Monday, July 31, 2017

Sabil-Kuttab of Katkhuda

Sabil-Kuttab of Katkhuda is an building from the old part of Islamic Cairo, Egypt, comprising a public fountain or sabil, an elementary Quran school or kuttab, and an adjacent residential wing. A prime example of Ottoman and Mamluk architecture, it was built in 1744 by a pioneer Egyptian architect, Katkhuda of Egypt (Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda). Some architects describe it as "The treasure of Ottoman architecture.

Image may contain: indoor




Sabil-Kuttab of Katkhuda




سابيل كُتَاب كاتخودا

هو مبنى من الجزء القديم من القاهرة الإسلامية، مصر، يضم نافورة عامة أو سابيل
مدرسة القرآن الابتدائية أو كتاب، وجناح سكني مجاور له 
مثال على العمارة العثمانية والمملوكية، وقد بني في عام 1744 من قبل المهندس المعماري المصري الرائد، كاتخودا من مصر ... عبد الرحمن كاتخودا 

وصفه بعض المهندسين المعماريين بأنه "كنز العمارة العثمانية

نقلته لكم 
منال رأفت


Friday, July 14, 2017

The Dream Stele of Thutmose IV, or the Sphinx Stele شاهدة ابو الهول أو لوحة تحتمس الرابع التذكاريه

The Stele is a stone or wooden slab, erected as a monument, very often for funerary or commemorative purposes.
This ornamentation may be inscribed, carved, found in different parts of the world, notably Egypt and China.
In ancient Egypt, these vertical slabs of stone depict tombstones, religious uses, and boundaries.

The Sphinx Stele, was erected in the first year of Thutmose IV' reign, 1401 BC.. 

As was common with other New Kingdom Pharaohs, it makes claim to a divine legitimization to pharaoh-ship.

In ancient Egypt, when pharaohs wanted to record something for eternity and have it be known not only to mortals, but more importantly, to the gods, they wrote in stone. 









Dream Stele, reproduction. نموذج مقلد من لوحة الحلم 



The hieroglyphs carved into the Dream Stella of Thutmosis IV, an enormous upright slab at the base of the Sphinx, tell a portentous story of a young king's bargain with the sun god.





Diagram رسم توضيحى 


Stele description
The Dream Stele is a vertical rectangular stele, 144 cm Ht, 40 cm W, 70 cm D. The upper scene lunette ( The lunette spatial region in the upper portion of stelas, became common for steles as a prelude to a stele's topic ), shows Thutmose IV on the right and left making offerings to the Great Sphinx.



The dream
"Now the statue of the very great Khepri [the Great Sphinx ] rested in this place, great of fame, sacred of respect, the shade of Ra resting on him. Memphis and every city on its two sides came to him, their arms in adoration to his face, bearing great offerings for his Ka. One of these days it happened that prince Thutmose came travelling at the time of midday. He rested in the shadow of this great god. Sleep and dream took possession of him, at the moment the sun was at zenith. Then he found the majesty of this noble god speaking from his own mouth like a father speaks to his son, and saying: "Look at me, observe me, my son Thutmose. I am your father Horemakhet-Khepri-Ra-Atum. I shall give to you the kingship [upon the land before the living]....[Behold, my condition is like one in illness], all [my limbs being ruined]. The sand of the desert, upon which I used to be, (now) confronts me; and it is in order to cause that you do what is in my heart that I have waited.

[The god Horem-Akhet-Khepri-Re-Atum came to him in a dream and basically told him that if he cleared away the sands that had been building up around [the Sphinx], the god would make sure that Thutmosis IV was the ruler of upper and lower Egypt, unified.]







