1,720,964 research outputs found
A tale of two brothers : Aleppo and Damascus during the time of the first crusade
No full textWhen the First Crusade arrived at Antioch in the fall of 1097, the military potential of Muslim Syria was sufficient to stop the European expedition. However, this would require joint action and mobilization. Historians like to refer to the Turkish emirs ruling Antioch, Syria and Damascus as Seljuqs. The Turkish rulers were unable to put aside their quarrels and overcome their differences. Two of them were indeed members of the family that had ruled the Muslim East since the mid-11th century. It is also worth noticing that Rid˙wan of Aleppo and Duqaq of Damascus were brothers, both were sons of Taj ad-Dawla Tutush. Conspiracies and distrust dominated the relationship between the two of them and contributed to the failure of the relief of Antioch led by the Emir of Mosul, Kirbugha. This was the Seljuqs’ last chance to stop and defeat the Crusade.
This work, based mainly on Arabic sources, analyses the difficult relationships between Ridwan and Duqaq. The most important works of chroniclers, such as Damascene Ibn al-Qalanisı, Aleppian Ibn al-ʿAdım and the most outstanding historian of this period, Ibn al-ʾAtır from Mosul, were used. The author shows the reasons for mutual hostility and analyses the difficult and complicated relationship between two Seljuq brothers. The disunity between Aleppo and Damascus was very costly to the Muslims and allowed the Crusaders to establish independent states in the Levant
Atsiz Ibn Uwaq al-Huwārizmī : the first Turkish ruler of Ash-Sham
No full textIn the 11th century, a wave of Turkish tribes reached the territories of the Abbasid Caliphate, invading from the northeast. Ghaznavids followed by the Seljuks, leveraging their military advantage, subjugated extensive regions of the Muslim East. Following the equally spectacular and surprising victory at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 over the army of Byzantine Emperor Roman Diogenes, Turkish invaders found further possibilities of expansion against the western territories of Anatolia and Syria.
Exploiting the political weakness of Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled over Egypt and claimed the right to extend its sovereignty over the Great Syria, one of the Turkish chieftains, Emir Atsiz Ibn Uwaq al-Huwārizmī, established his ephemeral state based on cities of Jerusalem and Damascus. This work focuses on the turbulent career of this Turkish leader. The author, primarily relying on Muslim sources, illustrates the ongoing political fragmentation of Syria. The Turkish component further complicated the already challenging ethnic and religious situation in the region. Internal disputes, conflicts, and mutual animosities hindered the cooperation of local rulers in the face of potential danger. This phenomenon played a significant role in the success of the First Crusade, which entered the territories of Ash-Sham in the late 11th century. Emir Atsiz was one of the most important, albeit insufficiently known, elements in this Syrian puzzle
Arabs and Muslims as seen by Polish clergy pilgrims to the Holy Land in the 19th century
Full text linkNineteenth century was an era of extended pilgrimage movement to the Holy Land. Due to communicational facilities falling out from the Industrial Revolution and political changes (weakening of the Ottoman Empire and increasing penetration of Levant by the European countries) more and more Europeans decided to travel to Palestine basked in an aura of holiness. An equally meaningful factor was also an image of an ancient and mysterious Orient molded by the artists of the Romantic period. Poles also followed this trend and may pilgrims published their memories and reflections.
Such pilgrims as Ignacy Hołowiński, Feliks Laassner, Feliks Gondek and Karol Niedziałkowski (worth mentioning all of them were priests) were obviously focused mainly on religious issues. However they were keen observers and left more or less detailed but always interesting testimony of everyday life of Muslim and Arabic dwellers of Levant. They described Middle Eastern customs and rites. This work focuses on those subjective images which equally present the Levantine ways of living, Poles’ level of
knowledge on Orient and shaping ethnical stereotypes
Arabs and Muslims as Seen by Polish Clergy Pilgrims to the Holy Land in the 19th Century
No full textNineteenth century was an era of extended pilgrimage movement to the Holy Land. Due to communicational facilities falling out from the Industrial Revolution and political changes (weakening of the Ottoman Empire and increasing penetration of Levant by the European countries) more and more Europeans decided to travel to Palestine basked in an aura of holiness. An equally meaningful factor was also an image of an ancient and mysterious Orient molded by the artists of the Romantic period. Poles also followed this trend and may pilgrims published their memories and reflections. Such pilgrims as Ignacy Hołowiński, Feliks Laassner, Feliks Gondek and Karol Niedziałkowski (worth mentioning all of them were priests) were obviously focused mainly on religious issues. However they were keen observers and left more or less detailed but always interesting testimony of everyday life of Muslim and Arabic dwellers of Levant. They described Middle Eastern customs and rites. This work focuses on those subjective images which equally present the Levantine ways of living, Poles’ level of knowledge on Orient and shaping ethnical stereotypes
The "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred : Orient and Orientalism in the works of Howard Philips Lovecraft
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