"Editor's note"
After the terrorist attack in Paris, France, and Russia and the United States and other countries are in Syria to carry out military operations against extremist armed "Islamic countries" (IS). Recently, Turkey Syria border shooting down Russia planes, so that the original concerns Syria again becomes the focus of international news.
Syria area clashed frequently, have their roots in history? Middle East Institute Director Huang minxing of Northwest University professor Wen tells "greater Syria" turbulent history. Article topic of the Syria's history of religious conflict, headings and sub-headings are drawn up by the editor.
"Greater Syria" the unique geographical: the forefront of the opposition between East and West in ancient times Forbidden city and out of the APP which invite
"Greater Syria" means the day East Eastern Mediterranean country and region is coastal, including Syria and the Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Jordan, in Arabic as "Sam". From the geographical point of view, Syria is located in Asia minor and the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq, and Egypt, and sea routes to Europe and North Africa, is of vital strategic importance. The region's terrain is relatively flat, but the terrain is diverse, including Plains, mountains, rivers, lakes, deserts, etc.
Syria around the map
Syria in history has been a corridor of migrations and cultural exchanges, while living in the majority here share a common culture and a similar level of economic development. The region at the forefront of Eurasian civilizations colliding and merging. In history, there used to be ancient Greece and Roman areas, confrontation is the rest of the Persian Empire with the Roman Empire, the old opposition between East and West front. Syria is the world's three major monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) began. With the formation of Christianity, which spread widely in the Near East and the Mediterranean region, and became the State religion of the Roman Empire. After the split of the Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire the Byzantine Empire controlled Syria area.
Diverse terrain and frequent ethnic migration and cultural exchanges to create today Syria social diversity. Ethnically, there are Arabs, Jews, Kurds, Armenia people, Turkey people, qieerkesiren, Armenia and Turkmenistan. In religion, such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, including Sunni, Shiite and Druze sects, Christianity is divided into Maronites, Greece-Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenia Orthodox factions.
Early 7th century AD, Islam from the Arabian Peninsula has changed with the rise of the region's geopolitical landscape. Starting from this period to the mid-20th century, Syria has been a Christian nation with four major conflicts in Islamic countries.
Christian VS. Islam: delays for more than 1000 years of strife
First big conflict is the new conflict between Islamic and Byzantine. After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, in 633 autumn, with "sword of Allah" famous Khalid led Sheila Kingdom captured the Byzantine border and 635 September seize Damascus. 636 in August, yeermuke defeated thanks to the zhantingjun, Arab forces go after reaching Syria Tao Lusi mountains along the border. 638, religious Holy City surrendered. At this point, the greater Syria area fully controlled by the Arabs. Since then, the Caliph Uthman appointed cousin Muawiya as Syria Governor appointed milk brother Abdullah to Egypt the Governor, the two created the Arab Navy. 655, Egypt and Syria combined fleet defeated the Byzantine fleet, this is the famous "battle of the masts".
Conquest of Syria, Arab armies received the support of the local population. Because many of the local people always see Christianity as foreign religions, while Syria's Christian churches as "heresy" long suffered from repression of the Byzantine Church; in addition, the Byzantine's heavy tax burden. Therefore, Arabs assign a policy of religious tolerance and thin is very popular. More Iraq people, Syria and the Palestinians and of Arabs in the peninsula has a long history. Islamic victory over the Byzantine war greatly reduced the Christianity in West Asia North Africa site, that mainly serve Europe religions. But until today, Lebanon and Syria are still Christians in the Arab world's largest country.
Since the rise of Islamic civilization, Islamic countries in the Middle East wars with the European Christian countries. Initially is the former an advantage, which is reflected in the Arab attack on the Byzantine Empire, and later to Spain, Sicily and Asia minor on the occupation. However, starting from the 11th century, is beginning to strengthen Christian States began a counter-offensive, which opened the region's Christian country and Islam's second major conflict: Crusades and the struggles against the Crusaders.
