Palestine has disappeared from both Google Maps and Apple Maps.The removal of Palestine from the maps comes after Israel's decision to annex parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley.
Many Palestine supporters have been demanding to PutPalestineBackOnTheMap.
On 10 July, 2020, one of Turkey’s highest courts ruled in favor of reconverting the Hagia Sophia Museum to a mosque. Within an hour of the ruling, Turkish President Erdogan decreed that the 1,583 year old iconic UNESCO World Heritage cultural monument would revert to a mosque and be “open to Muslim worship.”
Wide-ranging international condemnatory responses were quick to follow. And, while Turkey has been taken behind the woodshed to be condemned, scolded, and thrashed, Israel’s recent supreme court’s ruling in favor of Jewish settlers’ stealing of Christian Greek Orthodox church properties (in violation of international laws) in occupied Jerusalem, Palestine, as well as the vandalizing, bulldozing, and destruction of Palestinian Christian and Muslim cemeteries – is condoned and ignored.
Ah, the double standard. Et toujours la mȇme chose: One set of standards for Palestinian Christians and Muslims, and another set of standards for Israelis/Jews.
But let us talk about Hagia Sophia.
Commissioned by Roman-Byzantine Emperor Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus, aka Justinian I, and completed in 537 A.D., the church of Hagia Sophia (Greek for Holy Wisdom), a first of its kind structure and a crowning accomplishment of Roman-Byzantine architectural triumph, has been/is Constantinople’s/Istanbul’s architectural crown jewel. The Hagia Sophia is one of four largest domed-structures in the world. Consecrated as a cornerstone of Christian Byzantine power and faith in the waning years of Rome’s collapse and descent into anarchy and chaos, the Hagia Sophia would serve as an Christian Basilica until 1453 – the year of the fall of the Byzantine Empire in the aftermath of the Ottoman conquest of Anatolia and the fall of Constantinople.
From 1453 until 1935 Hagia Sophia Basilica was converted in a mosque. However, in 1935, thanks to the progressive statesman and the father of the nascent Turkish Republic and its first President, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Hagia Sophia was transformed from a mosque to a museum. An avowed secularist, Ataturk is credited with shattering the yoke of Ottoman (Old Man of Europe) decadence and moving Turkey into 20th century modernity.
The Hagia Sophia became the most visited Turkish site and is on UNESCO’s august list of World Heritage Sites.
What Rome’s Pantheon was to the Roman Emperor Publius Aelius Hadrianus, aka Hadrian, the Hagia Sophia was to the Christian-Byzantine Emperor Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus, aka Justinian. A first of its kind dome structure, the Pantheon served as an aspirational architectural prototype for the Hagia Sophia.
What Rome’s Pantheon was to the Roman Emperor Publius Aelius Hadrianus, aka Hadrian, the Hagia Sophia was to the Christian-Byzantine Emperor Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus, aka Justinian. A first of its kind dome structure, the Pantheon served as an aspirational architectural prototype for the Hagia Sophia.
The original Pantheon was built in Rome by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa as a 25 BCE pagan temple to honor all the gods. In 80 A.D. a fire destroyed the temple; Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus, aska Domitian, rebuilt it; and in 110 A.D. another fire destroyed the rebuilt temple. In 126 A.D. the Roman Emperor Hadrian commissioned the building of the Pantheon on the site of the formerly twice-burnt Roman temples. Unlike any structure before it, the monumental cylindrical-shaped structure, with its mammoth protruding Greek style portico suspended atop symmetrically-spaced prodigiously ornate granite Corinthian style columns, was a transformative feature whose indelible impact on future architectural designs is duly noted.
In 609 AD Pope Boniface converted the Pantheon into a Christian house of worship and consecrated it as a Catholic basilica, naming it Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres.
The Pantheon is an impressive architectural structure. To keep the cylindrical drum-like contour from being a grotesquely bulky visual monstrosity, chief architect Appolodorus of Damascus conceived the interior and exterior spaces as a perfect cylinder with a 142 ft. diameter floor, and an equal 142 ft. height – at the highest point of the dome. If one were to insert an enormous sphere into the interior space, an imagined perfectly-shaped sphere will have been created. The interior structure employs a 1 to 1 (height x diameter) harmonic ratio, and it utilizes thick walls with an underlay of bricks and tufa built in a mish mash of exterior/interior herring bone and arch patterns to give the structure the necessary tensile strength and to support the vastness of the dome’s spread. While the interior walls were covered with exquisite monochrome and variegated marble of varying sizes and shapes, the exterior walls were covered with lightweight travertine white marble. The receding coffered concrete-formed ceiling, built with the same lightweight tufa stone to lessen the gravitational pull, graces a 28 ft. diameter oculus that peers into the sky. For its time, this was indeed the apex of dome-on-drum construction. It has the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. While the use of equal horizontal and vertical diameters gives the structure its perfect cylindrical form, to help diffuse what might have otherwise been an obtuse exterior rotundity, and to help give the structure an aesthetic curb appeal, a gargantuan Greek Corinthian style portico and lightweight white travertine marble, coupled with a layer of bronze roofing, rendered this into a-one-of-a-kind Roman treasure.
