Washington Monument

June 19, 2024 by Sailoil

The National Mall in Washington runs from the Lincoln memorial to the Capitol. It serves two important functions. At a national level it is an imposing symbol of the Nation’s capital, a statement to representatives, senators, Governors and the general public that this is the heart of the nation, the omphalos, the seat of power.

For visiting dignatories it is a statement of raw power, the ultimate home court advantage to overawe the ambassadors of foreign nations.

On the intersection of the National Mall with a line running due south from the Whitehouse sits the Washington Memorial. Before the pedants jump on me, the ground at that precise point was too unstable for the monument. On the exact point you will find the Jefferson Pier. The Washington Monument had to be located almost 400 feet away from that position.

You cannot write a series on the obelisks of the world without including the Washington Monument. Not only is it the largest obelisk ever constructed, and the world’s tallest stone structure, but it is one of the most prominent and easily identified monuments in the world. Star of thousands of movies and TV shows and a centrepiece of every US Presidential inauguration ceremony. Over 169 metres tall it is constructed in the pattern of a hollow Egyptian obelisk. Construction commenced in 1848, five years after completion of the Bunker Hill Memorial. It was interrupted by funding difficulties and the U.S. Civil War and was finally completed by 1888. It was the tallest building in the world until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889.

If you look closely at the photo above you can see a distinct colour change in the marble, when the supply changed from one quarry to another. Just like the ancient obelisks of Egypt and Rome it has been damaged by an earthquake in 2011.

-o0o-

This site is available for free and I make no money from any ads you see here. If you would like to show your appreciation feel free to leave a comment or you can buy me a coffee! http://buymeacoffee.com/DonalClancy

The Constantinople Earthquake of 557

December 14, 2023 by Sailoil

When it was constructed in 532-537 the Hagia Sophia; the church of Holy Wisdom, was the largest space enclosed by man and retained that honour for almost 1,000 years until the construction of Seville Cathedral. But Justinian’s Cathedral was not perfect, and the dome collapsed in June 558. The reason for the collapse happened on December 14th in 557.

There were two precursor earthquakes earlier in the year in 557. They caused some damage but nothing really serious, but they were indications that the ground in the region was under severe stress. Issues came to a head in December of 557 when an earthquake of “unparalleled ferocity” razed much of the city and shook the great temple to its core.

The Great Theodosian Walls were damaged also, not for the first time. Although the Huns were now a greatly depleted threat they still raided freely in Thrace and Illyria. In the Summer of 558 they were able to scavenge amongst the ruins of Constantinople itself.

The earthquake itself struck just before midnight on the 14th of December when decent people were fast asleep. It was fierce and relentless. The population streamed out into the streets to escape crumbling buildings. But the city had few wide open spaces and even in the streets falling debris was dangerous. Many people scrambled to churches hoping for safety.

Accounts from the time speak of a breakdown in societal norms that reflects the pagan Roman feast of Saturnalia. Slaves refused to take orders from their masters. Poor and the Wealthy mingled freely, as did women and men. Freezing sleet chilled the distressed populace and aftershocks kept them in a high state of anxiety. As the day dawned on the 15th the tremors ceased and relieved survivors embraced in the streets in relief searching for surviving friends and relatives.

The Emperor Justinian set aside his crown and observed a 40 day period of mourning following the incident. But he had greater things to worry about when his great creation showed signs of severe damage, resulting in the dome collapse. A superstitious man might have questioned his legitimacy.

from Hagia Sophia; by Thomas Merton

All the perfections of created things are also in God;
and therefore He is at once Father and Mother. As
Father He stands in solitary might surrounded by
darkness. As Mother His shining is diffused, embracing
all His creatures with merciful tenderness and light.
The Diffuse Shining of God is Hagia Sophia.
We call her His “glory.” In Sophia His power is
experienced only as mercy and as love.

-=o0o=-

Turkish Earthquake

February 6, 2023 by Sailoil

I am looking at the news this morning of the dreadful earthquake on the Turkish-Syrian border. News is flowing in of buildings collapsing like dominoes in cities of Malatya, Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep. The death toll rises by the moment.

