Damascus "The eye of the whole east"

The eye of the whole east"

"The silent gardens blurred green with river mist, in whose setting shimmered the city, beautiful as ever, like a pearl in the morning sun"T.E. Lawrence

Damascus is known to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. There is firm evidence that in the third millennium BC, Damascus was a population center of a civilization that was considerably prosperous and economically influential. The earliest reference to the city was found in the archaeological site of Ebla in 1975; where the word "Damaski" was found on one of the clay tablets. Some historians believe that the city actually dates back to the seventh millennium BC.

Controversial explanations have been made to guess the etymological origin of the name of the Syrian capital city. Some hold that “damashaq” means the fast-moving camel and the name was given because the building of the city was completed swiftly.   Others believe it was named after Damashaq the great grandson of Sam son of Noah,   who built the city.

 Still others presume that the Romans called it “Dumuskus” which means the double musk.   Or perhaps the name was taken from Hermes son in Greek mythology   that came over to Syria. In Aramean the name might have been derived from Dermask   or dersauk as (E deim) means land and (mask) means (red) in Syrian.

 Whatever the etymological origin of the word, Damascus remains, as ever "the eye of the whole east" as the Roman Julianus described the greatness of the city.

 Under the Roman it was a chief town, and later the fortress of Bilad-Al-Sham, and the passage to Mecca, the pavilion of all Muslims and God’s paradise on earth have never seen anything so extensive as its orchard, as good as its fruits and so plentiful as its water.

It is said the water is so abundant that  a fountain can be found in every house.

 Some historical sources say that the name of Damashaq (Damascus) is  derived from the Aramaic word (dam shaq) which means a town built on  the rock where the blood of Mash, the fourth son of Aram Bin Sam Bin Noah,  flowed soon after a heavy blow by his brother Aws deeply cut Mash’s head.  The fight between the two brothers broke out when they could not come into  agreement on the name of the new town, some historians had different illustrations  with regard to the name of (Dimashaq).

The old city of Damascus still preserves its graphical and historical aspects,   the high wall, which protects the old city of Damascus, is crystal clear until today.

Geographically, Damascus is situated in the southwestern corner of Syria. It is built at the foot of a buttress of the Anti-Lebanon, Mount Kassioun, and at the border of a fertile plain, the Ghouta. It is situated just a two-hour drive away from the Lebanese capital Beirut and the Jordanian border, and about the same from the temporary Israeli border at the Golan Heights. The villages of Maaloula and Seidnaya are less than an hour away, and so is the Mosque of Al Sayidah Zeinab.

Wedding Traditions Of Egypt

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُو

[Shakir 30:21] And one of His signs is that He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest in them, and He put between you love and compassion; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.Egypt has been exposed to many civilizations, such as the Greek, Roman and Islamic ones. The marriage customs of Egyptians make it easy for a couple to get to know one another, for the families meet often.
It starts by the suitor's parents visiting his fiancee's house to get her family approval to complete the marriage and reaching an agreement, which contains two main items: an amount of money, called Mahr, paid by the suitor to his fiancee's family to help them prepare the furniture of their daughter and a valuable jewelry gift, called Shabka, given by the suitor to his fiancee. The value of this gift depends on the financial and social levels of the suitor's family.
When the two parties complete the agreement, they fix an appointed date for the engagement party.
When the house of the new family becomes ready, the two families fix a date for the wedding party.
The night before wedding day, the relatives, friends and neighbors get together to celebrate "the Henna Night".
The next day, the marriage contract is signed and registered. After sunset, the wedding party starts and the couple wears their best dresses and jewelry.
Source : http://www.revertmuslims.com/islam_marriage/wedding_traditions.html#egypt 
 

Protests and demonstrations have brought much of France to a standstill !

  Paris's founders were probably the Gauls, who built a small settlement on the left bank of the Seine. The Romans reached here at an early stage, led by Julius Caesar. Paris became a true capital in the year 987 when Ugo Capote founded a new dynasty. Paris began to develop not only as an urban center, but also from the cultural point of view. Paris has retained its place in the history of mankind and its culture.

  Weeks of strikes, protests and demonstrations have brought much of France to a standstill as workers, students and others voice their strong opposition to a government proposal to raise the age for a minimum pension from 60 to 62. A quarter of the nation's gas stations were out of fuel, hundreds of flights were canceled, long lines formed at gas stations and train services in many regions were cut in half. Protesters blockaded Marseille's airport, Lady Gaga canceled concerts in Paris and rioting youths attacked police in Lyon. The unpopular bill is edging closer to becoming law as the French Senate is preparing to vote on it today. Collected here are recent images of the unrest around France. Update: Pension reform bill just now passed by French senate.