Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms (52 page)

Israeli, 158, 160

Cleopatra, Egyptian customs and, 194

Clooney, George, 142

Communism, xxv, xxvi, 33

Constantine, Christianity and, xxix

Coptic Museum, 198

Coptic Orthodox Church, xxiv, 181, 195, 202, 210, 212

conversions and, 14

divorce and, 214

Mubarak and, 203–204

renaissance of, 209

in US, 217–218

Coptic priests, 214, 216

photo of, 215

Copts, xx, xxii, xxiv–xxv, 186, 187, 188, 194, 261, 264, 279

Byzantium and, 195

Catholic Uniate Church and, 210

Egyptians and, 196, 197, 198–199, 203

emigration of, 204, 205, 217, 218

history of, 202, 207

influence/status of, 196, 200

Islamic movements and, 200

Jesus and, 195

leadership of, 181–182, 201

monasticism and, 182

Muslim Brotherhood and, 204

Muslims and, 200, 203, 215, 217

number of, 181, 182

persecution of, 182, 208

social networks of, 214

Council of Chalcedon, 195

Crassus, 46, 94

Creator of the Universe, 123, 131, 145

Crescent and cross symbol, photo of, 199

Crusades, xxiii, 45, 127, 142–143, 152, 196, 200

Culture, xiii

Babylonian, 7

Druze, 269

Kalasha, 254

Middle Eastern, 124

Palestinian, 148

Persian, 90

religions and, 7

Zoroastrian, 79

Cyrus, King, 80, 84

Dabkeh,
263, 264

photo of, 263

Dakheel, Qahtaniyah attack and, 70–71

Dakhma,
102, 103, 105

photo of, 104

Dari language, 228, 230

Darius, 82, 110

David, King, xxv, 150, 191

de Goes, Bento, 236

De Vitriaco, Jacob, 53

Death

Assyrians and, 259

Chaldeans and, 259

Copts and, 201

Druze and, 128

Kam and, 225

Mandaeans and, 17–18, 37–38

Shi’a and, 254

Zoroastrians and, 79

Deir Abu Fana, 208, 209

photo of, 207

Deir al-Jarnoos, 215–216

Demetrius of Phalerum, 183

Deuteronomy, 167

Devil, 60, 62.
See also
Satan, Sheitan.

Dinkha IV, Patriarch Mar, 260

Diocletian, Emperor, 182, 208

Diodorus, 81

Dionysus, 229

Divorce, 214, 251

Diwan
(Hafez), 97

Dome of the Rock, 156

Drasa da Yehia (Book of John), 10, 23

Drower, E. S., xxviii–xxix, 67

magic and, 29–30

Mandaean community and, 28

planets and, 27

Druze, 71, 115, 121, 127, 161, 266, 268, 270

blue and, 69

criticism of, 128–129

folk mythology of, 141

Freemasons and, 135–136

Hizbullah and, 133

illustration of, 137 (fig.)

immigrant, 132, 271

Islam and, 118, 122, 128, 129, 144

Knights Templar and, 136

leadership of, 118

Lebanese civil war and, 138

Maronites and, 135

number of, 120, 139

Palestinians and, 120

Pythagoras and, 114, 115, 117, 122, 143, 145–146

reincarnation and, 123, 140, 141–142, 142–143

Shi’a and, 129, 132–133

Sunnis and, 140, 142, 192

theology of, 130

Druze clergy, 131–132

Druze militia, 120, 129

Druze Mountain, 139

Druze religion, xx, 117, 121, 123, 127, 131–132, 136–137, 138

conversion to, 141, 142, 270

Easter, 59, 155, 191

Ebeid, Amin Makram, 201

Ebeid, William Makram, 199

Egeria, fish and, 44, 45

Egypt

Byzantine Empire and, 195–196

Islamization in, 202

reform/modernization of, 197

Egyptian Museum, 189

Eid al-Sawm, 43

Einstein, Albert, 32

el-Shalaby, Israel, 154

Elagabalus, 12

Elias, Khidr, 274

Eliot, T. S., 124

Elphinstone, Mountstuart, xii

Emanationism, 124–125, 145

Era of Martyrs, 181, 182

Erbil, 56, 70, 71

growth of, 57–58

Esfahan, described, 95

Esh Shalaby, Jacob, 174

Euclid, 114

Euripides, 94

Eve, 6, 23

Evil eye, avoiding, 193

Ezid, Sultan, 58

Fakhreddin, 133–134, 142

independent territory and, 133–134

Fakhry, Abeer, 214

Faqir, Khidr, 274

Farouq, deposing of, 200

Farsi, xviii, 56, 74, 110, 111

Fatimah al-Maasoumah, 92

Fatimid Empire, 126

Female genital mutilation, 193

Ferdowsi, 92

Festivals

Arab-American, 263

Egyptian, 191–192

Kalasha, 232, 236–237, 238, 239–240, 241, 244, 248

Mandaean, 19, 22

Samaritan, 157, 169

Zoroastrian, 105, 108

Fire temples, 109, 110, 261

photo of, 103

visiting, 102–103

Fisk, Pliny: on Samaritans, 154

Ford, Henry, 262

Fravahar,
81, 102, 111

photo of, 82

Freemasons, 248

Druze and, 135–136

Funerals

Egyptian, 192–193

music for, 183

Zoroastrian, 102–104, 108, 110–111

Galen, 14, 94

Gandhi, Mahatma, 106

Ganzibra,
22–23, 26, 27

Garden of Eden, 2, 13, 60

Garden of the Prophet
(Gibran), 114

Gardner, Alexander, 221

Gattan, Nadia, 18–19, 20, 21, 23–24, 36, 37, 38

baptism of, 24 (photo), 27–28

discrimination and, 35

education and, 35

festivals and, 19, 22

Hadeel death and, 37

inequality of the sexes and, 22

Mandaeans and, 21

religious name of, 25–26

rules violation by, 19–20

sabbath and, 34

spells and, 30–31, 32

Gibran, Kahlil, 114, 263

Gibson, Mel, 257

Gilgamesh, 4, 43, 190, 278

Ginza Rabba, described, 10

Gladstone, William Ewart, 107

Gnostics, 14

God, xxix, 62

Messiah and, 52

Goliath, David and, xxv

Good Samaritan, parable of, 149–150, 151, 163

Gospel of Luke, 13

Gospel of Matthew, 77

Governments, weak, xxiii–xxiv, xxvi

Great Flood, 22

Great Game, 222

Great Life, 10, 11

Greek Orthodox, 265, 266

Greek philosophy, xxix, 11–12, 116, 117, 122, 123, 140, 146

Christianity and, 131

Islam and, 126, 131

Middle Eastern culture and, 124

Greeks, 79, 194

Egypt and, 194

Persians and, 80

Grom

photo of, 235

visiting, 235–236

Gross, Anthony, illustration by, 137 (fig.)

Gul, Zarmas, 241, 243

photo of, 241

Gushnasp fire, 87, 88, 89

Hadeel, death of, 36–37

Hafez

magi and, 99, 111

poetry of, 96–97

tomb of, 98 (photo)

Haidar, Ahmad Mohammad, 53

Halawi, Sheikh Abu Aref: Neoplatonism of, 123

Hallaj, Hussein ibn Manosur al-, 61, 63

on monotheism, 62

Satan and, 62

Hand of Fatima, 193

Hand of Horus, 193

Handshake, 48, 73

Hanukkah, 166