Iris

And I'd give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now

*

*

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

and sooner or later it's over

I just don't want to miss you tonight

*

*

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

*

*

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive

*

*

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

Lyrics by the Goo Goo Dolls
photo by the x-ray photographer Judith K McMillan

Mawlawis ( The Whirling Dervish )

The Whirling Dervish order was founded by the mystical Sufi poet Jelalauddin Rumi in the 13th Century in both Turkey and Syria. Their dance is said to have derived from his spontaneous poetic outpourings, which would occur while he spun around the pillars of mosques. The turning is also described as a kinesthetic representation of the greater cosmic whirling of the universe. The participants continuously spin to the left, hands raised in prayerful gesture, often with the right elevated towards heaven and the left curved towards the earth. The trance state that is reached through the spinning is a type of meditation that is said to create a direct and complete union with the divine.

Traditional Sufi Dervish may be seen chanting a dhikr, which is the repetition of "la illaha illa'llah" (there is no god but God). However, some Dervish may only repeat "Allah" because they know man can die at any moment, and they want only the name of God on their lips and in their hearts. The left foot of the whirle should never be raised, but sometimes is in a fit of ecstasy.

I’ve always been an admirer of this mystic spiritual and esoteric dance... What’s so amazing about it is the meeting of art and faith and the simplicity of the presentation.

The Zahiriyya Library

Al-Madrasa al-Zahiriyya was originally a residential home that was transformed to a madrasa in 1277 after the death of Mamluk ruler Al-Zahir Rukn al-din Baybars al-Bunduqdari, or Baybars I (1260-1277), who is famous for the conquest of most of the Levant from the Crusaders. The king was buried in an elaborate mausoleum with a high dome in the southwest corner of the building.


The history of the building, which dates from the late 13th century, is probably more interesting than the holdings of the library itself. One of the largest and best preserved of the Damascene madrasas, al-Zahiriyya was named for Sultan al-Zahir Baybars, the first of the Mamluks sultans. In 1876 it was turned into a general library. Along with al-'Adiliyya Madrasa, across the street, it was also headquarters of al-Majma' al-'Ilmi al-'Arabi, the premier institution of the Syrian literary renaissance of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.



The madrasa is richly decorated using various materials and techniques. The main entrance gate is semi-domed with stone muqarnas. The interior ornamental program consists of marble revetment, carved stucco, gilt wood and a continuous frieze of glass mosaic that depicts architectural ensembles on three of the four interior walls, along with vases, trees, and other stylized vegetal motifs. The mihrab in the mausoleum is made of colored marble to allude to patterns and mosaics typical of the Mamluk architectural style.
the name of the mausoleum's architect, Ibrahim b. Ghana'im, is carved into the muqarnas hood of the monumental entrance portal.

The Zahiriyya collection was decimated, however, by the creation of the Asad Library when the manuscript collection, rare books and periodicals relating to Syria were transferred to the Asad Library. The Zahiriyya now contains about 70,000 volumes mostly related to Islam, the Arabic language, history and biography. The library is now used mostly by high school and college students.

I have lots of memories in that Library for I spent many times studying there with friends and I just love it :)


Sources from Middle East Studies Association Bulletin

Famous last words

• Dying is easy, comedy is hard
  Who: George Bernard Shaw, Said on his deathbed
• 
  Now, now, my good man, this is no time for making enemies.
  Who: Voltaire ( attributed) when asked by a priest to renounce Satan
  
• 
  Applaud, my friends, the comedy is finished.
  Who: Ludwig Van Beethoven
  Plaudite amici, comedia finite est;
  The formula traditionally used to end performance of commedia del arte.
  
• 
  Et tu, Brute?
  Translation: and you, Brutus?
  Who: Julius Caesar
  Attributed to him by Shakespeare’s famous play; his real last words are unknown.
• 
  This is absurd! This is absurd! ( English translation)
  Who: Sigmund Freud
• 
  I know you’ve came to kill me. Shoot, you are only going to kill a man.
  Who: Che Guevara
• 
  When the music’s over, turn off the lights.
  Who: Adolph Hitler, before his suicide in 1945
  
• 
  Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
  Who: Jesus of Nazareth
• 
  Go on get out! Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough!
  Who: Karl Marx, asked by his housekeeper what his last words were.
  
• 
  Shoot me in the chest!
  Who: Benito Mussolini to his executioner.
  

6.6.6

Yea today is 06-06-06 pretty scary huh
Well this date wont repeat again ya33ny for so so so long time every ( 100 years )
I’m not sure if I should consider it a special good day or not
But there’s hundreds of stories related to that scary number
I’m not going into details about it because I’m sure that most of you are familiar with it plus I’m too sleepy to write more…

Anyways today 06-06-06 is the opening of the new remake of The Omen movie world wild ,I remember the old one , it was pretty good. lets hope the new one is as good as the old.

And one more thing here’s a cool link about the 666myth
Enjoy and have a Happy 06-06-06 day all.

Silence

Where do we go from here?

Your silence hurts

It weighs heavily

I care so bloody much

I hurt

I gave

I cried

I wanted needed hoped

The scope of it all

Still over whelms me

As I paint portraits in the sky

Seeing you in my life’s eye

Where do we stand form here?

Wishing a thousand years for you

Wanting hoping seeing

Yet frightened that

You will fade away

And then trembling

I realize

Once more

The heaviness of your silence

2003-22-3