HOORAY, HOORAY, AMERICA IS GAY

Apparently, in the name of freedom and liberty, there is boundless limit to the individual or society can delve on what supposedly harmless lifestyle or pleasure demands. Sodom and Gomorah was just an episode in ancient time.

TAJ MAHAL, TOMBS, DOMES AND MAUSOLEUMS

The Wahabi Sunni sect of Saudi Arabia is dead against elaborated tombs and mausoleums. Such structures are deemed bida'ah and wars had been waged to wipe out such. Their burial places are simple maqams or none at all. Among others, they have even destroyed remnants of supposedly the Prophet's house located of a hill slope near Masjidil Haram. They do not want worshippers to revere blindly sacred places. What historical and tangible artefacts are left to see and appreciate during pilgrimage?

The great Chahar Bagh of Isfahan, Iran.

The domed Mausoleum of Uljaitu in Sultaniyah, Iran, exemplifies the new tomb style introduced by Iran's Mongol rulers in the early 14th century.

Gur-o Amir (mausoleum of Timur), Samarkand, 1405.

Tomb of Humayun at Delhi, red sandstone and marble, c. AD 1564.

The Taj Mahal at AGra, built by Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, 1632-49: marble mausoleum, with formal garden.

Gol Gumbaz, the tomb of Sultan Muhammad Adil Shah, one of the most notable mausoleums of all time, located in Bijapur, western India. Built between 1626 and 1656, the structure has four corner towers and a dome 45m (142ft) in diameter and nearly 61m (200ft) high.

Groups of tombs formed cemeteries, which are still a conspicuous part of Islamic towns. Below: three tombs of the Southern cemetery outside Cairo - dating respectively from 756/1331, 910/1504 and 834/1430.

The Sanusi Movement. After making the pilgrimage to Mecca, a Berber leader named Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi decided that Islam needed strengthening against the persuasive attractions of the Western world. He opened a series of religous lodges. The first was in Mecca, and another in Libya. By 1867 there were 50 lodges in Cyrenaica, Libya. The aim of the Sanusi Muslims was to live pious lives and purify their faith. In due course, this brotherhood of stern-minded Arabs made highly effective warriors against the Italians.

The Sanusi sect became the backbone of Libyan resistance. This was the time of the legendary Sanusi hero, Umar al-Mukhtar, a simple country schoolteacher who led the Libyan resistance. Leading a force of nomadic fighters that grow to 6,000 people, Umar led intermittent attacks on Italian communications and supply lines for nearly 20 years. In September 1931, he was wounded and captured in the Green Mountains and subsequently hanged before a crowd of 20,000 sad Libyans. (His tomb is shown below). During World War II, many Sanusis fled to Egypt and joined the Allied forces to continue the fight against the Italians.

Mausoleum of a famous religous personality, Lattakia, Syria.

KA'ABAH (BAITULLAH) - A GATEWAY TO SYURGA

Allah is most benevolent. There are many gateways to paradise. To follow the Quran is most fundamental. All manner of jihad and doing good deeds are demanded of each Muslim. All pray towards the direction of Ka'abah (Baitullah) and thus it is the focus of all foci.

MASJID OMAR (DOME OF THE ROCK/QUBBAH AL-SHAHRAKH)

The Dome of the Rock also known as Omar's Mosque; Kubah Batu in Malay. It was built by Caliphate Omar in 640. The Dome tends to be confused with Al-Aqsa Mosque which is a different structure also located in the Al-Haram Al-Shariff area.

Jews praying at the Wailing Wall supposedly remnant of Solomon's Temple.

Close-up of Qubbah Al-Shahrakh.

Inside the Mosque. Under the rock there is a cave called Bi'r Al-Arwah where there are space for a small number of prayers.

Feast for the eyes. Picturesque markets brightens the streets of the Old City between the Damascus Gate and the Mosque of Omar.

