The ancient Greek poet Sappho was born on the island of Lesbos around 620 BCE, probably to an aristocratic family. She was highly admired in antiquity and the library at Alexandria held nine volumes of her work. Only a fraction of her total body of work remains today, mostly in fragments.
EVENING
Children astray to their mothers, and goats to the herd,
Sheep to the shepherd, through twilight the wings of the bird,
All things that morning has scattered with fingers of gold,
All things thou bringest, O Evening! at last to the fold.
MOONLIGHT
The stars around the fair moon fade
Against the night,
When gazing full she fills the glade
And spreads the seas with silvery light.
The fresco pictured above is one of nearly 50 vivid biblical scenes that wrap the interior walls, domes and vaults of the Chora Museum (originally a church, then a mosque) in the largest city of our mystery country. The existing 11th-century structure was built on the remains of a 4th-century Byzantine church. When the original church was built, it was outside the city walls, hence the name Chora, which means “country” in ancient Greek. Most of the frescos and mosaics are from the 14th century. After the Ottoman conquest, the church was converted to a mosque and the figurative art, not allowed in Islam, was covered in plaster. Restoration of the mosaics and frescos began in the 1940s.
Established in 1967, Caritas Jordan is a branch of the Catholic charity, Caritas International, which first began serving the poor in 1897 and operates today from 200 locations worldwide.
The mission of Caritas Jordan is to provide food, shelter and health care to anyone in need, including Jordanian nationals, refugees, and migrant workers; to facilitate self-sufficiency by connecting those in need with opportunities of work, education, vocational training and micro-credit; and to engage Jordanian society at large with the personal and community rewards of volunteerism.
Since 2011, Caritas Jordan has worked to ease the plight of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, mainly in Mafraq in northern Jordan, about an hour’s drive northeast of Amman. The Zaatari camp, about 6 miles outside of Mafraq, is home to over 80,000 refugees. Every day Caritas staff and volunteers distribute basic necessities – food, clothes, heaters, mattresses, blankets, sheets, towels, toiletries, hygiene items and school supplies – to residents of the camp.
In 2014, with the help of over 2,000 volunteers, Caritas Jordan served some 450,000 people.
For interested travelers to Jordan, Ya’lla Tours will arrange volunteer activities with Caritas Jordan.
November 2015 – Ya’lla Tours president Ronen Paldi (left) at Caritas Jordan headquarters in Amman with Caritas Jordan General Director Mr. Wael V. Suleiman (center) and Ya’lla’s partner in Jordan Mr. Jack Farraj
Falconry is a centuries-old tradition in our mystery city, and in the wider region. Trained falcons are used to hunt small animals for their keepers. Today it’s a popular sport but some Bedouins still use falcons to put food on the table. Pampered falcons visit the renowned falcon hospital in our mystery city for a check-up and a bit of grooming. Tourists are welcome to visit the falcon hospital.
This ceremonial palace of the ruler of our mystery country is located in the national capital, Muscat, located on the northern coast. When he came to power in 1970, the current ruler, Sultan Qaboos, introduced transformative economic and social programs. Today, the country is prosperous, politically stable and socially liberal, relative to its neighbors.
Alcyone, daughter of the keeper of the Wind, was married to Ceyx, son of the morning star. They were very much in love and totally devoted to each other, yet Alcyone’s love was powerless to relieve the suffering of her husband over the loss of his brother.
Even from the depths of despair, Ceyx knew it was time to get on with his life and he thought his best hope was a consultation with the oracle of Apollo at Claros. This required a sea journey, which, being daughter of the Wind, Alcyone knew to be perilous, especially in Winter, which it was. She pleaded with her husband not to go to no avail. Continue reading →
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