Current Events

Civil War

An important event that has been happening in the recent history of Syria is the civil war. This civil war is based upon the huge divide that exists between the government and the people of Syria, who are tired of the way the government handles the country. According to abcnews.go.com, the war saw its first battle in the Arab Spring activism in Egypt and Tunisia in 2011, where protests were acted in the streets to voice the public unhappiness with the government and the reform that they wanted to see. The government acted in retaliation “with extreme measures, including the kidnapping, torture, and killing of protesters” (abcnews.go.com). From then on, the civil war has only escalated. An article by the Huffington Post depicts the trauma in the country: “The death toll may now be well over 150,000. Prisons and makeshift detention facilities are swelling with men, women and even children. Death by summary executions and unspeakable torture are widespread. People are also dying from hunger and once-rare infectious diseases. Whole urban centers and some of humankind’s great architectural and cultural heritage lie in ruins. Syria today is increasingly a failed state” (huffingtonpost.com).

ISIS

One major event that is in the news recently is the spread of ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a group that is taking over land in Syria and Iran in order to create an Islamic state – a caliphate – that covers both countries. Until recently, ISIS had had land in both Syria and Iraq, but no way of connecting the two, when on Thursday they gained control of the Albu Kamal border crossing, and now can create a route for weapons and soldiers (cnn.com). ISIS has already captured several oil fields in Syria, creating more chaos in a country that is already in great turmoil. ISIS has been known for their social media efforts in creating terror as well as support, which is something that is a new tactic in this kind of warfare. 

Sources:

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ban-kimoon/crisis-in-syria-civil-war_b_5529973.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/syrian-civil-war/story?id=20112311

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/08/world/meast/syria-civil-war/

Music, Dance, and Theatre

 

The Oud

An instrument that has become widely popular among Arab musicians is the oud. It is an old string instrument (around 3000 BCE). It has spread throughout the Middle East, and is believed to be the ancestor to the guitar and related instruments. The oud can have one or three holes, has a round back, a bent pegbox, no frets, and most have 11 strings. The oud that is played in the modern era has been around for about 500 years.

Below is a link to the playing of the oud:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK5FJZOi9u4

The Dabke

The Dabke is a folk dance that is popular in countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. It is a dance that has been based upon the building of homes. The roofs of homes used to be built with tree branches and mud, and when the seasons changed, the mud would crack and need to be fixed. This would call for the members of the house and neighbors to climb to the flat roof and stomp around so that the mud could be fixed. Today it is a dance that is done holding hands in a line, and has become an upbeat dance.

Below is a "how to" for Dabke:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYxQMbsmPaw

Khayal al-Zill

The Khayal al-Zill is a type of shadow play. It is translated as “shadows of fancy”. It is what is known as Karagoz in Turkey. Khayal al-Zill is known for its epic stories, its satirical tales, and its ability to keep audiences entertained throughout the Middle East. It is a loveable form of theatre that is often sought out during the month of Ramadan. 

Sources:

Oud - http://worldmusic.about.com/od/instruments/g/Oud.htm

Dabke - http://dancehistorydevelopment.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/the-dabke-an-arabic-folk-dance/comment-page-1/

Khayal - https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199902/shadows.of.fancy.htm

Images:

Oud - http://dennishavlena.com/oud.htm

Dabke - http://igcsecairo.com/wordpress/?p=222

Khayal - http://shct.hct.ac.ae/web/public/events/mosaic07/pavilions/stage.asp

Literature and Spoken Word

Mamdouh Adwan

Adwan was born in Hama, Syria in 1941. He was a poet, playwright, critic, and author. He has written more than seventeen collections of poetry (the first being al-Dhul al-Akhdhar or The Green Shadow), 24 plays, 23 translated books, 2 novels, a biography of George Orwell, and several television series, and also practiced teaching at the Advanced Institute for Theatre in Damascus (Banipal).

Muhammad al-Maghut

Born in 1934, al-Maghut was a Syrian poet and playwright known for his dark-satire style of writing. He was a prisoner for 9 months in 1955 because he held membership of the opposition Syrian Social Nationalist Party, and during his time in prison, he developed his unique style of poetry (Britannica). He is known to be one of the greatest writers of modern Arabic literature, and is well decorated, including the Syrian Order of Merit (Britannica).

Ghada al-Samman

Ghada al-Samman was born in al-Shamiya in Syria in 1942. She first spoke French, and eventually learned Arabic, and after achieving a degree in science, decided to study English literature. She was sentenced in 1966 to three months for anti-authoritarian expression, and eventually left Syria without permission (Arabwomenwriters.com). She writes for Arab women and nationalism, has created her own publishing company, and has become renowned for her expression.

