The Mother Tongue 28 September, 2007
Posted by nousha in Arabic, Books, Famille, Thoughts.2 comments
عندما انتهي من قراءة كتابا فإنه لا يصبح مجموعة من الورق الملتصقة ببعض الصمغ في الطرف, و عليها قطرات من الحبر مسترسلة على سطور. تغدو تلك النقوش المبهمة عالما سحريا, أو بالأصح ثقب باب اتلصص به على كون خلق لي وحدي. و العجيب أن القصة التي كنت اقرأها للتو ليست أهم و لا أحلى الكتب التي قرأتها في الآونة الأخيرة, ولكنها تركت في نفسي انطباعات شتى, و ألقت الضوء على عدة أبواب أحب أن أطرقها يوما ما.
***
و الأعجب أني قررت التعليق هذه المرة باللغة العربية! فعندما بدأت أرتب أفكاري, وجدتني أتأمل و أعلق باللغة الانجليزية كالمعتاد, و لكني هذه المرة قررت أن أتوقف للحظة و استخدم العربية بدلا منها. و عندما بدأت أخط مرة أخرى بلغتي الأم جارفني إحساس الطفل الذي يحاول استعادة توازنه في خطواته الغير ثابتة. و وجدت نفسي لا أفكر في القصة التي أنهيتها للتو, بل وجدتني مستمتعة باسترجاع العربية الفصحى التي قاربت نسيان كتابة كلماتها و قواعدها الأساسية التي درستها مرارا في المدرسة.
أعتقد أن جزءا من قراري هذا يرجع لكتاب “بين الجزر و المد” لمي زيادة الذي تحدثت عنه في رسالة سابقة. فقد ناقشت مي “حياة اللغة و موتها” , “اللغة و الحضارة” , ثم اتبعت تلك الآراء بعض الدراسات المبسطة عن اللغة عند اليونان, اللاتين و عند العرب. و أنهت هذا الجزء بمقال عنوانه شدني للغاية: “لماذا تبقى العربية حية؟”. كما أفردت جزء كبير من الكتاب لمناقشة تطوير اللغة و دور المجمع اللغوي. (من الواضح أن هذا الموضوع كان شديد الحساسية في تلك الفترة)
و لكن مي ليست السبب الأساسي لإهتمامي مرة أخرى باللغة. فهناك قصة دارت في عائلتي متعلقة بهذا. حكت لي جدتي أن عمتها كانت تعرف عائلة جدي و رأت فيه الزوج المناسب لابنة أخيها , فحاولت أن تقرب بينهما. كان هذا في عام 1930 تقريبا , فلك أن تتخيل صعوبة الدور التي أرادت أن تلعبه خاصة أن جدي عاش فترة شبابه متنقلا بين عدة دول (سواء خلال دراسته الجامعية أو خلال عمله كدبلوماسي ), لذا لم يكن من محبي فكرة التقدم لخطبة فتاة لا يعرف عنها شئ. و في نفس الوقت كان والد جدتي صارم جدا بخصوص عدم السماح لرجل غريب أن يلتقي بابنته كي يقرر إذا كان يريد الارتباط بها أم لا. فقررت العمة أن تسرق صورة لجدتي كانت موجودة بالبيت كي تسمح لجدي بمعرفة ملامح العروسة المرتقبة. لكن جدي صمم أن تسرق شئ آخر أيضا: كراسة مادة اللغة العربية!!!
و هذا لأن تلك الكراسة كانت تحمل العديد الدلالات, سواء جودة الخط, رونق الكتابة, أسلوب التعبير, المستوى التعليمي و الثقافي… الخ,
لا عجب أن جدي قام بنسخ تلك الصورة كثيرا, و أن جدتي ظلت محتفظة ببعض كراسات المدرسة (لكني للأسف لم أجد كراسة العربي 
.
كلما أنظر إلى تلك الصورة, أتذكر هذه القصة. قد لا تكون شديدة الرومانسية في حد ذاتها, لكنها تلعب بالنسبة لي دور المنبه للعودة لللغة العربية, على الأقل حتى يصبح تعودي على الكتابة بها يعادل تعودي على اللغة الأجنبية!!!
عجبي
My Hennah 14 June, 2007
Posted by nousha in Art, Diary, Famille, Fun.7 comments
Yesterday we were celebrating a hennah night (with the theme: the cow girls of Mohamed Aly!), and I went for a small drawing on my right hand (above), I love it!
The scale 15 April, 2007
Posted by nousha in Culture, Famille, Islam, Life, Thoughts, Women.4 comments
In a scale from 1 to 10, five years ago I was only at step 1 while I should have been on step 3, so I jumped to step 5 in order to pull myself towards the life of my dreams, and this actually made me go to -a very strong- step 2, -a moderate- step 3 and -a shaky- step 4, and by time the latter one crumpled down to a great extent. So I found myself reluctantly in step 5, with a shaky base in step 4. This was why I decided to go to step 3 regardless of the voices of the people saying it is a step backward. Do I make sense?
