أرواد المعاصرة ناحية تابعة لطرطوس عدد سكانها ٢٠١٦ نسمة بحسب تعداد السكان لعام ١٩٩٤، لكن واقع الحال أن أبنائها يزيد عددهم على ١١,٥٠٠ نسمة، حيث يعمل معظمهم خارجها. تتميز الجزيرة بممراتها وشوارعها المتعرجة وقلعتها الصليبية وقلعتها الإسلامية، والبرج الأيوبي وبقايا سورها الضخم ومسالكها المترادصة، وتشتهر أرواد منذ القدم بصناعة السفن التي ما زالت إلى اليوم. كانت قديمًا تمتلك أسطولًا بحريًا قويًا، وحارب الأرواديون الإغريق ووقعت بالقرب منها معركة بحرية هي معركة سلاميس، وكانت مملكة أرواد ذات قوة ونفوذ، حيث امتد ملكها إلى العديد من مدن الساحل السوري، وتنفرد أرواد بكونها الجزيرة السياحية الحقيقية الوحيدة في البلاد

بقلم: أمال النجار

Arwad tourist island is located opposite the Syrian city of Tartous on the Mediterranean coast.

Its area is about 20 hectares, the inhabited area of ​​which is 13.5 hectares, and it is located about 3 km from the coast of Tartous.

It is an ancient island that was a prosperous Phoenician kingdom that controlled areas of the northern coast of Syria. The name Arwad or Arados was mentioned in the Amarna letters, in the annals of the Assyrian kings, and in the discoveries of the Phoenician civilization on the Mediterranean.

Nowadays Arwad is a district affiliated with Tartous, with a population of 5,016 people according to the 1994 population census, but the number of its registered residents exceeds 11,500 people, as most of them work outside it. The island is distinguished by its winding lanes and streets, its Crusader castle, its Islamic castle, the Ayyubid tower, the remains of its huge wall, and its compact dwellings. Arwad has been famous since ancient times for its shipbuilding, which continues to this day. In the past, it had a strong naval fleet. 

The Arwadians fought the Greeks, and a naval battle took place between them, the Battle of Salamis. The Kingdom of Arwad was powerful and influential, as its rule extended to many cities on the Syrian coast. Only the coast of the Syrian Arab Republic is unique to the island, which made it the only favorite tourist island in the country.

By: Amal Najjar

بقلم فضاء علي

After what happened in Iraq, specifically after the fall of Baghdad, Iraqi families began looking for a safe places so that they could live in peace. They began to migrate to neighboring countries, especially Jordan, where we were from one of those families, and we began to get to know their civilizations and their cities. Their heritage…and their ancient monuments…

The city of Madaba: the jewel of history and culture in Jordan. It is considered a destination that attracts tourists with its rich history, captivating mosaics, ancient monuments, and warm hospitality. This ancient city is located south of the capital, Amman, and occupies an important place in the cultural and religious heritage of the region. The essence of Madaba’s appeal lies in its extraordinary mosaics, giving it the nickname “Mosaic City.”

These intricate pieces of art, dating back to the Byzantine era, among the most famous mosaics are the Map of Madaba, a magnificent 6th-century map that captivates visitors with its exquisitely detailed depiction. Aside from its artistic treasures, Madaba boasts a wealth of religious sites that attract tourists and history enthusiasts alike. weather The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George stands as a prominent landmark, housing the famous Map of Madaba and other religious edifices such as the Church of the Apostles, giving visitors the opportunity to delve into the spiritual significance of the city. In addition to its religious heritage, Madaba offers a glimpse into traditional Jordanian life, with lively markets filled with local handicrafts and delightful souvenirs.

Engaging with the friendly locals and tasting authentic Jordanian cuisine is essential to immersing yourself in the charm of the city, especially Mansaf. The Archaeological a penchant for history, Madaba Archaeological Park provides a fascinating journey through the city’s past. The ruins of ancient churches, houses and baths reveal the remains of a once-thriving society, preserving tales of bygone times. The surrounding areas of Madaba are characterized by stunning natural scenery.

And panoramic views of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, as well as Mount Nebo, which contains the shrine of the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, which makes it a famous religious place. In conclusion, Madaba is considered one of the ancient cities with its authenticity, heritage, and good residents who adhere to their moral tribal traditions, where one cannot help but feel a deep sense of awe and gratitude. For the opportunity to explore the wonders of Madaba/Jordan.

