Interesting reading on Maronite history...
Abou Zouz
"It happened that a Patriarch of the region of Tripoli annoyed, behaved
insolently, became haughty, and frightened the governor of Tripoli and all
the Francs. He led astray these people of those mountains and the people of
those valleys who are of the strayed people. And this continued until he was
feared by every neighbor. He entrenched himself in al-Hadath and held his
nose high [with arrogance] and no one succeeded in tricking him... It
happened that the governors [of the Sultan] ambushed him several times but
did not find him. Then the Turkmans sought him in his place and tricked him
so that they captured and blind-folded him and [took him] prisoner. [The
Patriarch] was one of the infidels and their impious ones, hence the Muslims
were relieved of him and were spared his wickedness. His capture was a great
conquest, greater even more than the conquest of a stronghold or a
fortress..." (33) (Author's interpolations appear in square brackets).
Reports similar to that of Ibn 'Abd az-Zahir are to be found in the margins
of two Bibles (34) from the al-Hadath region near the Monastery of 'Mar
Aboun' (Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhayya). The two Bibles were
discovered by Patriarch Istephan Duwayhi (98 KB) during his research and
writing of Tarikh al-Azmina between 1670 and 1704. The first Bible contains
a note written in 1283 by an anonymous Christian who witnessed these events.
The account contained in the second Bible is a copy of the first one, and it
is dated 1504 A.D. These accounts testify to the dramatic events unfolding
in 'Asi al-Hadath during the thirteenth century.
The witness and writer of the original account of 1283 tells us that:
"On August 22, 1283 the Muslim soldiers headed toward al-Hadath where the
inhabitants took refuge in a magnificent and inaccessible grotto called
al-'Asi. The grotto was besieged for seven years. [The soldiers] received it
through the Aman (35), then burned its prefecture [the al-Hadath village] by
fire and took the women captives." (36) (Author's Interpolations appear in
square brackets).
These two references are testimonies about a tragic event that occurred in
al-Hadath. The accounts coincide in time, place, and action, and confirm an
offensive against al-Hadath, thereby providing some historical context for
our understanding of this archaeological discovery.
The Artifacts
Apart from the mummies themselves, a wealth of artefacts found at the site
suggest that the people buried there were Maronites from the al-Hadath
village, and that their death occurred circa 1283, which corresponds to the
reign of the Mamluks and the presence of the Crusaders. Among the many
examples of medieval pottery (45KB) excavated, one pot attracts attention by
its Arabic inscription: "This belongs to Boutros from al-Hadath." (37)
Artistic and archaeological significance is manifested in the designs and
motifs embroidered on textiles (96 KB) which are identical to designs found
in the Syriac Rabbula Gospels (38), a sixth century artistic masterpiece
which belonged to the Maronite Patriarchate until the mid-fifteenth century,
but is now housed in Florence, Italy. A striking copy of two peacocks facing
one another with a tree of life (50 KB) in-between remains vivid in color
seven hundred years later (39). From the Grotto over twenty manuscripts were
unearthed. One of which is in Syriac (94 KB) and is a Maronite hymnody,
another is in Arabic and bears the name and signature of George son of David
(64 KB), the Archdeacon of al-Hadath (40). Among the discovered items,
several engraved wooden double-toothed combs-- thin teeth on one side and
coarse on the other, are identical to the combs used by Mamluk women in
Egypt and are on display at the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, Egypt (41).
Many poles, arrows, and notches have been found to be identical with the
Mamluk era arrows now on display at the Traditional Art Museum of Aleppo in
Syria (42). An assortment of Crusader and Mamluk coins (71 KB) also invite
the speculation that these mummies are of the thirteenth century (43).
However, the most important and uncontestable evidence comes from the
mummies themselves.
| Previous Page | Continued... |
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(33) Ibn `Abd Al-Zahir, Tasrif al-'usur bi sirat al-Malik al-Mansur, ed.,
Murad Kamil, (Cairo, 1961), p. 4. Translation mine. Elsewhere, Salibi, K.
The Maronite Church in the Middle Ages and its Union with Rome, Oriens
Christianus, vol. 40, (1956) p. 98. | Back to text |
(34) It is not unusual to write the occurrence of important events in
Bibles. An account of the Arab invasion of Palestine, for example, is to be
found written on the leaf of a fourth century Gospel manuscript in the
British Library. Similarly, a narrative of the massacre of the Syrian
Orthodox community in South East Turkey between 1895 and 1896 is found
written in one of the Mingana manuscripts. | Back to text |
(35) According to Islamic religious law, Aman is a pledge of security and a
promise of protection given by Muslim(s) to non-Muslim(s) [Jews and
Christians] belonging to dar al-harb [Abode of War] for a specific period of
time. Those non-Muslims who belong to dar al-salam [Adobe of Islam] fall
under the dhimmi status. The Encyclopedia of Islam, (Leiden, 1960), p. 426.
The dhimmi is a Jew, a Christian, or a Sabian, a person of the "protected
people" in the Islamic State. The dhimmi was required to pay a head tax
(Jizyah), and an exemption tax (Kharaj), as well as to obey and perform
social and religious restrictions which were oppressive at times and
moderate at others depending upon the place and the epoch. Glasse, C. The
Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, (New York, 1989), p. 98. See Ye'or, B. The
Dhimmi: Jews and Christians under Islam, (London, 1985). | Back to text |
(36) Duwayhi, I., Patriarch T'arikh al-Azmina, ed., Fahd, B., (Beirut,
1983), p. 261. Translation mine. Elsewhere, Salibi, "Arabica", p. 294-295;
and Momies Du Liban, p. 94. | Back to text |
(37) Momies du Liban, pp. 202-204. | Back to text |
(38) The Rabbula Gospels: Facsimile Edition of Miniatures of the Syriac
Manuscript, in the Medicaen-Laurentian Library, Edited and commanted by
Cececelli, C., Fulani, G., and Salmi, M. (Olten and Luasanne, 1959).
Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic, became a major vehicle for the expression and
transmission of early Christian writing in the Near East. It was the spoken
and written language of the Maronite people until the 18th century. It is
still been used by the Maronites as a liturgical language. | Back to text |
(39) Momies du Liban, pp. 78-80. | Back to text |
(40) Momies du Liban, pp. 146-210. | Back to text |
(41) Momies du Liban, p. 215, 240, 245, 251; and `Abd Ar-Raziq, A. La Femme
au temps des Mamlouks en Egypte, (Cairo, 1973), pp. 321-322. | Back to text
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(42) Momies du Liban, pp. 206-208. | Back to text |
(43) Momies du Liban, pp. 198-201. See Slumberger, G. Numismatique de
l'Orient Latin, (Paris, 1878); and Cox, D. The Tripolis Hoard of French
Seignorial and Crusader's Coins, (New York, 1933). | Back to text |
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| Letter from the Editor | Maronite American History: On the White House
Lawn |
| Maronite American Research Institute (MARI) | The Journal of Maronite
Studies |
©1997 by the Maronite American Research Institute (MARI)
Last Updated: Jan. 6, 1997
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+++ Loubnan, La youkhar wala youfna +++
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