MASJID AL-AQSA

Keseluruhan kawasan Al-Aqsa yang disebut dalam Quran kini dikenali sebagai Al-Haram Al-Shariff.  Dikawasan tersebut merangkumi Masjid Al-Aqsa, Kubah Batu (Qubbah Al-Shakrakh, Dome of the Rock), Kubah Rantai (Qubbah Al-Salsilah, Dome of the Chain), Qubbah Mihrab An Nabi, Qubbah Al-Mi'raj,  Mushalla Marwan, Muzium Islam. 

Masjid Al-Aqsa yang ada pada hari mula dibangunkan oleh Khalifah Abdul Malik bin Marwan Al-Umawi pada tahun 66H dan siap pada tahun 73H. 

Banyak kekeliruan berlaku bila Kubah Batu diertikan atau disamakan dengan Masjid Al-Aqsa.

Mimbar Masjid Al-Aqsa yang dibuat oleh Nordin Mahmud bin Zinky diletakkan dalam Masjid Aloppo (sic). Kemudian dipindahkan ke Masjid Al-Aqsa oleh Salahuddin Al-Ayubby setelah beliau menawan Baitul-Muqaddis.

Fire at El-Aksa Mosque. The flames that gutted the silver-domed mosque in Jerusalem on August 21 brought cries from the Arab world for a holy war against Israel. Within a week Israeli police arrested Dennis Michael Rohan, a Christian religous zealot from Australia.

Kawasan Kubah Rantai (Qubbah Alsalsilah, Dome of the Chain) - gambar puluhan tahun dulu.

ANGAN MELAKA LADANG KURMA

Pokok kurma memang asalnya di padang pasir kering kuntang di kawasan Timur Tengah kemudiannya  merebak merata tempat melalui  pertanian tamadun manusia. 

Kurma menjadi tumbuhan utama di lembah wadi atau oasis memberi perlindungan dan makanan kapada pedagang atau yang bermastautin.

Buah kurma yang baru dipetik dan dipasarkan (Lebanon).

Pokok kurma sarat dengan tandan2 buah.

Pokok kurma digunakan untuk lanskap tepi jalan besar (Saudi Arabia).

Tanaman kurma secara komersial menggunakan peparitan air (USA).

USA telah menubuhkan pusat penyelidikan kurma di Indio, California semenjak tahun 30an. Baka2 terbaik dikumpul dari merata tempat terutama dari Timur Tengah dan mereka menghasilkan baka baru termasuk melalui tisu didik. Kini terdapat kurma USA dalam pasar antarabangsa.

Di Malaysia terdapat pokok2 kurma ditanam sebagai pokok hiasan biasanya dikawasan masjid. Pokok kurma ada jantan dan betina dan bila ditanam sepokok-dua ia tidak berbuah kerana tiada persenyawaan. Pernah pokok kurma di Baling dan Muar misalnya berbuah. 

Terdapat kawasan kering berpanjangan 3-4 bulan dan tanah berpasir seperti di Perlis dan Melaka difikirkan sesuai. Jabatan Pertanian Melaka menyatakan untuk menubuhkan kebun kurma. Beberapa perkara perlu diberi perhatian:

i. Pokok kurma makan masa panjang untuk berbuah, 10-12 tahun.

ii. Mengguna baka yang tidak terpilih, hasilnya rendah dan kurang kualiti. Dari mana hendak dapatkan baka terbaik?

iii. Benih dari biji yang ditanam tidak tentu berbuah dalam iklim mikro tempatan. 

iv. Untuk menggunakan tanah sepenuhnya sementara kurma berhasil perlu ada tanaman selingan yang menguntungkan.

v. Buah kurma mudah dapat dalam pasaran di Malaysia. Berbagai jenis kurma import dari banyak negara.

vi. Pokok kurma sesuai untuk landskap terutama dalam kawasn masjid, pejabat kerajaan, tepi jalan raya dalam bandar.

Untuk makluman SAVE ada benih kurma dari semaian biji - tidak banyak.