Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Haifa



Haifa Mount Carmel 1904 St. Elia Feast
Haifa general view 1890




Photograph, 1930, of the Bay of Acre [Akka, St. Jean d'Acre] on the Mediterranean Sea, and the mosque compound of al-Jazzar built on the site of ancient sanctuaries in the Medieval City. "Within the walls there still appear several ruins which seem to distinguish themselves from the general heaps, by marks of a great strength and magnificence. At first those of the Cathedral Church dedicated to St.-Andrew, which stands not far from the sea side. Secondly the Church of St. John the tutelar Saint of this City. Thirdly, the Convent of the Knights Hospitallers; a place whose remaining walls sufficiently testify its ancient strength." A Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, At Easter, A.D.1697.

Photograph from the 1930's,of the court -yard of the al-Jazzar Mosque in Acre,Palestine[Since 1948 in Israel].The mosque,built in the classical Ottoman style in 1781 by the Boshnaq, [ Bosnian Ottoman] ruler of the city,Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar[1775-1804],known for his cruelty[Jazzar=Butcher],who gained fame during Napoleon's failed Syrian campaign in 1799,and was able with the help of the British Navy to foil the French siege of his city.Mr.Farrah,a syrian jewish citizen of Damascus,served as his Secretary,or Prime Minister,and lost his eye as a punishment by his master.The mosque is a land-mark of the Medieval city of Acre,also known as Akka,Acca,Akko,and St.-Jean D'Acre,the Crusaders name of the city and their strong hold in the Holy-Land.,over looking the waters of the Mediterranean sea.





Baghdad

Photograph by German photographer, 1911, of Suq al-Ghazal (The Yarn Bazaar) Minaret in Baghdad-Mesopotamia. This is the oldest minaret in Baghdad. It belonged to the Caliph Mosque built by Caliph Muktafi 901-907 A.D. The mosque was destroyed by Hulagu in 1258 A.D. during the sack of the city of the Caliphs. The current minaret was built by Hulagu's son Abagha [1264-1281 A.D.]













A commercial Stereoscope of Iraqis sitting in a Mosul Cafe.













Baghdad's northern gate in 1917