Cherkessk 6 March, 2007
Posted by nousha in Cherkess, Famille.1 comment so far
What comes to your mind when you hear the word Cherkess / Circassian? I guess that most probably you’d say the delicious cherkassia dish of rice, chicken and walnut sauce (yum yum), or the mamluks, or the cherkess society that lived in Egypt for some time.
And because curiosity killed the cat, I decided to look for more info. So far I know that the cherkessian 19th century immigrants came from a city called Cherkessk, currently located in Karachay-Cherkessia (a federal subject of Russia). “The city was founded in 1804 as Batalpashinskaya, it was renamed Batalpashinsk in 1931, then Sulimov in 1934, then Yezhovo-Cherkessk in 1937, and finally Cherkessk in 1939“, here is its coordinates 44°13′N 42°03′E. (But I don’t know if the cherkess mamluks of the 13th century come from the same place or not).
What’s funny is that the Cherkess constitute approximately 11.3% (around 50 thousand) of the total population in Karachay-Cherkessia (around 440 thousand), while the Cherkess population constitute approximately 1% of Jordan’s 5.8 Million. So there are more Cherkess in Jordan than in the republic of Karachay-Cherkessia itself !!
Another thing I am not sure of is: why did they leave their country in this mass exodus? Some say that it was due to pressures from the Ottoman Empire, others say it was due to the mass massacres that followed the Russian-Circassian War, or maybe because they were muslims and the Russians were christians (so they wanted to live in muslim countries), maybe it was simply the more favorable conditions in the middle east (for example, in Egypt, the Khediv Ismail used to prefer Cherkess officers and gave them land, and slowly they formed an ‘elite’ society)…. Unfortunately I didn’t find an answer in my ancestor’s stuff, I will have to dig more.
References:
- Cherkessk (the city): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherkessk
- Cherkessia (the republic): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karachay-Cherkessia
- Cherkes (the ethnic group): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherkes
- Cherkess (people): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circassians
- Russian- Circassian war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian-Circassian_War
- Barkuk: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkuk
- History: http://www.circassianworld.com/Circassian_History.html
My Grandpa’s diary 12 February, 2007
Posted by nousha in Diary, Famille, History.2 comments
If I wanted to point out a single person as a role model, I would definitely choose my grandfather. He was a great man. And even though I didn’t have the chance to really spend time with him (he died when I was 5 years old), I feel his presence in his diaries, how people talk about him and from scarce memories of him pampering me.
I am definitely sure that if he had the chance to witness the internet, he would have been thrilled, and he would have had a regular blog too, he was very keen on recording his thoughts (my luck ) and putting commentaries on ‘current’ events, and occasionally writing some articles. He kept letters, newspaper clips, his father’s documents,,,, etc. Most of these documents are dated in the first half of the 20th century. I will try to document here some of his writings just for the records…
(Note: My grandpa was born in January 1900, so in the below passage he was 35 years old)
“Les grands changements de destine vous mettent toujours soudainement a l’épreuve sans vous laisser le temps de vous préparer.”
“قال مسلم عن عبد الملك: ما أخذت امرا قط بحزم فلمت نفسي فيه و ان كانت الباقية عليّ, و لا اخذت امرا بلا حزم إلا لمت نفسي عليه و إن كانت لي العاقبة.”
“L’homme supérieur se distingue de l’homme inférieur par son intrépidité et son défi au Malheur.” Nietzsche
Tuesday 1st January 1935 – Ankara
ها هو عام جديد قد بدأ و نحن بأنقرة التي انظر إليها فاجدها مغطاة بالثلوج لأول مرة هذه الشتائية. لقد قضينا ليلة أمس بالمكتب فلم نخرج و لم نحتفل بشئ لأن أيامنا كلها أعياد في نظرنا….
قال لي حسني لماذا لم تأخذ بنت عائلة فلان, كنت تكوّن (كوبل) ظريفا, و لم أرد بقليل أو بكثير, قال يظهر أنها تريد رجلا غنيا جدا جدا ليكفي مصاريفها مثل ش أو س….
Wednesday 2nd January 1935 – Ankara
أتممت الليلة كتابا عن حملة غاليبولي كتبه الجنرال Kannengieser باشا الضابط الألماني و قد كتبه دفاعا عن الجنرال فون ساندرس باشا و عن تصرفاته مدة حملة الدردنيل و فيه ذكر عزمي بك في الصفحة 195, كما فيه تحليل للغازي و أنور و طلعت و جمال و مملؤ بالحوادث و الظروف التي تبين المصاعب التي تعترض عقلية غربية في قيادتها لوسط شرقي فيه الإتكال و الخمول و البيروقراطية و التردد و التواكل و ترك المجهود في وسط الطريق. ما أشبه هذه المصاعب بما كنت ألاقيه من خمود الحالة و هرب المستخدم و ضعف الفلاح و اتفاقه على ال résistance passive و ترك المجهود و الفرار من إتمام العمل و المسئولية في وسط الطريق.