By Fadaa Ali 

لم أستطع التوقف وظللت أبحث لساعات. صور المناظر الطبيعية لأريحا، عندما تنظر من منظور بعيد، تصور أرضًا شاسعة وخضراء فارغة، أو مع عدد قليل من الناس الذين بالكاد تستطيع رؤيتهم. في حين أن أريحا هي أقدم مدينة في العالم، إلا أن هويتها تكمن في تراثها الزراعي. ولكن مع أخذ ذلك في الاعتبار، فإن التأطير والمنظور المستمر في الصور يعكس نظرة خارجية، مما جعلني متحمسًا للتساؤل وتجربة الصور الأرشيفية التي وجدتها.
يأتي هذا العمل من منطلق اهتمامي بالبحث عن طرق للتدخل في الأرشيف والمطالبة بملكيته لنا كفلسطينيين. في هاتين الصورتين، أقوم بدمج الصور الأرشيفية التي تم العثور عليها لجيريكو مع أرشيف عائلتي، مما يؤدي إلى إنشاء وملء الفجوات من أجل استعادة سلطة الصورة.

الفنانة يقين يمني

5812 miles away from home, I typed Jericho- Palestine. I don’t recall the initial reason that made me try to search for my city on ebay, but I recall the first image that I found. A poster of the Winter Palace Hotel, which is exactly on the land I call home.  

I couldn’t stop, and kept looking for hours. landscape images of Jericho, looking from a far perspective, depicting vast and green empty land, or with few people that you barely can see. While Jericho is the oldest city in the world, its identity lies in its agricultural heritage. But with that in mind, the continuous framing and perspective in the images is reflecting an outsider gaze, which made me eager to question and experiment with the archival images I found. This work is coming from my interest in looking for ways to intervene with the archive and claim its ownership to us as Palestinians. In these two images, I am combining archival found images of Jericho with my family archive, creating and filling the gaps in order to reclaim the authority of the image. 

By the artist : Yaqeen Yemani

وقد وصلت المعاناة الان في العراق الى حد تحجيم المساحات الزراعية في الموسم الحالي حيث انصبت جهود الحكومة العراقية الحالية من اجل تأمين مياه الشرب وتلك التي تدخل في الاحتياجات المنزلية الصحية والبيئية, ومع ارتفاع درجات الحرارة في صيف العراق حيث تصل الى نصف درجة الغليان حيث تسجل ارقام قياسية في معدلات الحرارة لم تسجلها اي منطقة اخرى في الكرة الارضية وكأن البلد يعيش في فرن حراري حقيقي

ونتيجة لهذا الجفاف وشحة المياه الضرورية للزراعة فقد تحولت مساحات واسعة من الاراضي الزراعية الى صحارى جرداء. ولم يعد امام المزارعين في العراق سوى النزوح من اراضيهم نحو المدن للعمل في مهن اخرى غير الزراعة.

لقد بدأت مشكلة شحة المياه في العراق منذ ثمانينيات القرن الماضي حيث بدأت بوادر الجفاف تضرب اراضي العراق نتيجة لارتفاع درجات الحرارة وتناقص الامطار , كذلك سوء ادارة الحكومات المتعاقبة للأزمة وعدم اتخاذ اي اجراء لمعالجتها.

وتتحمل كل الحكومات التي تعاقبت على العراق اسباب هذه المأساة, حيث لم تقم بأي اجراءات لتخزين المياه كأنشاء سدود اضافية وكذلك عدم الضغط على دول المنبع المجاورة ( تركيا-أيران-سوريا) لتوقيع اتفاقية للتقاسم العادل للمياه. فمثلا لم يتصدى العراق للجارة تركيا التي قامت بأنشاء سد اليسو العملاق على نهر الفرات والذي اثر بشكل واضح على كمية المياه المتدفقة الى العراق من نهر الفرات . بالاضافة الى نية الحكومة التركية ببناء سد اخر على حوض نهر دجلة هو سد الجزرة وسمته السد القاتل حيث سيجفف مياه هذا النهر العابر الى العراق. أما ايران فأنها تقوم بتحويل مجرى الانهار التي تمر عبر اراضيها باتجاه الاراضي العراقية الى اتجاه اخر والتي كانت تصب في اهوار العراق الجنوبية مثل نهر الكارون مما تسبب في مأساة اخرى لحقت بأهوار العراق.