Even though this was the crowning achievement of Roman architecture, it had two drawbacks: The oculus was the only source of light, and the interior space was circumscribed by a much needed thick wall to help carry the weight of the dome, thus constricting the interior space and limiting the number of visitors/worshippers to, at best, several hundred.
In 1627 Pope Urban VIII ordered the removal of the beautiful bronze dome covering, all 3000 plus pounds of bronze, and commissioned the great Baroque painter, sculptor, and architect Bernini to build the gargantuan Baldacchino altar in St. Peter’s Basilica. This centrally located altar (with a giant bronze canopy suspended on four 95 ft. high spiraling fluted columns) is perhaps one of the best examples of interior space vertically magnified in what is no doubt an ingenious attempt to draw the viewers’ eyes to the majestic dome, a kind of celestial receding plane – call it an absorption and invitation to heavenly realms.
When Rome expanded its reach to the Eastern Mediterranean and established Constantinopolis (Latin) or Constantinople, named after its creator, the Roman Emperor Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus, aka Constantine, as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, paganism yielded to Christianism. Better known as the Byzantine Empire, pagan art gave way to Christian iconography, an art form that utilized mosaics to create a rich catalogue of Christian themes derived (primarily) from the New Testament.
414 years after Publius Aelius Adrianus aka Hadrian commissioned Apollodorus of Damascus to build the Pantheon, the Byzantine Emperor Justinianus commissioned Anthemius of Trales and Isodore of Melitus to solve the aforementioned limitation on interior space and paucity of light. In other words, Justinian’s desire to provide an interior space to accommodate more worshippers, inspired Anthemius and Isodore to design a domed structure that would puncture and expand the adjacent surrounding walls – thus creating an interior space that would accommodate 3,000 plus worshippers. What these two mathematicians devised would forever change dome-structured architectural designs.
Four massive square columns were erected. Better known as pendentives, these columns, anchored as four corners of a square, pierced the vertical space and became the support for four massive arches that traversed the open space so as to form a midair base onto which a 108 ft. diameter dome was suspended. With 40 equally spaced ribs to flesh out and support the dome’s interior/exterior ceiling/roof coverings, at its highest point, the dome extends to 180 ft. Not only did these brilliant mathematicians add an exponential interior space, but they also solved the problem of light; a circular interlacing necklace of 40 equally-spaced elegant windows provided telescoping light to illuminate the entire church. As a child in my native Jerusalem, Palestine, I was told that in the Orthodox tradition, filtered natural light is associated with spiritual enlightenment. A Byzantine chronicler described the suspended dome as “a golden chain from Heaven. [sic.]” Another called it a “firmament which rests on air.” And yet another stated that “Light comes from the Good and light is the visual image of God.”
Mosaic art, the favored Byzantine medium of choice par excellence, was selected for its durability and its luminosity. A rich assortment of interior columns utilizing the favored ornate Byzantine compound capitals and a plethora of exquisite marble (in every hue and marbleized striated colors) imported from across the Mediterranean basin helped make the Hagia Sophia the greatest achievement of Byzantine art.
So proud was Justinian of his accomplishment, a chronicler attributes the following quotation to him: “Solomon, I have outdone thee.” The 6th century Byzantine historian Procopius remarked that the Hagia Sophia “seems not to be founded on solid masonry, but to be suspended from heaven.” And a thousand years later the Ottoman historian Tursun Beg was likewise awestruck: “What a dome that vies in rank with the nine spheres of heaven.”
Suffice it to say that so great was this Roman-Byzantine stunning feat, a truly rare architectural magnum opus, that the Ottomans, under their architect Mimar Sinan’s virtuosity, would build numerous mosques of varying sizes – all of which utilized the pendentive feature. And as a bookend to the Hagia Sophia, in 1615 the Ottoman Sultan Ahmad commissioned Mehmet Agha to build the Blue Mosque whose interior has one inch thick Iznik, cobalt blue, glazed tiles, including Arabic script of copious Koranic verses in spectacular calligraphic lettering. The Blue Mosque’s beauty would not exist without Hagia Sophia, despite the vandalism that the Basilica suffered in retaliation for the Crusaders.