Reproduction of the Dream Stele of Thutmose IV - Close-up of detail depicting pharaoh making offering to Sphinx. RC 1834 (Original 1500 - 1390 BC, made of granite, located on the Giza Plateau).صورة مقربه من النموذج المقلد من لوحة حلم تحتمس الرابع 


Medical Analysis of the Stele
Recently a surgeon at Imperial College London (Dr Hutan Ashrafian) has analysed the early death of Thutmose IV and the premature deaths of other Eighteenth dynasty Pharaohs (including Tutankhamun and Akhenaten). He identifies that their early deaths was likely as a result of a Familial Temporal Epilepsy. This would account for the untimely mortality in Thutmose IV and can also explain his religious vision described on his Dream Stele due to this type of epilepsy’s association with intense spiritual visions and religiosity.



I  had collected the information from several documents and the Wikipedia.


Note
*** Thutmosis IV was the eighth king of the 18th dynasty, which is during Egypt's New Kingdom, a period when Egypt was really at its height. This area, at that time, was like a recreation area for the pharaohs. They would come here to hunt, ride their chariots, do target practice.


بصفة عامة, الشاهدة أو العامود التذكارى هو: لوح رأسى من الحجر أو الخشب، أقيم في كثير من الأحيان كنصب تذكاري لأغراض الجنائزية, أو الاحتفالية, و هو منقوش أو محفور. و وجد فى أماكن متفرقه من العالم أهمها مصر و الصين.
فى مصر الفرعونيه القديمة, هذه الألواح الرأسية من الحجر كانت تنصب كشواهد القبور، والاستخدامات الدينية، والحدود.

أما عن لوحة حلم تحتمس الرابع: فهى عبارة عن لوح مستقيم هائل عند قاعدة أبو الهول،
شيدت شاهدة أو لوحة (عمود تذكارى ) أبو الهول في السنة الأولى من عهد تحتمس الرابع, قبل 1401 من الميلاد .. 

و كما كان شائعا مع غيرها من عصر الدولة الفرعونية الحديثة ، فإنها كانت تدعى الشرعية الإلهية لسفن الفرعون.

في مصر القديمة، كان الفراعنة إذا أرادوا تسجيل شيء إلى الأبد، ليكون معروفا ليس فقط للبشر، ولكن الأهم من ذلك للآلهة، يسجلونه على الألواح ( الحجر).

تحكى الكتابة الهيروغليفية المنحوتة على لوحة حلم تحتمس الرابع قصة هامة عن صفقة بين الملك الشاب مع إله الشمس.

حلم تحتمس
"الآن تمثال خبرى العظيم (أبو الهول) ، استراح في هذا المكان عظيم الشهرة، مقدس من الاحترام، وجاء الظل رع يستريح عليه. ممفيس(منف) وكل مدينة على جانبيها الإثنين جاءت له، أذرعهم تتجة لوجهه في عبادة، تحمل القرابين كبيرة لروحه (كا).
فى يوم من الأيام حدث أن الأمير تحتمس جاء مسافرا في وقت الظهيرة. استراح في ظل هذا الإله العظيم. النوم والحلم استولى عليه في لحظة كانت الشمس في كبد السماء. فوجد الهه العظيم الكريم يتحدث من فمه كما يتحدث الأب لابنه، ويقول: "انظر إلي، شاهدنى إبني تحتمس. أنا أبوك حورم اخيت-خبري-رع-آتوم. أعطي لكم الملكية على الأرض قبل الحياة .... وجدت نفسى و كأننى مريض، كأن كل أطرافي قد دمرت. و كأن الرمال فى الصحراء التى قد تعودت عليها،الآن تواجهنى . وأنه من أجل أن تحدث هذا يجب عليك ان أن تفعل ما هو في قلبي والذى انتظرت من أجله.

الحلم بإختصار هو: ان الإله حورم-آخت-خبري-رع -آتوم[أبو الهول] زاره في المنام وقال له أنه إذا أخلى الرمال التى حوله بعيدا  ، فسوف يتأكد من أن تحتمس الرابع هو حاكم من مصر العليا والسفلى الموحدة.


وصف لوحة الحلم
الحلم هى لوحة رأسية مستطيلة ، 144 سم طول ، 40 سم عرض، 70 سم عمق. (أصبحت المنطقة من الجزء العلوي من الألواح (stelas)، تستخدم كتمهيدا لموضوع الشاهدة ) ونرى فى المشهد العلوي، تحتمس الرابعيظهر على اليمين واليسارمقدما القرابين إلى أبو الهول العظيم.