لقد أكدت الكثير من الدراسات الدولية المختصة بأن النهرين الخالدين ( دجلة والفرات) سيجفان في ارض العراق بعد عقدين من الزمن اذا لم تتخذ الاجراءات الحاسمة في تلافي  هذا الخطر… لذلك يبدو انه من سوء حظ الاجيال القادمة في العراق ان تنضب مياه الشرب عندهم بينما يتدفق النفط من اعماق ارضهم.

محمد العراقي

Recently, the media and some social media pages have spread frightening pictures of what has reached the state of drought of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as the bottom of each of them appears to be at the banks in the southern regions of Iraq. Iraqis in some of these areas have also become able to cross the distance between the two banks by walking across waterway of the two rivers after adding bridges and boats to cross. Just as many governors are in the field of firefighting, Iraq is currently facing the worst drought in modern times.

The suffering in Iraq has now reached the point of limiting agricultural areas in the current season, as the efforts of the current Iraqi government have been focused on securing drinking water and those used for domestic health and environmental needs, and with the high temperatures in the Iraqi summer, reaching half the boiling point, where numbers are recorded Record temperature rates not recorded by any other region on Earth, as if the country was living in a real convection oven…..

As a result of this drought and the scarcity of water necessary for agriculture, large areas of agricultural land have turned into barren deserts. Farmers in Iraq have no choice but to move from their lands towards the cities to work in professions other than agriculture.

The problem of water scarcity in Iraq began in the 1980s, when signs of drought began to strike Iraq as a result of rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall, as well as the mismanagement of the crisis by successive governments and the failure to take any action to address it.

All successive governments in Iraq are responsible for the causes of this tragedy, as they did not take any measures to store water, such as constructing additional dams, as well as failing to put pressure on the neighboring upstream countries (Turkey, Iran, Syria) to sign an agreement to fairly share water. For example, Iraq did not confront neighboring Turkey, which built the giant Ilisu Dam on the Euphrates River, which clearly affected the amount of water flowing into Iraq from the Euphrates River. In addition to the Turkish government’s intention to build another dam on the Tigris River basin, the Al-Jazra Dam, which it called the Deadly Dam, as it will dry up the waters of this river crossing into Iraq. As for Iran, it is diverting the course of the rivers that pass through its territory towards Iraqi territory to another direction, which used to flow into the southern Iraqi marshes, such as the Karun River, causing another tragedy that befell the Iraqi marshes.

Many specialized international studies have confirmed that the two immortal rivers (Tigris and Euphrates) will dry up in the land of Iraq after two decades if decisive measures are not taken to avoid this danger… Therefore, it seems that it will be a misfortune for future generations in Iraq that their drinking water will run dry while Oil flows from deep within their land.

By: Mohammed al Iraqi

– تارا فائق
Tahrir Square, Baghdad: The most iconic monument in Baghdad, which honors the 14 July Revolution that overthrew the monarchy.
Also my birthdate.

– Tara Faik

انتهج الباحثون منهجا مختلفا عما سبق, حيث تم توجيه اساليب البحث والتقصي باتجاه التعرف والكشف على جوانب حياة عامة الناس والمؤسسات الصغيرة المرتبطة بحياتهم اليومية البسيطة .