Crusader East map
In November 1095, Pope Urban II in France g Le Mans religion Conference, called upon the participants to end feudal infighting, to the East and the "infidel" fight back "Holy Sepulchre", save the "holy places" in Jerusalem. He claimed that participants in the expedition may be exempt from sin, enjoy the happiness of heaven, while the East is rich in Trophy awaits them. Pope to stir the enthusiasm of many feudal lords and peasants, as combatant's clothing are decorated with the Red Cross, it said "the crusade". Among Knights and feudal lords, its members, including pilgrims, escaped slaves, merchants, adventurers and criminals. Venice, Genoa and Pisa, Italy business cities provide the Crusaders with a ships, supplies, and weapons.
In 1096, the Crusades began for the first time, attended by French and German feudal lords and Knights at about 150,000 people. June 1098, the Crusaders occupied Syria Antioch July 1099, the occupation of Jerusalem. Does not distinguish between the Crusaders in both of age, creed or sex massacre and looting. Since then, the area established several independent feudal States in Europe: the Kingdom of Jerusalem, including Palestine and Syria South nominally belonging to Jerusalem Antiochus the Duchy and the County of Tripoli and aidesabo countries.
Local Muslims under the monarch and the people to revolt, failure of the first crusades in 1144. Since European countries have organized a second (1147-1149) and third (1189-1192), fourth (1202-1204), fifth (1217-1221), sixth (1228-1229), seventh (1248-1254), eighth (1270) crusade crusade but failed. Zhihou, Muslim armies began to gradually recover. Egypt army occupied acre in 1291 the Mamluk dynasty, the city of the temple knights were killed. That same year, tyre, Sidon, Beirut, Lebanon city was recaptured, crusade came to an end.
In the battle against the Crusaders, originated in Iraq praised JI dynasty of Mosul against one of the main. In 1146, Nur al-Din inherited like JI to the throne, and moved to Aleppo. In 1169, General Sircu under Nur ad-Din's nephew Saladin (1138-1193) as Egypt the Fatimid dynasty of Prime Ministers, so as to establish a new Centre against the Crusaders. In 1171, Saladin overthrow of the Fatimid dynasty, established the Sunni Ayyubid dynasty. In 1174, Nur ad-Din's death, Saladin took the opportunity to declare independence, this dynasty has controlled the whole of Syria.
Crusades period is the era of Division and turmoil in the Muslim world in the Middle East, followed by invading (Mongolia). Before this period of the Seljuk Empire, Oguz Turks from Central Asia began moving xiaoya and adjacent areas. The end of 13th century, succeeded by his Chief aosimanyishi, the State began to grow up, his name following his name of the Turkic tribes. The Ottoman State marked by the rise of Christianity in the region States the beginning of the third great conflict with Islamic countries.
After the beginning of the 14th century, strong Turkey troops stormed to the Byzantine Empire. In May 1453, the Ottoman army occupied Constantinople. During the war, the Ottomans established a powerful garrison (jianishali), with the elite cavalry and artillery, naval and military ventures, became a nightmare for Europe. In 1499, the Ottoman Navy defeated the Venetian fleet, was firmly established in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea hegemony. In August 1521, sulaimandadi led the Ottoman army captured the Balkan fortress of Belgrade. In September 1526, he was a bloodless occupation of Hungary the capital Buda. In 1529 and 1532, Suleiman twice into Vienna, Austria Habsburg ruler Ferdinand Archduke was forced to concede defeat to the Ottoman Empire was held, gave up Hungary. In 1574, the Ottomans had conquered the Balkans, Egypt, and Oman, and Yemen and in addition Morocco outside the entire Maghreb, has established a vast Empire across three continents Europe, Asia and Africa, to a large degree of unity in the Islamic world. And, with the help of imperial rule, Islam spread to the Balkans and Cyprus. As in the Balkans and the Black Sea territory, Ottoman with a powerful military force with the Austria Habsburg, Russia, Poland and France are frequent wars and foreign contacts, become involved in European Affairs, important country.
Turkey Istanbul Hagia Sophia Church in the Byzantine Empire was Christian Church, after the occupation of the Ottoman Empire, will be converted into mosques. Above, the Minaret (Brick Minaret), located in the 4 corners of the mosque, is one of the evidence of the Hagia Sophia was transformed into a mosque.
However, starting from the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire gradually decline, and has lost the entire North Africa, Arab region only remains within the Empire in Western Asia. In this context, to intellectuals as the main secular nationalist ideology began to form in the West Asia region, namely, Arab nationalism, whose center is Syria and Lebanon. Advanced is the core idea of a unified Arab nationalism under Ottoman rule of the Arab region.