“The Battle of Gallipoli (Dardanelles Campaign) took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to January 1916 during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in an effort to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul). The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides but it was a valuable lesson to both sides and they learned from the confrontation.
إنا لله و إنا إليه راجعون 5 January, 2007
Posted by nousha in Famille.7 comments
Did u feel being on an auto pilot mode? This is exactly how i felt during the past few days, I tried to recall what happened exactly, but my mind goes blank sometimes. My aunt has died, she was tired, but this was not expected at all (duh ! what can be expected aslan in life?). My grandmother is heart broken, but she is a very brave and strong woman (i should write another post just for this amazing woman). We are all missing her. Pray for her.
أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ . حَتَّى زُرْتُمُ الْمَقَابِرَ . كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ . ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ . كَلَّا لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عِلْمَ الْيَقِينِ . لَتَرَوُنَّ الْجَحِيمَ . ثُمَّ لَتَرَوُنَّهَا عَيْنَ الْيَقِينِ . ثُمَّ لَتُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ النَّعِيم .
“The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you, until you visit the graves (i.e. till you die). Nay! You shall come to know! Again, Nay! You shall come to know! Na! If you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of piling up, you would not have occupied yourselves in worldly things). Verily, You shall see the blazing fire (Hell)! And again, you shall see it with certainty of sight! Then, on that Day, you shall be asked about the delight (you indulged in, in this world)!”
Cherkess in Egypt 12 December, 2006
Posted by nousha in Cherkess, Egypt, Famille, History.2 comments
About Circassian history:
In the 12th and 13th centuries, there was a thriving trade in Adyge slaves on the slave markets of Middle Eastern countries, especially Egypt, where sultans acquired them as additions to their Mameluke guard. The influx of slaves allowed one of the Adyge, Al-Malik-az-Zakhir Barkuk al Cherkesi, to seize power in Egypt and found the Circassian dynasty of Mamelukes, which ruled Egypt and Syria from 1382 to 1517. The Mamelukes finally disappeared from the Middle Eastern political arena in 1811. The Circassian Mamelukes left a significant imprint on the history and culture of Egypt, Syria, and the entire Middle East. They repelled invasions of Crusaders, halted the onslaught of the conqueror Tamerlane, and greatly extended the boundaries of the Mameluke state. During the period of Circassian rule, architecture progressed significantly; irrigation systems were built; and poets, musicians, philosophers, and historians enjoyed special patronage.
The below picture is taken in the mosque of el Sultan Barkuk, I don’t know if this sultan is the same El Malik El Zakhir Barkuk El Sharkassi…
By this post I wanted to differentiate between the Cherkess era in Egypt (ayam el mamalik in the 15th century), and the mass migrations that reached Middle East (including Egypt) following the end of the Caucasian War in the 19th century.
Some sources applauded them by saying that “During the period of Circassian rule, architecture progressed significantly; irrigation systems were built; and poets, musicians, philosophers, and historians enjoyed special patronage”, but others said that “ The period of their rule is said to have been the darkest points in Egyptian history. Even from the beginning of Barkuq, who was the first Burgi Mameluke, Cairo began to be like a dog eat dog world.”
If you have circassian origins and / or have more info about them, please let me know. I would love to hear about it.
Protected: Last friday 18 November, 2006
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Janbek story 18 November, 2006
Posted by nousha in Famille.28 comments
I posted this on SS forum few months ago, I think that I should put here too…
My story begins in North Caucasus; Aly Ramzy Janbek was living in a village called Hattu Chukway near the Great Zelencuke River and the city of Cherkessk (check the attached map). In September 1868, he decided to go to Mecca along with his father for the Muslim pilgrimage. On their way back home, they passed by Egypt and had the privilege of meeting Khedive Ismail.
Caucasians were famous for their fighting capabilities and they had always a special treatment in the armies. So the Khedive advised the young man to enter the military academy. At that time, the Caucasian war had ended and many Caucasians were fleeing from their homeland to Turkey and the Middle East. So it was no surprise that young Aly accepted the Khedive’s proposal.
Time passed by, Aly Ramzy moved from the army to the Khedivial guards. After the British occupation in 1882 and due to the militarily layoffs, he was transferred to the ministry of interior in the Sharkeya province where he was residing.
This was the chronicle of my family’s origin. My grandfather has kept contact with some of his cousins who lived in Jordan, but unfortunately it gradually diminished. I also found a website about Janbek in Turkey, I tried to contact the author but in vain. I am not Alex Haley searching for a Konta Kenti story , but I can’t deny that it is one of my dreams to visit my great grand father’s homeland or to contact some distant family members (maybe one day someone will hit the search bottom and find this post!).
Thanks Mabrouk for encouraging me to write this post, you made me sit with my father and document the details of my ancestor’s life. And isa I will follow up with more on the ciracassian history, traditions and photos. We may even get the chance to know more about their presence in Egypt (either in the modern era or the mamluks era). If anyone has more info in this regard or is a descendant from a circassian family, please share with us your story.
regards,
Protected: Gezira Club – Ramadan 16 November, 2006
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