بعد العثور على منطقة حرفية لانتاج الفخار في احد التلال الصغيرة للمدينة الذي احتوى على مايزيد عن ثمانية افران لانتاج الفخار ارتأى الباحثون التقصي عن المنطقة المجاورة لافران انتاج الفخار التي تم العمل فيها من قبل عامة الناس في المدينة. فبدأ التقصي بأستخدام طائرات الدرونز بتحليقات عالية وأخرى واطئة للكشف عن المظاهر العمارية التي تكمن تحت مستوى الموقع الاثري. وأظهرت الصور الجوية الاولية وجود عدد من الغرف والمسالك كما بينت النتائج الاولية التي تمت باستخدام جهاز المسح المغناطيسي في نفس المنطقة وجود مناطق صغيرة ذات اشارات مميزة ولم يكن بالامكان التحقق عن ماهيتها الا بعمليات التنقيب اللاحقة.  كشفت اعمال التنقيب التي تعتبر كلمة الفصل والتي من خلالها يمكن التعرف على طبيعة العناصر والمواد الاثرية عن وجود طريق قديم للمشي يمتد الى جانب المنطقة الصناعية ويحيط بهذا الطريق على جانبيه غرف متباينة الاحجام , ومن المثير بالاهتمام ان هذه الغرف لم تكن كبعض الغرف التي اعتاد المنقبون العثور عليها في مدن العراق القديم وانما كانت احداها يحتوي على موقد كبير الحجم تحيط به مخلفات الطهي والرماد أما الغرفة المجاورة فقد احتوت على مقاعد ( دكات ) طينية لجلوس اعداد من الناس وكان هناك ايضا عدد كبير من الاواني الفخارية المتراكمة على احد ارضيات المبنى والبعض منها لايزال يحتوي على مخلفات وبقايا الطعام ( عظام) أبرز هذه العظام واكثرها هي عظام السمك.

احتوت احدى زوايا البناء على مايشبه نظام تبريد لحفظ المشروبات وتمثل هذا النظام بجرة كبيرة من الفخار تم تثبيتها في ارضية البناء والتي بدورها احتوت على جرة فخارية اضغر ومابين الجرتين كسر فخارية مختلفة الحجم. أن هذا النظام اشار الى ان الجرة الداخلية هي التي احتوت على على الشراب وقد يكون شراب عصارة الشعير او ماشاكل و كانت مهمة الجرة الاكبر هي لحماية الجرة الصغيرة بينما اتاحت قطع الفخار بين الجرتين للهواء بالمرور لمنع تراكم الرطوبة . بينما وجود النظام في اسفل ارضية البناء هو للاستفادة من برودة الارض لتبريد المشروبات والمحافظة عليها من التلف. وهذا النظام يقارب ماهو معروف حاليا بالثلاجة حيث لربما كان هذا النظام يمثل شكلها البدائي.

وبالنظر لوجود هذه العناصر مثل موقد الطهي الكبير , دكات الجلوس ونظام حفظ وتبريد المشروبات والاواني الكثيرة العدد مع بقايا الطعام بدا واضحا انة هذا المكان كان مخصصا لتحضير وتقديم الطعام والمشروبات لعدد كبير من الناس ولم يكن مخصصا لتوفير الطعام والمشروبات لعائلة منفردة , أما موقعها الملاصق لافران انتاج الفخار وهذا يدل على انه كان مخصصا لتوفير الطعام والشراب للعاملين في منطقة انتاج الفخار حيث ان من الضروري ان هذه المنطقة الصناعية كانت تتطلب عدد كبير من العمال لتشغيلها وهؤلاء كانوا يحتاجون للتزود بالطعام والشراب اثناء عملهم اليومي وبشكل كبير.

أما الفترة الزمنية لهذا الاكتشاف فقد دلت على المكتشفات الحضارية الاخرى من نفس الطبقة التاريخية لانه يرجع الى بداية الالف الثالث قبل الميلاد ( 2700 قبل الميلاد ) وعليه فأنه يعتبر اقدم مكان عام لتحضير وتقديم الطعام والشراب يشابه ماهو معروف حاليا من نظام المطاعم العامة. ومن الجدير بالذكر ان هذا الاكتشاف المهم تم على مدى اربعة مواسم عمل حقلي في منطقة جنوب العراق من قبل فريق بحثي من متحف جامعة بنسلفانيا في فيلادلفيا برئاسة الدكتورة هول بيتمان وعضوية عدد من المختصين

بقلم الدكتور زيد الراوي , مدير مشاريع متحف جامعة بنسلفانيا في جنوب العراق 

Historical studies and archaeological investigations of the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia have always focused on large institutional buildings and facilities.  These large buildings were significant because they were associated with kings and monks in the cities of ancient Iraq. This practical approach to amateur excavations in the nineteenth century has been extended to more systematic and scientific investigations these days. Early excavations and multi-faceted archaeological investigations in the ancient city of Lagash used this approach.  Lagash is the largest archaeological site in southern Iraq, and is locally known as the hills of dust that have been settled for more than 5000 years.

