In school days I got to know what Eraag el Ameer is and its historical importance. Very honestly I forgot why, but I remember our Arabic teacher Salim M3aani and his excitement whenever he used to talk about it! Anyway, the name was in my mind, until I started my driving lessons. Since my instructor was wise enough to feel I was a threat to everyone who's driving at a distance 500 meters or closer to me (and I still am), he would take me to vacant areas so I wouldn't be killing people everyday.
One day I was driving away from the city, maybe closer to Eastern Amman, until we got closer to an area kolha ghanam o kherfaan, 3am yaaklo o ber3o, very dirty and so empty, even scary, and i noticed it looked like a group of 100 empty houses or chambers built on a hill.
Then my instructor looked at me "yalla yabu el fawares hayna wassalnaak la 3raag el ameer"
"NA3am?"
"bas terja3 e7ki la abok ennak soget la 3raag el ameer, yalla leff werja3 o ma tensa el 3'ammaz, wella btosgot bel emti7aan, 7otteli 3a om kalthoom o sa77eni etha shofet shorti....etc"
I felt sorry for what happened to Samia Zaru's sculpture last week, and we heard voices asking to protect sculptures or pieces of art like "the Family" that Zaru brilliantly built. But where are the voices calling to save our historical places found everywhere in our country, including Amman. Every year i hear different things about how the precious things that we have in our country but nobody knows about them.
We need something like "the Kingdom of Heaven" so we can know how significant was Kerak in old times (and still is khawa nawa!) ?? We're talking about KINGDOMS which have existed in Jordan.
If the Greek and Romans have no voices now it's still worth listening to the voice of rationale. I've met some Americans and Europeans who knew a few things about Jordan that I've never heard about! I'm sure if Eraag el Ameer is some place in America, we'd find ten commercial centers and 100 restaurants and 3 casinos and an airport built around it to attract tourists, and we'll find Arabs and Jordanians coming from everyhwere to visit it and take pictures. If we don't know how precious our country is we shouldn't expect foreigners to.
2 hours ago
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4 comments:
Great topic Feras! and welcome to planet Jordan, since this is the first time i see a blog for you!
last year 3 of my german friends came to visit me in Jordan and as Germans they needed to see Jordan in details, the kings road that would take you 5 hours took us 3 days... I was shocked at how rich Jordan is, every corner there is something to see, there is a stone that speaks history... it was really amazing! and sadly, i did not know about it, my german friends knew!
Madas ( Mariam)
Nice post. But Eraag il Ameer is West of Amman (close to Wadi il Seer), not East of it :)
Great post Hareega!
I've been meaning to write one myself, because nothing upsets me more than our lack of awareness and appreciation! 3iraq Il-Ameer, Qusayr Amra, Qasr Il Mushatta, and so many other places that are treasures in the history of the world and that are rotting away and being vandalized!
Mariam... yes it's so sad to see them more interested in what we have than we do. Five of the ten decapolis cities are in Jordan! I only knew that in a quiz night last year loool!!
ziad... thanx man, i thought first it was Amman West then said no way Erag el Ameer in Amman West, that shouldn't make sense!
Roba, thanx , you can still write one yourself it will be interesting to know how you think about it.
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