In the Middle Ages these three towns were called Melitine, Edessa and Aintab. The region has a long history in the struggles between East and West where the borders of the Persian and Roman Empires met. The Byzantines and Sassanids prized the easily defended mountain fortresses which made any gains in the region stick.

When the First Crusade arrived in the region in 1098 the Armenian Lord Thoros of Edessa petitioned the Frankish knights to aid him in defending his Christian lands against the Seljuc Turks. Baldwin of Boulogne was the younger brother of Godfrey of Boullion who was now leader of the Crusade. Baldwin saw an opportunity to carve out an Eastern Kingdom in his own right. He took his men to Edessa and was adopted by Thoros as a son. After some political maneuvering the local nobles deposed Thoros and replace him with Baldwin, who became the first Count of Edessa. He established the first, and shortest lived of the Crusader Kingdoms.

After Godfrey passed away in 1100 Baldwin became King of Jerusalem. He turned over administration of Edessa to his cousin Baldwin of Bourcq. The fortress of Turbessel was put under the command to Joscelin of Courtenay. The region was the spear in the conflict with the Danishmends and Seljucs.

Mawdud of Mosul chipped away at the lands of the County. When Zengi united Mosul and Aleppo he was able to threaten Edessa further. In 1144 he besieged and captured Edessa. Joscelin II, son of Joscelin was left in command of Turbessel. On the death of Zengi he managed to briefly retake Edessa in 1146. But the son of Zengi was none other than the famed Nur ad-Din who captured Joscelin in 1150. Joscelin’s wife sold Turbessel to the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus in the hope of Greek support. But within a year Nur ad-Din had conquered all the lands and the County of Edessa ceased to exist.

The fall of Edessa was used in Europe as a cause célèbre to recruit support for the second crusade. It was Nur ad-Din who had the dream of uniting the Muslim forces between Mesopotamia and the Nile to drive the Franks out of the Middle East. He did not realize his dream, but passed it on to his son, and his lieutenant, Saladin.

Today on the Syrian side of the border the land is a conflict zone. In 2013 the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) made its power base centered on Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. Abu Bakr al Baghdadi announced his goal to establish a state from Aleppo in Syria to Diyala in Iraq.

President Assad of Syria was already fighting internal unrest sparked by the American backed “Arab Spring” rebellions across North Africa and the Middle East. Assad supported by Russia found himself in a proxy war between Russia and the USA.

Turkey and Iran are providing their own support to various factions of breakaway Syrian military units. There are so many Syrian Interim, Provisional and Salvation Governments that it reads like the Monty Python “Peoples front of Judea” scene from the Life of Brian. Meanwhile the Kurds are always open to the possibility of establishing their own independent nation.

For the Turks the Earthquake today is bad enough. As the map of various military factions below shows; the Syrian region is in the front lines of the Syrian Civil War. The earthquake is a far greater disaster in a region where the civil authorities are limited or non-existent and access to the earthquake zones may be a challenge.

Since I began writing this article the reported death toll has risen from 600 to 1,600. It is expected to rise.

-=o0o=-

The walls came tumbling down

November 6, 2022 by Sailoil

November 6th, 447 CE is the accepted day when Constantinople was hit by a massive earthquake. The Theodosian triple walls on the landward side, already damaged by an earthquake ten years earlier, were severely damaged this time. 57 towers were damaged. Outside the walls the Hunnish army of Atilla was laying waste to any army put against it.

In response Theodosius II appointed his praetorian prefect, suitably named Constantine, to supervise the repairs. What Constantine did was very clever. He turned it into a competition between the supporter factions, the Demes, of the circus. The hotly contested chariot races has four supporter groups, Whites and Reds, Blues and Greens with the latter two being the really big rivals.

Imagine if you will a similar situation happening today in London City, and the Mayor calling on the fan clubs from Chelsea, Spurs, West Ham and the Arsenal to see who could rebuild the walls fastest. As a result of the competition it took only 60 days to restore the walls and towers. When pride is at stake fans can move mountains.

-=o0o=-

Mindship

Tag Archives: Earthquake

Washington Monument

The Constantinople Earthquake of 557

from Hagia Sophia; by Thomas Merton

Turkish Earthquake

The walls came tumbling down