Currently, researchers adopt a different approach than focusing on large structures. Research and investigation methods were directed towards identifying and revealing aspects of the lives of the general public, and the small institutions related to their simple daily life.

First, researchers found a craft area for the production of pottery in one of the small hills of the city.  This craft area contained more than eight kilns for the production of pottery.  Next, researchers decided to investigate the area adjacent to the kilns for the production of pottery.  They found an area that common workers from the city used. The investigation used drones with high and low flights to detect the architectural features that lie below the level of the archaeological site. Preliminary aerial photographs showed the existence of a number of rooms and tracts, and the preliminary results made using a magnetic scanning device in the same area showed the presence of small areas with distinct signals.  Unfortunately, it was not possible to ascertain their identity except through subsequent excavations. 

The excavation work, which is considered the final word through which the nature of the archaeological elements and materials can be identified, revealed the existence of an old walking path that extended to the side of the industrial area.  This path was surrounded on both sides by rooms of varying sizes, and most interesting, it turned out that these rooms were unlike the other rooms that the excavators discovered in other cities of ancient Iraq.  One room contained a large stove surrounded by cooking waste and ashes. The next room contained mud benches for people to sit, and there was also a large number of pottery pots accumulated on one of the floors of the building. Some of the pots contained leftovers of food (fish bones) that provided researchers with valuable insight into the diet and cultural practices of ancient people. 

One of the corners of an excavated building contained what looked like a refrigeration system for preserving drinks. This system used a large pottery jar installed in the floor of the building, which in turn contained a smaller pottery jar, and between the two jars were pottery shards of different sizes. These relics indicated that the inner jar was the one that contained a drink like barley juice syrup. The larger jar protected the small jar, while the pieces of pottery between the two jars allowed air to pass through to prevent the accumulation of moisture. This storage system, placed in the building floor, took advantage of the coolness of the ground to chill drinks and protect them from spoilage. This early system most closely approximates modern refrigerators, and may represent an early form of the modern device. 

A large cooking stove, seating benches, a system for preserving and cooling drinks, and a large number of utensils with leftovers made it clear that this place was dedicated to preparing and serving food and drinks to a large number of people.  It was not intended to provide food and drinks to a single family. Its location, adjacent to large-scale pottery production, indicated that it was intended to provide food and drink for workers in the production area.  It makes sense that an early industrial area required a large number of workers to operate it, and those workers would need food and drink during their work day. 

This discovery was compared to other cultural artifacts from a similar time period and dated to the beginning of the third millennium BC (2700 BC).  Given its location and significant age, it is considered the oldest public place for preparing and serving food and drink.  It compares favorably to what we think of as a public restaurant. It is worth noting that this important discovery was made over four seasons of field work in the southern region of Iraq.  Dr. Holly Pittman of the University of Pennsylvania Museum and a number of specialists proudly oversaw the excavation and documentation of this, the world’s oldest tavern. 

By Dr. Zaid Al-Rawi, Director of Projects for the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Southern Iraq

س/ متى بدأ الاحتفال بأعياد شم النسيم عند المصريين؟
ج: تعتبر احتفالات أعياد “شم النسيم” من كل عام هى أحد المظاهر المقتبسة منذ أكثر من 5 آلاف سنة من التاريخ الفرعونى وكان يسمى وقتها “شمو”، وبالقبطية كان يسمى “شوم إنسم” فهو مهرجان يقام سنوياً فى فصل الربيع، ويحتفل فيه جميع المصريين بدخول الربيع بزيارة المنتزهات وتلوين البيض وأكل الفسيخ.

س/ ما هو الاعتقاد الدينى عند القدماء المصريين للاحتفال بشم النسيم؟
ج: أن بداية احتفالات القدماء المصريين فى العصور الفرعونية بأعياد الربيع (شمو)، كانت فى عام (2700 ق.م) وبالتحديد إلى أواخر الأسرة الثالثة الفرعونية، حيث إن هذا العيد كان معروفًا فى مدينة هليوبوليس، وهو عيد يرمز عند قدماء المصريين إلى بعث الحياة، وكان المصريون القدماء يعتقدون أن ذلك اليوم هو أول الزمان، أو بدء خلق العالم كما كانوا يتصورون، وقد تم تعديل الإسم لهذا العيد على مر العصور المختلفة وأضيفت إليه كلمة “النسيم” لارتباط هذا الفصل باعتدال الجو، وطيب النسيم، وما يصاحب الاحتفال بذلك العيد من الخروج إلى الحدائق والمتنزهات والاستمتاع بجمال الطبيعة.

