used in our times! 

Asef carried on: “You have to believe that when life was created; all the basic science and technology were created with it.

Man worked on developing those bases… and kept on developing repeatedly every time the creation is destroyed.”

“I don’t understand”- Adam said. “What do you mean by *repeatedly*? What is destroyed?”

Asef made a modest smile again and said: “You will understand later – after all - this is the purpose of our trip.You will see what man made and what he destroyed.

You will see what money made in all aspects.” 

Before Asef completed what he was saying – they heard strong movement of people in the hall.

Asef said – “This is Akhnaton – here he comes …. Let’s see what he is up to”

Chapter 5

Akhnaton And His New Religion

Akhnaton: I hope my lord allows me to share with him what’s keeping me busy these days… My wife Nefertiti and I decided to make some basic changes in the temples and holy places. 

Can you elaborate more? Amon asked

Akhnaton: we will start to dismiss some of the chief priests and appoint new ones who will in turn make certain changes in some employments and positions.

Amon: and how you want to do this?  Will you tackle also the beliefs of your ancestors?

Akhnaton: Of-course not- but I will make some development and modernization. Also I will make sure that the real power which is giving our civilization its strength and sovereignty is not neglected any more. The Sun which is giving us all these magnificent powers must be really and truly appreciated and worshiped. God Aten must be recognized. This is why I want to remove the chief priests who may oppose the new administration, which I see very vital if we want to keep on developing our civilization.

Amon: But I can see just the opposite.  Any changes in our beliefs will certainly have a negative impact on the development of our civilization. It will definitely delay any progress not to mention it will exhaust the priests and ministers and confuse their works.

Akhnaton: My lord means that I will make them weak and limit their strength. I can see their grab on the kingdom is almost absolute, and my Lord is doing nothing to stop their vicious ambitions.

Amon: This is because I do not see any harm in what they are doing. To the contrary, I see what their science and inventions are thrusting the strength of the Kingdom more and more every day.

Akhnaton: But they are also weakening my Lord’ power. And I see that your disease is keeping you away from them. Your severe pains are preventing you from noticing what they actually doing in the Kingdom.

Amon: You mean that I became old and weak and not fit to rule my Kingdom?

Akhnaton: I do apologize if my Lord understood this from my talks. I only mean that you can rely on me and give me full proxy so I can make you see what you are not able to see due to your disease and pains.

Amon: I fear if I give you the authority, your religious ambitions will drive you to un-change the balances. You are saying that you want to change some chief priests and ministers.

Akhnaton: I want to form a new crew who work only under our control and instructions. My Lord will have the upper hands all the times, and he will be consulted before any decisions are taken. I only care for your comfort and the prosperity of the Kingdom. 

Amon: Then I have to consult my administration and advisers to see all advantages and disadvantages of what you are proposing. After that we will give you our final decision.

Akhnaton: I am much obliged that my Lord will consider my proposal and I am ready to accept whatever decision he will finally takes. 

Akhnaton withdrew from the hall.

Amon looked to his Queen Taya and said: The end has started.

Taya: But he is still saying that the final word is to you.

Amon: This is the tongue and brain of Nefertiti. I think she also convinced the rest of my ministers and advisers

Taya: What to do in this case?

Amon: The best is to step down voluntarily to avoid massacres. And I hope I can still preserve the Kingdom from the imminent risk I can see coming by the hands of our son.

Amon pressed a button in his chair and a man appeared on the big screen: Ramos… I want you here right away… Amon shouted.

Taya: What do you want from Military Leader?

Amon: Who is better than Ramos I can trust?

Adam did not believe that Amon and Ramos communicated electronically by some kind of a screen. He turned to ask Asef..

But Asef was quicker in saying: “They were able to consume the energy from the sun and used it in various technologies. They are the Gods of Suns after all.” He smiled

“Their father Ra was able to make out of the sun light so many scientific theories which were developed later and made their civilizations reach the peak.”

“And do they have cars and plane and transport systems like we have”- Adam asked challengingly.

Asef: “And they also have space ships by which they reached out to communicate with other planets.”

“Your are kidding – right – “a yellow smile covered his face.

Asef: “I do not kid… how do you think they were able to put a 2.5 tons stone on top of 140 meters pyramid?”

“I can’t believe this…” Adam firmly said

Asef: “Let’s leave Amon waits for Ramos and go out to the streets”.

Instantly they were outside Amon’s Palace in the ancient streets of Memphis which to him seemed not ancient at all.

Chapter 6

The Big Picture

Adam was extremely amazed when he looked at the traffic of cars in the streets.  Cars on the road and cars flying in the sky...

High buildings with glass facades...

He could not believe that he is in the year 1300 AD.

He asked Asef if he is doing some of his magic. Is this illusions, or hallucinations?

