11-22-2012, 02:55 AM
Herodotus said they were conscripts, serving two year terms, and replaced regularly. After all, if they were building a monument for their deity, a short missionary venture shouldn't be a hardship.
Quote:Modern Egyptians may not prove as docile as ancient peasants. They may need encouragement. Besides, what foreman , given the opportunity, could resist the temptation to stand atop the block, snapping 20-ft. bullwhip over the laboring, sweating multitude, hauling on the ropes?
Quote:The Sphinx I can understand, as it is a representation of something,
Quote:I'm curious about how he interprets a tomb as an "idol". The Sphinx I can understand, as it is a representation of something, whereas a pyramid is a geometrical object that once contained a king's corpse. Of course, according to him, "idol" may just mean "anything un-Islamic," which would include most of the world's man-made objects.According to the Salafists, tombs are idols due to visitors leaving offerings, like flowers on a grave. Despite outrage from other Muslims, the Salafists destroyed the grave of the Prophet Muhammad's mother. Historical sites and even possibly items are also seen as idolatrous by them, due to tourism, so Salafists wouldn't have an issue tearing down the Tower of London, for instance.
Quote: they never needed to learn to coexist with the heritage of other (high) cultures.Because there weren't any.
Quote:Does Saudi Arabia, the country of origin of Salafism, have anything in the way of pre-Islamic or "Un-Islamic" architecture? I don't think so. It makes you wonder how much Salafism as an ideology was shaped by the specific conditions prevailing in Saudi Arabia; there, they never needed to learn to coexist with the heritage of other (high) cultures.The Arabian peninsula is dotted with pre-Islamic architecture, but most is covered by sand, due to neglect, and archaeology isn't as developed as in the surrounding areas.
Quote:Cultural kick-off
But the Saudi royal family has embraced the discoveries in the Arabian Peninsula and is vigorously promoting further research. And far from causing religious conflict, says Prince Sultan bin Salman, the ancient artefacts offer a new way of viewing Islam.
"Islam did not cancel the great civilisations of Arabia," he says.
"Islam came as a very proud religion, but it identified these ancient civilisations and did not demean them. We would be doing a disservice to Islam if we thought Islam came to a void, to a clean sheet of paper, to a people who had nothing else."
Prince Sultan is the president of the Saudi commission for tourism and antiquities. He hopes that interest in the past will encourage tourism in the future. He also wants Saudis themselves - especially young people - to better understand their heritage.
"This is a complete revolution in Saudi Arabia when it comes to elevating the culture and the history of the country to the level it deserves," he says.
"Within the next three years, Saudis will wake up to knowledge about their own country that has been missing throughout their lives."
Several new museums are being planned with "big budgets" according to the prince, and international teams of archaeologists are working alongside Saudi scientists and historians. But Prince Sultan says his country wants to maintain control over its own heritage.
"We didn't want to hand over our country to teams from all over the world without us being in the middle of the finding and discovering of Saudi Arabia. But we are now ready. The time is right," he says.
Quote:Does Saudi Arabia, the country of origin of Salafism, have anything in the way of pre-Islamic or "Un-Islamic" architecture? I don't think so. It makes you wonder how much Salafism as an ideology was shaped by the specific conditions prevailing in Saudi Arabia; there, they never needed to learn to coexist with the heritage of other (high) cultures.