س/ كيف كان وضع الاحتفال بشم النسيم بعد دخول المسيحية مصر؟
ج: بعد دخول المسيحية مصر، أصبح العيد مرتبطا مع عيد الربيع المسيحي وهو عيد الفصح، مع مرور الوقت، تحول عيد شمو إلى شكله الحالي وموعده الحالي.

س/ كيف احتفل المصريون بشم النسيم بعد دخول الإسلام؟
ج: بحلول وقت الفتح الإسلامي لمصر كان العيد قد استقر على عيد الفصح يوم الاثنين. لكون التقويم الإسلامي تقويما قمريا وبالتالي غير ثابت بالنسبة إلى السنة الشمسية، ظل العيد مرتبط بالمسيحية في موعده. بعدما أصبحت مصر عربية تحول مصطلح شمو إلى شم النسيم، وهو الاسم الذي إلى حد ما يمثل بدقة الطريقة التي يحتفل بها المصريون في العيد.

بقلم عصام مصري

Today, Egyptians celebrate every year Sham El-Nessim, which always comes on the day following the glorious Feast of Resurrection for the Egyptian Copts. It is a national festival to celebrate the spring holidays, and it is one of the connected manifestations of the ancient Egyptian civilization until now.. What is the relationship of the ancient Egyptian to the smell of the Nile?

Q: When did the celebration of Sham El-Nessim begin for the Egyptians?

A: The celebrations of “Sham El-Nessim” holidays each year are one of the manifestations quoted more than 5 thousand years ago from Pharaonic history, and it was called “Shamo” at the time. Egyptians enter the spring by visiting parks, coloring eggs and eating fesikh.

Q: When did the celebration of Sham El-Nessim begin for the Egyptians?

A: The celebrations of “Sham El-Nessim” holidays each year are one of the manifestations quoted more than 5 thousand years ago from Pharaonic history, and it was called “Shamo” at the time. Egyptians enter the spring by visiting parks, coloring eggs and eating fesikh.

Q/ How was the celebration of Sham El-Nessim after Christianity entered Egypt?

A: After Christianity entered Egypt, the holiday became associated with the Christian Spring Festival, which is Easter, and with the passage of time, the Shemu festival changed to its current form and date.

Q/ How did the Egyptians celebrate Sham El-Nessim after entering Islam?

A: By the time of the Muslim conquest of Egypt, the feast had settled on Easter Monday. Since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and therefore is not fixed in relation to the solar year, the feast remained linked to Christianity in its timing. After Egypt became Arab, the term Shemu became Sham El-Nessim, a name that to some extent accurately represents the way Egyptians celebrate the holiday.

By Issam Masri

الكاتب يوسف باهنوس

Today, we will travel across the Atlantic Ocean to Morocco in the north-west of Africa. Discovering a community of individuals who made the decision to transform their weekends into a weekly event of lovely cycling excursions in order to inspire others to push the boundaries of utilizing bicycles for transportation, sport, adventure, networking, and enjoyment…
Hamza and Youssef have been running the advertising since “Rabat By Bike” began hosting the weekly event in September 2018, and since then only one participant has joined us on our first trip.
For those who own bicycles, our weekly event is completely free. Those without bicycles may still participate by borrowing one from Hamza. Even if there were initially few participants, we continue to spread the cycling culture by planning brief trips of Rabat and Salé’s cities and surrounding areas. We had a lovely network of folks that shared the same spirits and a variety of intriguing perspectives.
After a year of weekly events, our group has developed into a networking hub where you can meet locals and visitors and have pleasant conversations. You can also explore the city’s landmarks and go on an excursion in the countryside to reconnect with the lovely environment.
The “Covid 19” lockout left individuals feeling incredibly anxious and despondent.
For those seeking some balance in their lives, our group was an excellent entryway. We started combining our bike rides with gatherings at which people could exchange food and ideas, as well as with yoga and other activities.
We recently made a lot of new acquaintances, so we decided to go on a bike ride, Essaouira city to Agadir city with a bicycle and a car was an unexpected experience; we drove the car from Rabat to essaouira (roughly 300 miles), then cycled from essaouira to agadir while camping each day in a different beach village.
We were five people, three bicycles, and two driving the car for about 125 miles over the course of a week while enjoying the summer weather; it was wonderful.
When we return, our other friends became envious, so we decided to go on a weekend bike trip of around 70 miles (35miles each day) People who want to find some balance in their lives find a place in our community. By spreading this ecological mentality, we get a great deal of precious items. We encourage you to start riding, meet people, exchange information, and have fun in your city by doing the same.
Life is short … go swim too