التحليل الطبي للوحة

مؤخرا, خرج علينا الدكتورHutan Ashrafian (جراح في امبريال كوليدج في لندن) بتحليل للوفاة المبكرة لتحتمس الرابع والوفاة المبكرة لفراعنة الأسرة الثامنة عشرة الأخرى (بما فيها توت عنخ آمون وأخناتون ..). انه يعرف أن وفاتهما في وقت مبكر من المرجح ان يكون نتيجة مرض الصرع الأسري. هذا الحساب للوفاة المفاجئة لتحتمس الرابع، ويمكن أيضا يفسر لنا ايضا رؤيته الدينية و التى وصفت على لوحة أبي الهول نتيجة لهذا النوع من الصرع بالإضافة الى رؤيته الروحية وتدينه العميق.


جمعت لكم هذا الموضوع من مصادر عديدة و قمت بترجمته لكم.

ملاحظات


*** كان تحتمس الرابع الملك الثامن من سلالة الاسرة 18، خلال عصر الدولة الحديثة في مصر، وهي الفترة التي كانت مصر حقا في أوجها. هذه المنطقة، في ذلك الوقت، كان مثل منطقة ترفيهية للفراعنة. يأتون الى هنا للصيدو ركوب مركباتهم.

Thanks, MR
Manal Raafat
منال رأفت

Modified Date 14/7/2017

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

From the poetry of William Shakespeare ... من أشعار وليام شكسبير


“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

"لا يوجد شيء جيد أو سيئ، ولكن التفكير يجعله كذلك

*******************


“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”

قدرنا ليس فى النجوم .. و لكن فى انفنسنا 


*******************
To be or not to be that is the question

نكون او لا نكون .. تلك هى المسألة


*******************


“We know what we are, but not what we may be.” 

"نحن نعلم ما نحن عليه، ولكن لا نعلم ما قد يكون"


نقلته لكم 
منال رأفت

Sunday, July 09, 2017

Sharm el-Sheikh "City of Peace" ... How to design a simple invitation card bu yourself with Illustrator.


 Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the most popular tourist places in the Arab world. But there are also some very good reasons to visit it if you are not the common tourist, who likes to lie on the beach all day. It is one of the finest diving spots in the world and a trip into the desert is an unforgettable adventure. 


Sharm el-Sheikh card

Sharm el-Sheikh is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 35,000 (2008). It is popular with package holiday makers and divers.

Its Name 
 Sharm el-Sheikh is sometimes called the "City of Peace", referring to the large number of international peace conferences that have been held there.It is also transliterated as Sharm ash- Shaykh and popularly known simply as "Sharm".It means bay of the Sheikh.

Its History and Geography 
 Sharm el-Sheikh is on a promontory overlooking the Straits of Tiran at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba
About 40 years ago, Sharm el-Sheikh was nothing but a small fishing village with about 100 Bedouin citizens,but its strategic importance led to its transformation from a fishing village into a major port .
Sharm el-Sheikh city has been subdivided into five homogeneous centers, namely Nabq, Ras Nusrani, Naama Bay, Umm Sid and Sharm El Maya[ Na'ama Bay part of the city is the center of nightlife and dining: most of Sharm's clubs, cafes, restaurants and shops are here].There is also an airport in Sharm el-Sheikh. Sharm el-Sheikh Airport is the largest in the Sinai, and receives plane-loads of charter tourists daily in the winter high season. The only airline for local flights is Egypt Air .
The land plan shows that the total area of Sharm el-Sheikh is expected to be about 42 square kilometres by the year 2017.

 During the 2011 Egyptian protests, President Hosni Mubarak reportedly went to Sharm el-Sheikh and resigned there on 11 February 2011.

