Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Trip To Karak & Mu'tah


Kereta Yang Membawa Kami ke Karak


Anak-anak Sedang Menungguku

Anak-Anak Di Hadapan Pintu Karak Castle


Di Puncak Karak Castle

Kenangan Indah Bersama

Membelakangi Laut Mati dan West Bank (Palestin)

Di Maqam Nabi Nuh


Pada 01 Mei dan 02 Mei yang lalu, aku dan keluarga telah mengambil kesempatan menziarahi beberapa tempat bersejarah di Karak dan Mu'tah. Berikut disertakan sejarah kedua tempat bersejarah tersebut.



Karak Castle

Karak City is the capital and largest city of the Karak Governorate. Karak, once a part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, lies 140 km to the south of Amman on the King's Highway. An ancient Crusader stronghold, it is situated on a hilltop about 1000 meters above sea level and is surrounded on three sides by a valley. Karak commands a magnificent view of the Dead Sea. A city of about 20,000 people has been built up around the castle and continues to boast a number of restored 19th century Ottoman buildings, restaurants, places to stay, and the like. The town is built on a triangular plateau, with the castle at its narrow southern tip, but it is undoubtedly Karak Castle which dominates.

Al Karak has been inhabited since at least the Iron Age, and was an important city for the Moabites (who called it Qir of Moab). In the Bible it is called Qer Harreseth, and is identified as having been subject to the Assyrian empire; in the Book of Kings (16:9) and Book of Amos (1:5, 9:7), it is mentioned as the place whither the Syrians went before they settled in the regions north of Palestine, and to which Tiglath-Pileser III sent the prisoners after the conquest of Damascus. Evidently it eventually fell under the power of the Nabateans, as the Romans conquered it from them in 105 AD. During the late Hellenistic Period, Al Karak became an important town as was known as Kharkha. Under the Byzantine Empire it was a bishopric seat, housing the much venerated Church of Nazareth, and remained predominantly Christian under Arab rule.

Al Karak's greatest importance was during the Crusader and Ayyubid periods which were responsible for most of the architectural remains to date.

Karak City's Metropolitan population is estimated to be 68,800 (2003 estimate). making up 31.5% of the total population of the Karak Governorate. Most of the population of the city are Muslims, there is also a significant Christian population. In general the percentage of Christians in Karak City is among the highest in Jordan.

Construction of the Crusader castle began in the 1140s, under Pagan, the butler of Fulk of Jerusalem. The Crusaders called it Crac des Moabites or "Kerak in Moab", as it is frequently referred to in history books.

Paganus was also Lord of Oultrejordain (Transjordan), and Kerak became the centre of his power, replacing the weaker castle of Montreal to the south. Because of its position east of the Jordan River, Kerak was able to control Bedouin herders as well as the trade routes from Damascus to Egypt and Mecca. His successors, his nephew Maurice and Philip of Milly, added towers and protected the north and south sides with two deep rock-cut ditches (the southern ditch also serving as a cistern). The most notable Crusader architectural feature surviving is the north wall, into which are built immense arched halls on two levels. These were used for living quarters and stables, but also served as a fighting gallery overlooking the castle approach and for shelter against missiles from siege engines.

In 1176 Raynald of Chatillon gained possession of Kerak after marrying Stephanie of Milly, the widow of Humphrey III of Toron (and daughter-in-law of Humphrey II). From Kerak, Raynald harassed the trade caravans and even attempted an attack on Mecca itself. In 1183 Saladin besieged the castle in response to Raynald's attacks. The siege took place during the marriage of Humphrey IV of Toron and Isabella of Jerusalem, and Saladin, after some negotiations and with a chivalrous intent, agreed not to target their chamber while his siege machines attacked the rest of the castle. The siege was eventually relieved by King Baldwin IV.

After the Battle of Hattin in 1187, Saladin besieged Kerak again and finally captured it in 1189.
In AD 1263, the Mamluk ruler Baybars, enlarged and built a tower on the north-west corner. In AD 1840, Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt captured the castle and destroyed much of its fortifications.
During the Ottoman period, It played an important role due to its strategic location on the crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Greater Syria.

The castle extends over the southern part of the plateau. It is a notable example of Crusader architecture, a mixture of European, Byzantine, and Arab designs. Its walls are strengthened with rectangular projecting towers, long stone vaulted galleries are lighted only by narrow slits, and a contains a deep moat from the west which completely isolates the site.