When, in 1454, the Byzantine Empire gasped its last breath in the aftermath of the Ottoman conquest, most of the priceless Hagia Sophia mosaics were plastered over, and four Minarets were added. What was the pride of Eastern Orthodox Christendom would, in 1454, be converted in a Muslim place of worship and a symbol of Islam’s retaliation to 250 years of the Crusades.
And to this day the Arab and Islamic worlds don't let go the past of the Crusades and are still recovering from the late 19th and early 20th, century colonization, including, the early 21st century genocide and destructive wars in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Libya – to exploit the region’s natural resources with, of course, the tacit approval of the regional tribal warlords, thuggish sheiks, corrupt potentates, and brutal dictators.
The Hagia Sophia Basilica's suspension of a dome on pendentives would also serve as a prototype for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, to name but two. This Basilica is important in Christian history. That is why Western countries reacted strongly against Erdogan's step backward by deciding to reconvert the Hagia Sophia Museum to a mosque.
UNESCO said its World Heritage Committee would review Hagia Sophia’s status, saying it was “regrettable that the Turkish decision was not the subject of dialog nor notification beforehand.” … The 1,500-year-old Christian church has become a monument that is revered by Christians and Muslims alike.
Nevertheless, the decree was not a surprise for those who follow Turkey's events as Erdogan had previously stated that he would like to see Hagia Sophia open for Muslim prayers on July 15, the anniversary of a failed coup attempt. … The organisation which brought the court case, the latest in a 16-year legal battle, said the Hagia Sophia was "the property of the Ottoman leader who captured the city in 1453 and turned the already 900-year-old Christian church into a mosque.
Erdogan threw his weight behind the campaign to convert the monument before local elections last year. … In response to the ruling, the Russian Orthodox Church said the decision could lead to even greater divisions.
The United States, Russia and Greece, along with UNESCO, had expressed concerns ahead of the ruling. “UNESCO calls on the Turkish authorities to open a dialog [sic.] without delay in order to avoid a step back from the universal value of this exceptional heritage whose preservation will be reviewed by the World Heritage Committee in its next session,” the United Nation’s cultural body said in a statement.
Erdogan earlier this month rejected international criticism using the same old refrain as "an attack on Turkey’s sovereignty".
Pope Francis has said he was hurt by Turkey’s decision to make Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum a mosque, although Ankara argued that "the decision will maintain a relationship of equality and mutual respect in the country". Which is far from feasable.
That is why the World Council of Churches has called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reverse his decision and Patriarch Bartholomew - the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, called it disappointing and Bishop Hilarion, who heads the Russian Orthodox Church’s department for external church relations, described it as “a blow to global Christianity”.
That is why the World Council of Churches has called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reverse his decision and Patriarch Bartholomew - the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, called it disappointing and Bishop Hilarion, who heads the Russian Orthodox Church’s department for external church relations, described it as “a blow to global Christianity”.
The World Council of Churches, which represents 350 Christian churches, said it had written to Erdogan expressing their “grief and dismay”.
The head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Ieronymos, said the right words when he denounced the “instrumentalisation [sic.] of religion to partisan or geopolitical ends. The outrage and the arrogance doesn’t just concern the Orthodox Church and Christianity but all of civilised [sic.} humanity … independently of religion.”
Erdogan said Hagia Sophia – known as Ayasofya in Turkey would remain open to Muslims, Christians and foreigners "from all around the world.” The president’s press aide Fahrettin Altun said that “People of all religious denominations are welcome and encouraged to visit it – just as they have been able to visit other mosques, including the Blue Mosque.”
Of course he doesn't want, nor can't afford, to lose the dollars and euros spent in Istanbul by Christian tourists.
UNESCO had the best argument of all. Its World Heritage Committee shall review Hagia Sophia’s status, and Turkey’s decision raised questions about the effect on its universal value as a site of importance transcending borders and generations.
Which means, no more money for the monument.
I wish Israel would suffer the same retaliation for Tel Aviv's confiscation of Palestinian land, natural resources and Christian and Muslim patrimony.
I wish Israel would suffer the same retaliation for Tel Aviv's confiscation of Palestinian land, natural resources and Christian and Muslim patrimony.
PALESTINA
On 25 June, 2020 Middle East Eye reported that Israel’s Supreme Court awarded three properties belonging to Jerusalem’s Christian Greek Orthodox Patriarchate to a fanatic Jewish Taliban settler group. Ateret Cohanim fraudulently claimed that the Greek Orthodox Church’s 99-year lease qualifies it to purchase the property. The zealot Ateret Cohanim works with and is funded by international Zionist organizations, including Sheldon Adelson, Donald Trump’s like-minded moneybags Daddy/buddy, to the tune of a $300 campaign contribution. If this “ain’t” quid pro quo, then what is it? Other shadow international groups are funding Jewish settler groups to ethnically cleanse Jerusalem of its Palestinian Christian citizens. All of this is in line with Israel’s laws to create a Jewish State – meaning an ethnically pure Jews Only State, a Juden Uber Alles of post Holocaust barbarity.