By Youssef Bahannous

والزي البغدادي لم يقتصر على الصاية فقط بل هناك زي اخر يسمى الزبون والذي يماثل الصاية في شكله الا ان الزبون له اكمام طويلة ويعتبر من الملابس الشتوية للرجال ويرتدون فوقها الجاكيت او مايعرف بالسترة، ان الاختلاف بين الصاية والزبون هو ان الصاية تكون من دون اكمام وتكون في نهايتها فتحات تصل الى الركبة ويلبس معها حزام عريضمن نفس قماش الصاي، يفضل بعض الرجال لبس الصاية بدون سترة وذلك لتكون لباسهم اليومي اثناء العمل ولكن عند اداء الواجب الاجتماعي في الافراح والماتم يكونوا بكامل قيافتهم من الصاية والسترة والعباية المذهبة ء.

طريقة لبس الصاية تكون، لباس طويل داخلي مع قميص ومن ثم الصاية والحزام والسترة ( الجاكيت) ومن ثم العباءة .

أما في المناطق الشمالية من العراق فأن النساء تلبس الصاية والزبون ويضيفون عليها بعض الاقمشة البراقة والمذهبة والمطرزة بشكل براق بمواد تطريز تسمى الكلبدونوقد تغنى عدد من المطربين العراقيين بهذا الزي مثل اغنية قصري زبونج حتى الحجل يبان.

وقد تم تحديث هذهة الموديلات القديمة وجعلها تجمع بين الماضي والحاضر، ولا يقتصر هذا الامر على الصاية فقط بل جمعوا بين العباءة الرجالية والشماغلا والعقال والغترة معا لاظهار اصالتهم العراقية في الغربة, وبالرغم من تركهم لبلادهم الا انهم لم يتركوا عاداتهم وتراث اجدادهم وحضاراتهم , فالتراث يجمعنا بالامس والحاضر والمستقبل.

بقلم فضاء طارق علي

Each country has its own heritage, which is passed on through generations and eras, and fashion is considered an important part of this heritage, especially Al-Saya Al-Baghdadia, which is the outfit worn by the Baghdadis in particular, as it is considered one of the famous and circulated costumes in the past, as well as it is also known in a number of provinces such as Anbar, Salahuddin and others. They used to choose the finest types of English fabrics, and they were sewn by professional tailors, which makes the wearer the most beautiful and elegant image.

And the Baghdadi outfit was not limited to the suit only, but there is another outfit called Zubun, which is similar to Al Saya in its shape, except that the Zubun has long sleeves and is considered one of the winter clothes for men and they wear a jacket over it. The difference between the Al Saya and the Zubun is that the Saya without sleeves and is in Its end has openings that reach the knee, and a wide belt is worn with it from the same cloth as the saya. Some men prefer to wear the saya without a jacket, so that it is their daily dress during work, but when performing social duty like weddings and funerals, they like to be so sharp with Saya, jacket and golden abaya.

The way to wear a saya is, a long inner dress with a shirt, then a saya, belt, jacket (jacket), and then the abaya.

As for the northern regions of Iraq, women wear saya and zubun, and they add some bright, golden, and embroidered fabrics to them in a brilliant manner with embroidery materials called kalabdon.

These old models have been modernized and made to combine the past and the present, and this matter is not limited to the saya only, but they combined the men’s abaya, the shamagh, the headband and the ghutra together to show their Iraqi originality in exile, and although they left their country, they did not leave their customs and the heritage of their ancestors and their civilizations, as the heritage brings us together yesterday And the present and the future.

Written by Fadaa Tariq Ali