Abu Shadi

Famous for being the “last of Syria’s hakawati”, Abu Shadi is a traditional storyteller who performs in Damascus. Hakawati tradition has been an integral part of Middle Eastern culture. “When I started storytelling, it started as a hobby, and gradually it became my job” Abu Shadi says, and according to the article, it is “a job he has done every night for the last 30 years, sometimes twice a night, leaving to perform at another restaurant immediately after he finishes at Al Nawfara” (Grantourismotravels.com). The hakawati tradition of storytelling is slowly dying out.

Images:

Adwan – http://www.khaleejesque.com/2011/12/ar/%D9%85%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AD-%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%B6%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%A8%D8%B9%D9%87-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86%D9%87%D9%85/

Al-Maghut – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_al-Maghut

Al-Samman – http://www.prsyria.com/en/index.php?id=409

Shadi - http://grantourismotravels.com/2014/02/13/remembering-syria-and-syrians-the-storyteller-abu-shady/

Sources:

Adwan – http://www.banipal.co.uk/contributors/98/mamdouh-adwan/

Al-Maghut – http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1221046/Muhammad-al-Maghut

Al-Samman – http://arabwomenwriters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=68

Shadi - http://grantourismotravels.com/2014/02/13/remembering-syria-and-syrians-the-storyteller-abu-shady/

Famous Architecture and Dr. Oussama Khatib

Originally a temple that was dedicated to the God Gadad, the Umeyyad Mosque was built around 9^th century BC. It has experienced a few identities: in the first century AD, Romans turned it into the Temple of Jupiter, it became the church of St. Baptist during the Christian expansion, it became a split mosque-church in 636, and in 705 it became the world renowned mosque that it is today due to the work of Al Walid, the sixth Umayyad caliph (Artemis).

The Roman Theater in Bosra is known as one of the oldest Roman theaters in the world. It has a fortress built around it, which is partly responsible for its preservation. It seated 15,000 people and is freestanding – something that was unusual for the theaters that were normally built into hillsides. In its prime, “the theatre was faced with marble and silk, and during performances a fine mist of perfumed water was sprayed over the patrons to keep them comfy” (Homsonline.com).

Apamea (or Pharmake) is an ancient city that was built on the Orontes River in 300 BC. Much of what can be seen today was constructed in 64 BC, and a served as an important trade marker. It was created by Seleucus Nicator, a Seleucid king – the first in Syira – and was named for his wife Apame (Famouswonders). Today, much still remains, like the Cardo Maximus, a mile-long lineup of beautiful columns.

Dr. Oussama Khatib is famous Syrian scientist known for robotics. According to the Stanford page, his research includes “Methodologies and technologies of autonomous robots, cooperative robots, human-centered robotics, haptic interaction, dynamic simulation, virtual environments, augmented teleoperation, and human-friendly robot design.” He received his Doctorate degree from Sup’Aero, Toulouse, France, in 1980 (Stanford). He is heavily decorated and awarded, and is President of the International Foundation of Robotics Research. A quote on his work in robotics: “Humanoid robots today can walk and wave, but they cannot interact with the world. We are developing robots with the capability to physically touch, push and move objects.” (Lifeboat).

Sources:

Mosque - http://www.artemistravel-sy.com/en/monuments.htm

Theater - http://www.homsonline.com/EN/Citeis/Bosra.htm

Apamea - http://famouswonders.com/apamea/

Khatib - http://cs.stanford.edu/groups/manips/people/oussama-khatib/

                http://lifeboat.com/ex/bios.oussama.khatib

Image Sources:

Mosque - http://karim74.wordpress.com/2009/06/27/islamic-architecture-around-the-world-5/umayyad-mosque-in-damascus-syria-night/

Theater - http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-bosra-theatre-image3612780

Apamea - http://romeartlover.tripod.com/Apamea1.html

Forms of Structures and Differences for Rural and Urban Syria

Two lifestyles dominate the people of Syria's everyday lives. The first of these two is the nomadic lifestyle. In this setting, live revolves around pastures and migration for resources. The people of a nomadic lifestyle usually live in a tent, one that is split into a man’s side and a woman’s side, rectangular in shape, and usually consist of a group of three generations of a family, and are called Bedouins. The second lifestyle is a sedentary lifestyle. People live in cities and villages in a sedentary lifestyle. The kind of buildings that are seen in a sedentary lifestyle depend largely on location, but most traditional houses are made of stone, an inner courtyard surrounded by rooms, and a split amongst the house into an area for animals and an area for people.

In rural Syria, the sedentary people often depend on agriculture as a means of getting by, so their houses often reflect this condition. The courtyards are not usually surrounded by rooms, and often house animals. They are usually always one story, consist of mud in most rural settings, and have very little openings. In urban houses, the structure is different. Here, the houses have many openings that lead to the inner courtyard, where as rural houses have an attached courtyard. Richer houses tend to have more rooms/floors/courtyards, and these are often able to be split into parts for guests, animals, and family.

