Reminiscence from the Levant: Part Twenty Six and the Last– The last few steps
Any attempt, mind you any attempt to conjure up the magic of Jerusalem- by written words… is not only futile but also audacious. It is belittling oneself and the place itself.
I have not seen the entire world… nor do I hope to. One lifetime is too small to see the grandeur of our civilizations… the nature's gift to mankind. All, therefore, a weary traveler can dream of… is seeing the totem of human pursuits… and if there is one, it has to be Jerusalem… only Jerusalem.
Many years ago… I had heard the story of Jesus and the centrality of Holy Sepulcher Church in his story… I had never imagined as to what it would be like to be in the precincts of it all. And when I was… I was simply overwhelmed, by its vastness… it profoundness… its timelessness and its holiness. Once upon a time… I had been hearing the about the Wailing Wall… and how every Jew, anywhere on the planet earth faces it while praying. And for the last few years… I have been hearing about Al Aqsa Mosque… and the struggle of Palestinians which it represents… and how Prophet Mohammed rose to the heaven from there… and how it is the third holiest site for Islam and its followers. Jerusalem is Vatican, Mecca all rolled in one and much more… it is humanity's heritage.
For last few days… for last five months to be precise, I have been writing about my reminiscences in Levant… the journey that started in Aleppo couldn’t have had a more worthy ending… in Jerusalem. This is the last part of what I set out to document. I have already documented what all experiences I had… what remains is Jerusalem… an experience that no amount of words can describe. And if there is one small pearl of wisdom one can take from the last few months of writing… then it is to somehow visit Jerusalem in his lifetime. History, Faith, Civilization and Consciousness doesn’t get bigger that it.
What should I write and what can I write. What do I write about Holy Sepulcher… and more importantly, can I ever grasp the beauty of that place… or what do I write about touching the Wailing Wall… and being amidst a humanity of the Chosen People… or what do I write about the beautiful sight of Al Aqsa… and the angst of Palestinians. Their mere references demean and belittle the written words. Knowing about them, reading about them… takes a precious little effort of typing them in a Google search engine… vital thing is to experience them… realizing what all they mean, they stand for and the message they hold for us.
Yes I saw them all… I also saw the winding lanes of the Old City… I saw the old Armenian Churches… the Arabic Souqs… a solitary Rabbi in the Jewish Quarter… the commotion of Islamic Quarters… the great Greek Monastery… the house of Mother Mary… and after seeing them all, I could just thank myself for undertaking this beautiful journey.
Jerusalem is a reality… go experience it.
The New Jerusalem is another experience waiting to happen…. I took a city bus tour… far away one sees the Golden Dome… further away the Russian Church… and then one closes the eye to ensure that yes he is not dreaming.
Jerusalem is an experience at every step… going inside the Central Bus Stand and getting intimidated by the Security apparatus… or even hearing a loud thud… some where… and getting dazed by the response of Israeli security who cordoned the entire area within 5 minutes… did their investigation in another 10… and eased the cordon in sum total of 15 minutes.
Or being greeted by a sweet Shalom by people and comparing Shalom with Salaam. So much of similarity and yet so much hatred! Mired by an acute political crisis, Jerusalem is definitely out of bounds for a large section of humanity… but I sincerely wish that one day the stand off will end… when an Arab will pray in Al Aqsa, a Copt will pray in Holy Sepulcher… when a Jew will travel freely in entire Arab world… see the grandeur of Pyramids and Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. I know that 100 years is too small a time in the history of humanity… and sincerely wish that I am right.
The two days spent in Jerusalem were one of the most beautiful days of my life… I will cherish their memories forever in my life. The images of Jerusalem will fade and away… gradually… but the fact that I was there in this life time of mine… will always bring smile to my face. For it was in Jerusalem that I realized the similarity of Salaam Alaikum and Shalom Aleychem.
If I would have tried… I would have written three four more ongoing chapters on Jerusalem without being exhausted for words and expression… but I know they are meaningless… much has been written on the place… and much will be written on the place… but no one who will write about it, will be honest enough to tell about his inability to write about it. I am just being honest… I am leaving my experiences of Jerusalem as it is. With a wish that every wandering soul sees the place… where the three great religions of the world emanated.
After Jerusalem… I came back to Amman… met Noor again. Was there in Amman for a few hours… and took a flight back to Cairo…
Cairo awaited me. My two year old son awaited me… I hope one day he will grow up and visit Jerusalem. And relive the magic of the place… and then we will talk about our experiences.
This journey was a defining moment in my life… it taught me that I am a global citizen… and I own the entire world… and that the entire world is my oyster.