Asef said calmly: What you see here is the peak of their civilization.

They used solar energy to produce electric power which they also used it for their vehicles and air-crafts.

Solar radiation along with other solar resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass create the basic energy on Earth. They had it all; water, sun, wind, and sand – they used it all

Heating, cooling, hot water, thermal energy for cooking, high temperature process, electricity, hydro engines, jet engines, mechanical and electrical engines, electrical and electronic devices and systems, ……you name it they had it.

But how they were able to do it? Adam asked anxiously. How they learned about it?

Asef smiled and asked back... How any body did reach anything? There is always a first Teacher. God chose Enoch (Idris) to be this first teacher, he sent to him a team of angels to assist in spreading the knowledge. And as I said before, with the little knowledge that God gave to Humans during the Creation method, and with little help from some people that God gave them specific visions… * Call them prophets, messengers, scientists, inventors* , humans were able to figure out and develop the idea that Earth's land surface, oceans and atmospheres absorb solar radiation, and this raises their temperature.

When the warm air evaporates, oceans’ waters rise, causing atmospheric circulation or convection. When the air reaches a high altitude, where the temperature is low, water vapour condenses into clouds, which rain onto the Earth's surface, completing the water cycle. The latent heat of water condensation amplifies convection, producing atmospheric phenomena such as wind, cyclones and anti-cyclones. Sunlight absorbed by the oceans and land masses keep the surface at an average temperature of 14 °C.

By photosynthesis green plants convert solar energy into chemical energy, which produces food, wood and the biomass from which fossil fuels are derived.

When all this was really found they were able to fly in their cars as you can see here”

"This is wonderful and really unbelievable" Adam said not able to take his eyes off what he is seeing in the streets of Egypt.

“Well... it is unbelievable for you because you think that technology started only some hundred years before your time... But t is unbelievable for me because they really lost it all for Human greed and lust for power" Asef exhaled a deep breath of sorrow.

"They have it all .... Money - power - science – knowledge - civilization - technology - history ...... and they lost it all in no time"

“What happened" Adam asked intriguingly

“Let me take you few years forward" Asef sighed and swiftly took Adam’s hand and in no time they were both standing on a hill viewing a dry land with no sign of life.

“This is the same spot we were standing a moment ago few years back" Asef explained

"Impossible - what happened??

“As you know by now, the son of Amon wanted to impose a new religion and to take all the wealth and power from the priests who were controlling all the civilization you have witnessed.

His wife Nefertiti was the drive of his ambitions.

The fights between the old and new sects were so fierce and costly more than anyone could ever imagine.

The poor people were stuck in between and were used by the two powers. Amon stepped down to avoid a civil war between his priests and his Akhnaton’s new priests of Aten.

Akhnaton became the new Pharaoh, but he was obsessed with the idea that things will not really work out if Amon is not dead, so he conspired to end his life by poisoning him.

He anointed his wife Nefertiti as Pharaoh besides him to make sure that after his death she takes power and keep the new religion. Scores of people died or killed and lot of catastrophes occurred.

 

Then God decided to interfere and save whatever remained from the people, and sent his prophet and messengers to convince the Pharaohs to follow the right track and abandon their notorious and deadly deeds.

But they chose to defy God, and continue their oppression using the full might of their wealth and power including all the technology of warfare, which managed to fully destroy everything, made the Sea to come over the land and in no time life was wiped out from the surface of earth.

The few survivors had to start from very primitive grounds.

All Civilizations disappeared, all powers gone and most importantly, all the brains which created the knowledge completely vanished together with their inventions, technology, modern systems etc….The people who survived had to strive build it all another time. But this time it was very slow and had to take few thousand years to reach not even a starting point."

“So all is lost?!" Adam exclaimed

“For the money my son.... for the money..." Asef proclaimed “It is the money effect or should we say the money damnation, the money curse? The Wrath of Wealth.

All what remained is some evidence of the wealth and power, but no one was able to discover the real meaning of such evidences.

History which is taught in your times neglected what really happened, for a simple reason that no one remained to write it as it actually happened. There are some hints in religious books, but with no specific details.

How do you think that all the technologies you are seeing in your days actually came?

You think it just came to people like Newton or Archimedes or Galileo or Al Khwarizmi or Jaber Bin Hayan and others... Just like that.

Those people had divine visions, because God wanted to give another chance to humans.

So God Sent Prophets, Messengers, Scientists and others... some came together, and some in different times and ages, for the purpose of building up life again.

Life as it is supposed to be full of knowledge, science and technology.

But every time power and wealth are reached, man destroyed them all.

Let me take you to another time and other civilization, so you can judge well".

To be continued with the next trip

Sami Cherkaoui

www.samicherkaouiarabicblog.blogspot.com