Medieval History
The conflict in Syria is the product of very modern forces ? a legacy of dictatorship and regional geo-politicking ? but it?s taking place over a terrain with a rich and deep history. Syria?s deserts, river valleys and mountain passes bear the traces of some of the world?s oldest civilizations; its major cities, especially Damascus and Aleppo, are among the longest continually inhabited on the planet and have endured both the scourges of man (invasions, massacres) and the ravages of nature (earthquakes, plagues). As the rebellion against President Bashar Assad?s rule rages on, concern mounts over the state of the country?s antiquities. Veteran British correspondent Robert Fisk warned of ?Syria?s pulverized past,? with precious artifacts disappearing from unattended museums and storehouses, all the while as the daily toll of war imperils some of Syria?s venerable monuments themselves.
Syria has been the site of bitter conflict before. Some nine hundred years ago, a motley band of Frankish, German and Italian soldiers and mercenaries turned up on Levantine soil under the Papal banner of the First Crusade. Seizing a number of important cities ? Jerusalem, Tripoli (in today?s Lebanon), Antioch (modern day Antakya, Turkey) ? they attempted to entrench themselves in the Holy Land permanently. This international coalition of the willing would ultimately be driven out, but not before leaving behind a host of beautiful fortresses, many of which, while astonishing testaments to medieval engineering and construction, bear the intractable scars of newer conflicts.
Click here to read this article from Time magazine
- Crac Des Chevaliers In Danger As Syrian Forces Shell Town Around Medieval Castle
Video emerged yesterday which appears to show that the town surrounding Crac des Chevaliers in Syria under artillery fire from Syrian forces. The two-minute video was posted on Youtube by Souria2011archives, an anti-government source that has uploaded...
- Deciphered Ancient Tablet Reveals Curse Of Greengrocer
A fiery ancient curse inscribed on two sides of a thin lead tablet was meant to afflict, not a king or pharaoh, but a simple greengrocer selling fruits and vegetables some 1,700 years ago in the city of Antioch, researchers find. Written in Greek, the...
- A Glittering Crossroads: In Damascus's Umayyad Mosque, Roman Paganism, Christianity, And Shiite And Sunni Islam All Intersect
It's Friday and the weekly congregational prayer has just ended at the Umayyad Mosque, Syria's most famous monument. As the faithful exit, they walk past an unassuming bit of masonry on the mosque's southern wall: a Greek inscription above...
- Damascus Summer Course On Christian And Islamic Art: Second Year
Damascus Summer Course on Christian and Islamic Art: Second Year The Summer Course ?Christian and Islamic Art and Architecture ? A Heritage of Religious Interaction? was a great success last year, and will therefore be repeated. The 2010 course will...
- Final Statement For Mor Jacob Of Edessa Symposium
THE FINAL STATEMENT FOR MOR JACOB OF EDESSA SYMPOSIUM HELD IN ALEPPO, JUNE 9 ? 12, 2008 The Symposium commemorating the 1300th anniversary of the passing away of Mor Jacob of Edessa, the prominent Syrian polymath was held in Aleppo, Syria, June 9 ?...
Medieval History
State of War: Syria?s Crusader Castles and Medieval Fortresses
The conflict in Syria is the product of very modern forces ? a legacy of dictatorship and regional geo-politicking ? but it?s taking place over a terrain with a rich and deep history. Syria?s deserts, river valleys and mountain passes bear the traces of some of the world?s oldest civilizations; its major cities, especially Damascus and Aleppo, are among the longest continually inhabited on the planet and have endured both the scourges of man (invasions, massacres) and the ravages of nature (earthquakes, plagues). As the rebellion against President Bashar Assad?s rule rages on, concern mounts over the state of the country?s antiquities. Veteran British correspondent Robert Fisk warned of ?Syria?s pulverized past,? with precious artifacts disappearing from unattended museums and storehouses, all the while as the daily toll of war imperils some of Syria?s venerable monuments themselves.
Syria has been the site of bitter conflict before. Some nine hundred years ago, a motley band of Frankish, German and Italian soldiers and mercenaries turned up on Levantine soil under the Papal banner of the First Crusade. Seizing a number of important cities ? Jerusalem, Tripoli (in today?s Lebanon), Antioch (modern day Antakya, Turkey) ? they attempted to entrench themselves in the Holy Land permanently. This international coalition of the willing would ultimately be driven out, but not before leaving behind a host of beautiful fortresses, many of which, while astonishing testaments to medieval engineering and construction, bear the intractable scars of newer conflicts.
Click here to read this article from Time magazine
- Crac Des Chevaliers In Danger As Syrian Forces Shell Town Around Medieval Castle
Video emerged yesterday which appears to show that the town surrounding Crac des Chevaliers in Syria under artillery fire from Syrian forces. The two-minute video was posted on Youtube by Souria2011archives, an anti-government source that has uploaded...
- Deciphered Ancient Tablet Reveals Curse Of Greengrocer
A fiery ancient curse inscribed on two sides of a thin lead tablet was meant to afflict, not a king or pharaoh, but a simple greengrocer selling fruits and vegetables some 1,700 years ago in the city of Antioch, researchers find. Written in Greek, the...
- A Glittering Crossroads: In Damascus's Umayyad Mosque, Roman Paganism, Christianity, And Shiite And Sunni Islam All Intersect
It's Friday and the weekly congregational prayer has just ended at the Umayyad Mosque, Syria's most famous monument. As the faithful exit, they walk past an unassuming bit of masonry on the mosque's southern wall: a Greek inscription above...
- Damascus Summer Course On Christian And Islamic Art: Second Year
Damascus Summer Course on Christian and Islamic Art: Second Year The Summer Course ?Christian and Islamic Art and Architecture ? A Heritage of Religious Interaction? was a great success last year, and will therefore be repeated. The 2010 course will...
- Final Statement For Mor Jacob Of Edessa Symposium
THE FINAL STATEMENT FOR MOR JACOB OF EDESSA SYMPOSIUM HELD IN ALEPPO, JUNE 9 ? 12, 2008 The Symposium commemorating the 1300th anniversary of the passing away of Mor Jacob of Edessa, the prominent Syrian polymath was held in Aleppo, Syria, June 9 ?...