Climate 
 The average temperatures during the winter months (November to March) range from 15 to 35 degrees Celsius (59-95°F) and during the summer months (April to October) from 20 to 45 degrees Celsius (68-113°F). The temperature of the Red Sea in this region ranges from 21 to 28 degrees Celsius (70-84°F) over the course of the year. 

Sharm el-Sheikh's invitation card


Tourism  in Sharm
Sharm el-Sheikh's major industry is foreign and domestic tourism, owing to its dramatic landscape, year-round dry and temperate climate and long stretches of natural beaches. Its waters are clear and calm for most of the year and have become popular for various watersports, particularly recreational scuba diving and snorkeling which some consider to be among the best in the world.There is great scope for scientific tourism with diversity in marine life species; 250 different coral reefs and 1000 species of fish.

Diving
 Diving is the main activity in Sharm el-Sheikh. When you dive into the warm water of the Red Sea and leave the remote desert behind, you will enter a world full of life and colors.


 After all of what I had mentioned about Sharm I decided to design an invitation card with its name .That you can fold like a book in the middle .
The card is designed with illustrator ,and the picture with photo-shop.I hope you will like both .

 HOW TO DESIGN WITH ILLUSTRATOR .  

Lotus Flowers with Illustrator Card Design


 Lotus flower has often been described as the most exquisite wishes of the Mother Nature for the mankind. 

The Meaning Of The Word Lotus
My Illustrator  card design
 Lotus flowers have been influential in cultures across the world from ancient times until today,
from ancient Egypt and India to all across Asia. They have been associated with the human soul, gods and goddesses and featured in stories and legends.  

 To the ancient Egyptians, a lotus bud was a symbol of rebirth and fertility. It closes in the evening and falls to the water, but in the morning it opens and is lifted above the surface.Its behaviour emulates that of the sun. Because of this rising and setting, it is also a symbol of death and rebirth.


 The lotus( The blue water lily) was commonly used in art as a symbol of Upper Egypt. It was combined with  the long stems papyrus flower (the symbol of Lower Egypt) as a representation of the unification of the two lands ( Upper and Lower Egypt).It  was shown throughout Egypt in tombs and temples to symbolize the union of Upper and Lower Egypt, but the blue water lily had a much deeper significance to the Egyptian people.


 The god of the blue water lily was Nefertem, a god not just linked to the sun but to beautification and healing.It was he who brought a water lily to the sun god Ra, to help ease the suffering of his aging body. The perfume of this flower was not only pleasing to the Egyptians, but they saw it as healing as well .Scenes show women holding the water lily and people being offered the flower at parties, smelling its divine fragrance. Some people today believe that the Egyptians used this plant as a narcotic both for its healing qualities and as a recreational drug when soaked in wine, though this is a hotly debated topic.

 The blue water lily was possibly also a symbol of sexuality -  the flower "has a sort of Viagra effect". Women were wooed with the blue water lily.
 The flower wasn't just used at parties, but it was used at funerals.Tutankhamen's innermost gold coffin had blue water lily petals scattered over it along with a few other floral tributes.The Egyptians looked forward to their souls coming to life "like a water lily reopening", thinking that the deceased died as the water lily closed awaiting opening with the morning sun. The Book of the Dead has a spell to allow the deceased to transform into one of these flowers.  
 As a general The Lotus flower basically symbolizes the clarity of heart as well as the mind. In other words the Lotus flower represents strength, good luck, long life as well as honor and respect. Some scholars have even talked of the lotus flower being a universal representation of the spiritual presence in human lives. 


The Appearance:
 In Egypt, two native species of lotus grew, the white lotus and the blue lotus. A third type, the pink lotus was introduced to the country from Persia during the Late period. All three species were depicted in Egyptian art the pink lotus showed up in Hellenistic artworks, however the sacred blue lotus was the flower most commonly used and the one depicted in the hieroglyph. 

The Card Design. 
This is Illustrator design.

The Quote Of The Day.

You lie the loudest when you lie to yourself.

One thing you can give and still keep...is your word.

Subscribe to get all our new posts free via email

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Like