All observers agree that the properties’ strategic location in the heart of occupied Jerusalem’s Christian and Moslem quarters and in close proximity to Jaffa Gate, including two landmark Palestinian hotels (Hotel Petra and Imperial Hotel), is intended to drive a dagger in both, the sham called a peace process, and in driving the final nails into the coffin of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem at its capital. The Orthodox Patriarch stated the following: “We believe that the court erred in its decision and intend to launch an appeal at the Supreme Court.”
Earlier this year the IDF (Israel occupation Forces - the most amoral army in the world) desecrated and bulldozed a 1400 year old Moslem cemetery so as to convert it into a public park with a café and nightclub. Middle East Monitor has also reported that In 2004, the Israeli government and the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre announced plans for the so-called Museum of Tolerance.
The museum is planned to be a multimedia centre for children and adults with theatre and education facilities. The Centre announced the project as a 21st century project dealing with ‘contemporary issues crucial to Israel’s future — intolerance, anti-Semitism, terrorism, Jewish unity and mutual respect and human dignity for all.’
Not only was the cemetery razed, but the remains of thousands of deceased, dating back to the 7th century, were summarily moved as an impediment to “Israeli and Jewish tolerance.” And finally, the Greek Orthodox cemetery located on Mt. Zion, the place where my father was buried in 1947, has been vandalized; tombstones were toppled in what is an obvious malevolent act of depraved rage. Have you no shame Holocaust survivors? Can’t you leave the dead alone? And why don’t you take out your rage on Europeans, those who perfected genocide into an art form?
The Dormition Abbey, adjacent to the cemetery is buried was defaced with Hebrew graffiti; this is one of several Christian and Moslem churches and mosques that have been vandalized. A mosque in the old city of Jaffa was this year bulldozed and replaced with a parking lot.
And for those who want to remind us of Nazi brutality, the list of Jewish brutality is long and painful to Palestine and her children.
Condemnation for Turkey’s decision to reconvert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque was swift and universal. Yet for each of the aforementioned affronts by Holocaust survivors there’s not been a single condemnation. If anything, Israeli hasbara and yes, let’s admit it, bought Democrat and Republican political muscle in America and abroad, absolves Israel of all its crimes against a dispossessed people.
For 76 years the world has been shamed, and rightfully so, about the Holocaust. Yet that same world has abetted and condoned the brutalities inflicted on the other victims of the Holocaust, the destitute people of Palestine.
A few days ago Israeli soldiers raided Ramallah creating havoc in the middle of the night. A week ago they continued demolishing homes in the suburbs of Jerusalem and other parts of the West Bank. And on the second of April, the police raided the house of Fadi Hidmi, the Palestinian minister in charge of the affairs of East Jerusalem, blasting the gate to his garden and breaking into his house, as well as confiscating the money he had at home.
Not only does Israel seize the opportunity of this world crisis to further harass the Palestinians, they always choose the night hours for their raids. Why? You may wonder. It is because thieves are the only people that need to be protected by the dark hours of the night to do their illegal actions. The Police in Jerusalem know very well that the Palestinians in East Jerusalem are practically under curfew and they have complied by staying at home. So they could have easily picked up Mr. Hidmi during the day time without scaring the family and causing extra stress to the community that is already being deprived of its basic rights. The only charge against Mr. Hidmi is that he is trying, with his colleagues, to alleviate the suffering of so many people who have lost their daily bread due to the current crisis which has not spared either Palestinians or Israelis. And that is why the police has also been harassing all the young volunteers of the Old City of Jerusalem and confiscating the aid in kind that they are trying to deliver to needy families.
Will the Corona Pandemic be a good enough lesson for all of the world leaders and citizens? Actually, it is in time of crisis and the way one reacts to fellow world citizens that one’s true character is revealed.
Unfortunately, when the Sacred encounters the Profane in the land of the three Monotheistic religions, the Mark of Cain becomes “writ large” on the hills, valleys, and plains of Palestine, a coveted and fought-over land where might makes right, where, instead of genuine faith, religiosity is turned into a battering ram, where faith is bartered in the international markets of nasty arms dealers, and where Evangelicals and their coreligionist-Zionist scavengers prey on false gods in the service of the one God: the Zionist God of Greed, and where the innocent always suffer.
Western Society is grieving for the loss of one single church. How deep much What about the Palestinians.
Western Society is grieving for the loss of one single church. How deep much What about the Palestinians.
BRASIL
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