During the first world war, involved in the war and the final collapse of the Ottoman Empire, led to Britain and France divided up the Ottoman Arab territories and its former colonial rule generally established in Western Asia, France in the form of mandates to Syria and Lebanon as its colony, Palestinian United Kingdom mandate, United Kingdom allow European Jewish immigrants and the establishment of the "national home" and later from Palestine to draw outside Jordan. France and Britain established colonial rule marks the Christian countries of Europe's imperialist-controlled Syria, and the region's Christian and Islamic countries in the fourth major conflict, Arab nationalist dream of unified Crescent to declare bankruptcy.
This conflicts with the Arab region's independence came to an end. After World War one, Syria around the outbreak of mass uprising against colonialism, such as Syria and Lebanon's uprising against law (1925), the Palestinian uprisings against colonial authorities and Jewish settlers (1936). The colonial authorities had to make concessions, as France agreed with Syria and Lebanon of nationalist political parties participate in the parliamentary elections and the formation of an autonomous Government, United Kingdom is set up outside Jordan Emirate and appointing ethnic family of King Abdullah. Before the end of the second world war, Syria, and Lebanon declared independence, Britain and France for Syria's colonial rule came to an end. However, the Palestinian opposition and the implementation of divide and conquer, o, established the State of Israel, and proposed a Palestinian State cannot be established because of the internal problems of the Arab community.
Palestinian areas after the second world war maps from the Internet
Islam and the Western world, why the enemies of the Millennium?
In fact, the above four major has a complicated historical and social background to the conflict, is not at all a religious conflict.
First, the conflict between the two religions during the rise of Islam is the Byzantine Empire (Persian Empire) long tried to control the Arabian Peninsula and outcome of the conflict with the Arabs, and also associated with evolution within Arab society.
Background of the second great conflict is more complex. West Asia has always been an important transit point for trading Silk Road trade between East and West, while the Europeans believe Arab monopoly on transit trade greatly increased the costs of international trade, they want war weakened the Arab position. That is why the former Italy business cities provided large sums of money and other help for Crusaders. Participation in the invasion of Europe at all levels of society, and in fact has its own interests. At the fourth crusades period, invaders from Europe and even attacking Constantinople with Christian, after the capture of the city burning, killing, robbery for as long as three days!
Third great conflict reflects the Eastern Mediterranean countries bordering the Eastern deep geopolitical conflict. For the time being, in Western Europe the Catholic France is not to give a helping hand to Central European countries, jointly with the Ottomans against Austria.
Fourth largest conflict was colonial expansion, geopolitics, nationalism, Interweave the various factors results, geopolitics involves the United Kingdom guaranteed Egypt and the road to India's maritime security considerations, and nationalist conflicts involving Arab nationalism and Zionism.
But Needless to say, these conflicts are, after all, a religious color, which has a long-term effect. United States scholars in economic and social history of the middle ages, Thompson points out in his book, crusades are "European countries to expand outside Europe for the first time, Europeans in foreign lands and foreign people in the earliest colonial experiment". American Lebanon Hitti in his writing of scholars wrote in a brief history of the Arab invaders to Syria brought suffering and material losses: "Syria, wherever they play, where they left desolation and ruins". French Lebanon scholar Amin·maluofu in the eyes of the Arab people of the crusades in the book summarizes the far-reaching historical impact of this war: "the looting of Jerusalem, Islamic and the Western world is the Millennium beginning knot of hatred."
In the eyes of the Arab people's crusade
Syria intricate history also had a major impact on international relations in the region. Lebanon is a predominantly Christian country, Syria politicians in history, Lebanon has attached to Syria which stands for reunification of the two countries, Syria Government often intervention in Lebanon. Jordan because it is from the Palestinian split, resulting in a close relationship between the parties. In the first Middle East war, Jordan occupied the Palestinian areas in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and in Israel after the occupation of the West Bank still retains administrative control over the region for a long time. As regards the long-term contradiction and conflict between Israel and Palestine, much more is known.
Syria turbulent history has left a heavy legacy to the world. Today Syria territory that made the smoke, and the roar of warplanes and the wailing of the women and children, we seem to hear the distant echo of history.
No comments:
Post a Comment