Aleppo-Hamah-Palmyra-Damascus-Amman-Petra-Jerusalem… I will never forget them.
I have not seen the entire world… nor do I hope to. One lifetime is too small to see the grandeur of our civilizations… the nature's gift to mankind. All, therefore, a weary traveler can dream of… is seeing the totem of human pursuits… and if there is one, it has to be Jerusalem… only Jerusalem.
Many years ago… I had heard the story of Jesus and the centrality of Holy Sepulcher Church in his story… I had never imagined as to what it would be like to be in the precincts of it all. And when I was… I was simply overwhelmed, by its vastness… it profoundness… its timelessness and its holiness. Once upon a time… I had been hearing the about the Wailing Wall… and how every Jew, anywhere on the planet earth faces it while praying. And for the last few years… I have been hearing about Al Aqsa Mosque… and the struggle of Palestinians which it represents… and how Prophet Mohammed rose to the heaven from there… and how it is the third holiest site for Islam and its followers. Jerusalem is Vatican, Mecca all rolled in one and much more… it is humanity's heritage.
For last few days… for last five months to be precise, I have been writing about my reminiscences in Levant… the journey that started in Aleppo couldn’t have had a more worthy ending… in Jerusalem. This is the last part of what I set out to document. I have already documented what all experiences I had… what remains is Jerusalem… an experience that no amount of words can describe. And if there is one small pearl of wisdom one can take from the last few months of writing… then it is to somehow visit Jerusalem in his lifetime. History, Faith, Civilization and Consciousness doesn’t get bigger that it.
What should I write and what can I write. What do I write about Holy Sepulcher… and more importantly, can I ever grasp the beauty of that place… or what do I write about touching the Wailing Wall… and being amidst a humanity of the Chosen People… or what do I write about the beautiful sight of Al Aqsa… and the angst of Palestinians. Their mere references demean and belittle the written words. Knowing about them, reading about them… takes a precious little effort of typing them in a Google search engine… vital thing is to experience them… realizing what all they mean, they stand for and the message they hold for us.
Yes I saw them all… I also saw the winding lanes of the Old City… I saw the old Armenian Churches… the Arabic Souqs… a solitary Rabbi in the Jewish Quarter… the commotion of Islamic Quarters… the great Greek Monastery… the house of Mother Mary… and after seeing them all, I could just thank myself for undertaking this beautiful journey.
Jerusalem is a reality… go experience it.
The New Jerusalem is another experience waiting to happen…. I took a city bus tour… far away one sees the Golden Dome… further away the Russian Church… and then one closes the eye to ensure that yes he is not dreaming.
Jerusalem is an experience at every step… going inside the Central Bus Stand and getting intimidated by the Security apparatus… or even hearing a loud thud… some where… and getting dazed by the response of Israeli security who cordoned the entire area within 5 minutes… did their investigation in another 10… and eased the cordon in sum total of 15 minutes.
Or being greeted by a sweet Shalom by people and comparing Shalom with Salaam. So much of similarity and yet so much hatred! Mired by an acute political crisis, Jerusalem is definitely out of bounds for a large section of humanity… but I sincerely wish that one day the stand off will end… when an Arab will pray in Al Aqsa, a Copt will pray in Holy Sepulcher… when a Jew will travel freely in entire Arab world… see the grandeur of Pyramids and Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. I know that 100 years is too small a time in the history of humanity… and sincerely wish that I am right.
The two days spent in Jerusalem were one of the most beautiful days of my life… I will cherish their memories forever in my life. The images of Jerusalem will fade and away… gradually… but the fact that I was there in this life time of mine… will always bring smile to my face. For it was in Jerusalem that I realized the similarity of Salaam Alaikum and Shalom Aleychem.
If I would have tried… I would have written three four more ongoing chapters on Jerusalem without being exhausted for words and expression… but I know they are meaningless… much has been written on the place… and much will be written on the place… but no one who will write about it, will be honest enough to tell about his inability to write about it. I am just being honest… I am leaving my experiences of Jerusalem as it is. With a wish that every wandering soul sees the place… where the three great religions of the world emanated.
After Jerusalem… I came back to Amman… met Noor again. Was there in Amman for a few hours… and took a flight back to Cairo…
Cairo awaited me. My two year old son awaited me… I hope one day he will grow up and visit Jerusalem. And relive the magic of the place… and then we will talk about our experiences.
This journey was a defining moment in my life… it taught me that I am a global citizen… and I own the entire world… and that the entire world is my oyster.
Aleppo-Hamah-Palmyra-Damascus-Amman-Petra-Jerusalem… I will never forget them.
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