In the lower court of the castle, there is Karak Archaeological Museum, which was newly opened in 2004 after renovation work. It introduces local history and archaeology of Karak region- the land of Moab- from the prehistoric period until the Islamic era. History of the Crusader and Muslims at Karak castle and town is introduced in detail.



Anak-Anak Di Medan Mu'tah


Maqam Abdullah Ibnu Rawwahah


Mereka Gembira






Peperangan Mu'tah

Perang Mu'tah (bahasa Arab: معركة مؤتة , غزوة مؤتة‎) berlaku pada sekitar tahun 629M ketika di akhir kehidupan Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. Ketika ini baginda menghantar tentera seramai 3,000 orang untuk menghadapi tentera Rom Byzantine seramai 200,000 orang tentera.
Tujuan baginda menghantar tentera Islam kerana sebagai tindak balas atas pembunuhan seorang utusan baginda ke wilayah kerajaan Ghassan ketika baginda ingin menyebarkan Islam ke wilayah jajahan Rom.

Ketika ini, baginda melantik tiga orang panglima Islam dengan Zaid ibn Harithah dilantik sebagai ketua panglima, Ja'afar ibn Abi Thalib sebagai ketua panglima sekiranya Zaid terkorban dan Abdullah ibn Rawahah sebagai pengganti Ja'afar sekiranya Ja'afar terkorban.

Pertempuran berlaku di Mu'tah di mana pada hari ini terletak di dalam negara Jordan. Di dalam peperangan ini, ketiga-tiga ketua panglima yang dilantik oleh Nabi terkorban. Apabila kesemua panglima terkorban, Thabit ibn Arqam mengendalikan tentera Islam buat seketika, namun beliau tidak berkehendak untuk memimpin tentera Islam ketika itu.

Setelah beberapa ketika, Thabit mencadangkan Khalid bin al-Walid dilantik sebagai ketua panglima tentera Islam. Perlantikan ini dipersetujui oleh kesemua tentera Islam. Selepas perlantikannya, Khalid bertindak dengan menyelamatkan tentera Islam daripada diasak hebat oleh tentera Rom.

Dengan strategi pertukaran yang dibuat dan susunan tentera secara memanjang ke belakang beserta taktik untuk melakukan keriuhan di barisan belakang, taktik ini berjaya mengelirukan barisan hadapan tentera Byzantine. Hasilnya. Khalid berjaya mengundurkan tentera Islam sedikit demi sedikit tanpa dikejar oleh tentera musuh.Selepas ini, Khalid bertindak cemerlang dalam memimpin tentera Islam dalam usaha untuk menyebarkan Islam di Parsi dan di dalam siri Peperangan Islam-Rom Byzantine.

Perang Mu'tah adalah perang berdarah pertama antara kaum muslim dan Romawi, sekaligus show of force di hadapan kekuatan musuh bangsa Arab karena berhadapan dengan negara adidaya kala itu. Perang ini merupakan perang untuk membuka penaklukan ke negeri-negeri Nasrani. Mu'tah merupakan sebuah daerah yang letaknya Jordan .Islam dengan kemuliaannya selalu menjaga keagungan wajahnya. Islam terbebas dari tuduhan selama ini yang menyatakan bahwa Islam adalah agama teroris, perusak, tidak cinta damai. Padahal, Islam sangat menghargai ikatan perdamaian. Islam tidak akan memulai peperangan sebelum musuh melakukan kesalahan atau memulai peperangan terlebih dahulu.
Perang Mu'tah adalah perang pertama kaum muslim dengan Romawi. Penyebab peperangan ini bermula ketika Rasulullah mengirim utusan yang akan dikirim ke penguasa Bashra. Di tengah perjalanan, utusan itu ditangkap dan dibawa ke hadapan kaisar Romawi, lalu kepalanya dipenggal. Pelecehan dan pembunuhan utusan negara termasuk menyalahi aturan politik dunia. Selain itu, 15 orang sahabat Rasulullah juga dibunuh di Dhat-Talh. Hal inilah yang membuatnya marah. Selanjutnya, ia mempersiapkan sebuah pasukan ya terdiri dari 3.000 personel untuk menghadapi kekuatan besar Romawi yang berjumlah 200.000 pasukan yakni satu orang berbanding enam puluh tujuh orang (1:67)!