THE BLESSED TREE OF SAFAWI, The Blue Mosque, The Roman Theater, The Amman Citadel.

The Holy Land (Ardh al-Anbia)

(Part 2 of 5)

The Blessed Tree Of Safawi,

The Blue Mosque,

The Roman Theater,

The Citadel of Amman

(M. Javed Naseem)

(The Blessed Tree of Safawi where Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w., took shelter on his way to Syria.)

In ancient times, Jordan was part of the original Palestine – the Holy Land; the Land of the Prophets. During that period of time and history, today’s countries of Jordan and Lebanon did not exist. It was all Syria in the north; Palestine in the middle; Iraq and Persia (Iran) in the east; and Egypt in the south. Hijaz and Yemen formed the south-east. The west was occupied by the Mediterranean Sea. The north part of Syria and Turkey were under Byzantine Empire.

Emergence of Islam changed the course of history. The Byzantine and the Romans were forced to leave Middle East that eventually became entirely Muslim. But the ruins of those empires are still scattered all over Middle East. Ruined Elfi theaters and big Roman columns still decorate the landscape in countries like Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Arabia, Iraq, etc. Today’s Jordan has common borders with Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Amman is the capital of today’s Jordan, ruled by the Hashemite family. In the historic past, Amman was called Philadelphia. It is famous for many of its landmarks and historical monuments. Except for the desert, Amman is constructed on a hilly area – miles and miles of ups and downs – difficult to drive but more difficult to walk on foot. Actually, the whole country is hilly and mountainous.

In the second week of October 2019, Jordan’s King Abdullah and the visiting Head of Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, inaugurated the Visitors Centre at the site of the Blessed Tree in Safawi, where Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, rested on his way to Syria. The Prophet (s.a.w.) was in a trade caravan, in the company of his uncle Abu Taalib. He rested under this tree, taking shelter from the scorching heat of sun. At this point, a well-known Christian monk Bahira also met him and saw how the tree was protecting the young man (Muhammad, s.a.w.) with its thick shade and fanning cool breeze with its leaves. Bahira observed the situation with interest and  predicted that the young man (Mohammad, s.a.w.) would become a Prophet of Allah one day. Eventually, Bahira's prediction came true and at the age of 40, Mohammad (s.a.w.) declared his Prophethood. The Blessed Tree, estimated to be 1,500 years old, is a religious and historical site in Jordan.

 

The miraculous thing about the tree is that for miles and miles around, there is no other tree in sight in that desert. There is also no water. But the holy tree has always a small pond of water on one side. During spring and summer times, the tree shows its real volume when it is covered with fresh green leaves. It provides shade to a huge area of ground where a whole caravan can take rest. The tree has also been given the title of the “Living Companion (Sahabi) of the Prophet”.

(Jordan’s King Abdullah and Head of Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, inaugurating the visitor centre at the site of the Blessed Tree in Safawi, where Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.), rested on his way to Syria (Photo Royal Court/Jordan Times))

King Abdullah gave the head of the Chechen Republic a tour of the pond adjacent to the site of the Blessed Tree. Because of that event, the Blessed Tree site also got an asphalt road access. Before that, there was only rough rocky and dirt pavement leading to the site. Thank you Mr. Kadyrov for helping the visitors with an asphalt road!

The film “The Blessed Tree”

A film has also been produced depicting the story of the tree and the meeting of the two religions (Christianity and Islam) – a Christian monk Bahira met Prophet Mohammad at this site under the same tree, and predicted of his prophethood.

Most of the visitors don’t know about this holy and historic site. It’s more than 150km towards east from the capital Amman city, close to the border of Iraq. It takes about two hours drive from Amman. The round trip can take more than 4 hours (a half day). The visitors need to take the road to the city of Sahab; then to al-Azraq and from there (about 13km) to Safawi. The signs have been posted.

(The Cave of the Seven Sleepers, between Amman and Sahab city.)