Education in Syria differs from our own. Their system consists of six years of primary education, three years of intermediate education, and three years of secondary/technical education. Their curricula is approved by the Syrian Ministry of Education, is taught in Arabic, and focuses on general education as well as traditional culture. As part of a goal to eliminate illiteracy by 1991, the government established this three-level system in 1967, and between the years of 1970 and 1976, “primary school enrollment increased 43 percent, lower secondary enrollments increased 52 percent, and higher secondary enrollments increased 65 percent. During these years, enrollments in postsecondary institutions increased more than 66 percent” (Education). In order to accommodate these increases in education participation, the government built preparatory schools in many areas to help sedentary people, and even established mobile schools for the nomadic people. Women during the years of 1970 and 1998 saw a drastic rise in their numbers for educational statistics, some even going from numbers like 600 to 63,000 (Education). 

http://www.meda-corpus.net/libros/pdf_manuel/syria_eng/ats_eng_2.pdf
http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1483/Syria-EDUCATIONAL-SYSTEM-OVERVIEW.html

Women and Family in Syria

Women in Syria have begun to take an active role in how they live in society. For instance, women have begun to remove the hijab as a form of revolution in customs. Not every women agrees with this change though, and some women even label these "revolutionary" women as atheists and betrayers. Syrian culture shows women in Syrian have a relative Westernized style of dress, often seen wearing tight clothes that cover the legs and arms, but is it not unheard of to see skin, but conservative dress still dominates. This may seem progressive to a point, but women in general are still heavily burdened by the law. For instance: women cannot marry without permission of a male guardian, Muslim women do not have the right to marry outside of Muslim faith, adultery is twice as punishable for women as it is for men, men have more parental rights than women, women must provide ample reason for a divorce while men simply need to say so, and much more. Due to reasons like this, Syrian families have often come to value sons over daughters, and as of 2012, the male/female sex ratio for the population is 1.03 (CIA). Polygamy is allowed in Syrian culture, though only if a man can provide and attend to each wife equally. In a story about a Syrian girl in 2007, Zahra al-Azzo was kidnapped and raped by her abductor in Damascus, and when they authorities found her, they sent her to a prison believing it was the only way to protect her from her family, who they believed would likely kill her and blame her for being raped (NY Times). Within a month of marrying her cousin in an attempt to restore her honor, she was stabbed in her sleep by her brother and died in the hospital. According to this article, 300 girls and women die each year in Syria in honor killings.

In our own culture, these things are unheard of. Honor killings, diminutive familial and social rights, and polygamy are all things that are unknown to American culture. Sure, women are not equal to men, but they are not at such a drastically different level as they are in Syria. Women here can be bosses, they can be powerful, they can dress as they please, they have equal rights to property and family, and they certainly aren't killed for being raped. Although it may seem like Syrian culture is backwards and wrong, it isn't. Their culture is simply different than our own. For them, it may seem that our women are given illicit rights, that we are giving them unnecessary power, and so on. I believe that, though I do not agree with Syrian culture, we live in two different societies, and that I have no right to look down on them as much as they have no right to look down on us. Harsh judgments have often done more damage than good, after all.

Religion in Syria

People tend to think of countries like Syrian as having only one type of religious practice. This, of course, is not true. Though Syria is dominantly Muslim (about seventy five percent of the 22 million people), and more specifically Sunni Muslims, there are other religions that exist there; Christians, Druze, and Alawites to name a few¹. From this perspective, Syria is home to a variety of people with a variety of beliefs. As it normally happens when a diversity of people cohabitate a place, tensions can often give way to dispute. In the 70s, Syria saw Hafez al-Assad. who was Alawite Islam, rise to power, and along with him came the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, a power that also held influence in Iraq. He quickly took hold of the political reigns and become the Syrian leader². This new order and religious guidance brought about chaos and turmoil for Syria. Within 15 years, Hafez al-Assad became responsible for the largest massacre of a native people by an Arab leader when he ordered the quell of a rebellious city called Hama, and the immediate execution of anyone who opposed him, namely the Muslim Brotherhood, a politically active group that is considered a terrorist organization by the government of Syria, as well as Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The death count of this massacre is between 10 and 40 thousand. Actions like this show why it is important for a country to learn to mesh together the multifaceted populations that call it home. For Syria, this has become great problem. People have heard negative things about the Middle East in recent years, often hearing that terrorists and warfare are rooted in religious practice. This kind of fallacy has created a stigma on Middle Eastern religion, Syria included. People now tend to think of all Muslims as terrorists-at-heart, that civil wars and killing and hatred are all born of a singular religious belief. While, some wars and some hatred actually are due to religious differences, it is a drastically erred conclusion to say that they all have to do with religion. With such a bad rep, it is imperative that people begin to understand that being religious in the Middle East does not make you evil, as much as living in America does not make you a money-grubbing snob.

1: http://www.dw.de/religious-divides-deepen-in-syria/a-16624528

2: https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2013/08/2648161/