travelogue
Teases W/O Teez: An Unfair Study of Sweeping Generalizations Accented by 19th C British Orientalist Cultural Observations of Lebanese Women
Being the “ass”-essor that I am, I can confidently say that if you are Lebanese and you have ass, you are an exception to the rule. Perhaps it’s this “Phonecian” etno-ancestrial identification/blood that they so proudly tout over any claims to “Arab-ness” that is the cause of unfortunate a-posterioress condition. One after another, in [...]
Arab History via Damascene Street Signs Pt. 11
‘abd al-Karim al-Khalil. Born 1886. Among the Arab martyrs executed in Beirut in 1916. President of the Arab Literary Forum, that worked for Arab liberation from the Turks. Sa’id al-’Aas (yes, pronounced “ass”). Leader, warrior, martyr. Born in Hama 1889. Participated in battles in al-Ghouta, Lattakia, Qalamoun, martyred in Palestine in the 1936 revolt. Seifeddine [...]
Arab History via Damascene Street Signs Pt. 10
Zaki al-Halabi. Born in 1897. A revolutionary leader during the Syrian Revolt. Joined the Arab Revolt, took part in the Battle of Maysalun (see previous post on Maysalun) and the battles in the Ghouta. Martyred in 1926. Hafez Ibrahim. 1871-1932. Poet of the Nile, and scribe of Arab nationalist events. Formed in the Sudan a [...]
Arab History via Damascene Street Signs Pt. 9
Ahmad Walid `Izzat. Officer in the Syrian Arab army, painter and distinguished painter. Born in Damascus in 1934, died in 1971. Al-Khazraj. An Arab tribe descended from Bani Quhtan. It had supporters of Prophet Mohammad in it. `Oday bin al-Riqqa`. An important poet from Damascus in the Ummayyad era, lived during the age of Walid [...]
Arab History via Damascene Street Signs Pt. 8
Souq al-Qubqabiya (clogs market). In reference to the trade of wooden clogs (worn in bathhouses) with this souq was designated for since the Ottoman area and later shifted to the manufacturing of all wooden products for the home. `Abd al-Wahhab al-Inglizi. One of the martyrs of 6 March, 1916. Born 1878. Was educated in Damascus [...]
Arab History via Damascene Street Signs Pt. 7
Al-`Afif. An old name in reference to the `Afif mosque, that has a tomb named after Sheikh `Afif. Al-Imam abu-Hanifa al-Na`man bin Thabet. Preacher, theologian, editor (muhaqqiq?) and mujtahid (legal interpretations based on theological sources). Born 80 A.H. Refused to be a judge out of his piety during the reign of the `Abbasid al-Mansour. Died [...]
Street Signs Pt. 6
Reda Sa`id. Founder of the university in Syria and its first president. Born in Damascus in 1876, specialized in ophthalmology. Decorated numerous times by the Ottomans, French and Syrians. Died in Damascus in 1945. Al-Khayzuran bint `Ata’. Wife of the Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi, mother of the Caliphs al-Rashid and al-Hadi. Poet, litterateur and theologian. Very [...]
Street Signs Pt. 5
Shawkat `Uthman Al-`Aidi. Leader of the greater Syrian revolution in the Damascus and Ghouta (woods/forest outside Damascus?) and the last of the martyrs in this area. born in 1890. Organized the battle that liberated a part of Damascus in 1926. Haytham al-Sham`a. Colonel in the Internal Security Forces, born in Damascus in 1938, martyred on [...]
Street Signs Pt. 4
Al-Ma’moun al-Bitar. Captain and martyr in the Syrian Arab Army, born in Damascus in 1912, martyred during the battles of the Arab Liberation Army in Palestine, 1948. Maysaloun. In memory of the battle of Maysaloun on 24 july, 1948, a battle of martyrs in defense of Damascus against the French forces. The hero Yousef al-`Azme, [...]
Street Signs Pt. 3
Rabi’a al-Shamiya. A pious worshiper, the wife of Ahmad bin abi al-Hawari. buried in a mosque carrying her name. died 135 A.H. (does anyone know if she is the same as Rabi’a al-`Adawiyya?) Shukri al-`Assali. Among the martyrs of 6 March, 1917. Born in 1868, amongst the advocates for the Arab Renaissance, executed by the [...]
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