The visitors can also take advantage of the vicinity of Sahab city to go to the famous Cave of the Seven Sleepers or the site of Ass-hab al-Kahf (picture above).

Amman Citadel (Amman Fort/Qalaa)

The Temple of Hercules is a historic site in the Citadel of Amman, Jordan. As per archeologists, it is thought to be the most significant Roman structure in the Amman Citadel. It is located in the city center but on the highest point of the hill called “Jabal al-Qalaa.”

According to an inscription, the temple was built during Geminius Marcianus rule when he was governor of the Province of Arabia (AD 162-166). The Roman Theater belongs to the same period. The Amman Citadel covers a big area on top of the hill in downtown Amman. You can walk up there or take a taxi to the site.

Archaeologists believe that since there were no remains of additional columns, the temple was probably not finished, and the marble was used to build the Byzantine Church nearby.
The site also contains fragments of a colossal stone statue, identified as Hercules, and estimated to have been over 12 m (39 ft) tall. It was probably destroyed in an earthquake. All that remains are three fingers and an elbow.

The Roman Theater

The Roman Theater of Amman is a 6,000-seat, 2nd-century Roman theater and it is one of the most famous landmarks in the capital. It dates back to the Roman period when the city was known as Philadelphia. The theatre and the nearby Odeon are flanking the new Hashemite Plaza from the south and the east respectively.

This theater was built during the reign of Antonius Pius (138-161 CE). The large and steeply raked structure could seat about 6,000 people: built into the hillside, it was oriented north to keep the sun off the spectators.

It was divided into three horizontal sections (diazomata). Side entrances (paradoi) existed at ground level, one leading to the orchestra and the other to the stage. Rooms behind these entrances now house the Jordan Museum of Popular Tradition on the one side, and the Jordan Folklore Museum Jordan on the other side.

The theatre is now used as a venue for cultural activities including the Amman International Book Fair, the Amman Marathon prize ceremony, and musical concerts, most notably the al-Balad Music Festival.

The Blue Mosque (King Abdullah Mosque)

We (me and my wife) were fortunate to offer Friday prayer (Salaat-al-Jumaa) at this magnificent mosque which is not far from the city center. This beautiful and huge mosque was built in the memory of King Abdullah-I and is thus named King Abdullah Mosque or the Blue Mosque because of its beautiful blue-green mosaic marble dome. The mosque was built in Amman, the Jordanian capital, between 1982 and 1989. It is capped by a magnificent blue mosaic dome.

Non-Muslim tourists are also allowed to visit the mosque. Men must have long trousers on and women must cover their heads, arms and legs. A hooded gown (Abaya) is provided free of charge for this purpose.

Completed in 1989 as a memorial by the late King Hussein to his grandfather, this blue-domed landmark can house up to 7000 worshippers, with a further 3000 in the courtyard. There is also a small women’s section for 500 worshippers and a much smaller royal enclosure. The cavernous, octagonal prayer hall is capped by a magnificent blue dome 35m in diameter, decorated with Quranic inscriptions.

The Islamic Museum inside the mosque houses a small collection of photographs and personal effects of King Abdullah-I. Pieces of ancient pottery are also on display together with coins and stone engravings.

Al-Husseini Mosque

This is a great historic mosque with links to the Khulfa-e-Raashideen. Al-Husseini Mosque is the oldest mosque in Amman, the Jordanian capital. This mosque was rebuilt by King Abdullah-I of Jordan, in 1932, on the site of the mosque that was built by the second Caliph of Islam, Umar bin al-Khattab around 640-AD.

I had the opportunity of offering Asr (afternoon) prayer at this mosque. We were wandering in the shopping area of the Downtown Amman when we heard the Adhan (Azaan). I grabbed the opportunity and entered the mosque. This mosque is always crowded because it is in the middle of the shopping area in downtown. Around the mosque, there are two famous Souqs (shopping markets); one is called Souq Bukharia (good for souvenirs, clothing and gifts) while the other is called Souq al-Sukar (for fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices, etc.).

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