Middle East

  • Jinn

    Tales of the mystical creatures appear in early Arabian and later Islamic mythology. An individual member of the jinn is known as a jinni, djinni, or genie. Throughout the Quran and other Islamic texts they are mentioned frequently. The Quran says that the jinn were created from a smokeless and “scorching fire”, but are also physical in nature, being able to interact in a tactile manner with people and objects and likewise be acted upon. The earliest evidence of the word, can be found in Persian, for the singular Jinni is the Avestic “Jaini”, a wicked (female) spirit. Jaini were among various creatures believe among pre-Zoroastrian peoples of Persia. The…

  • The Queen of Sheba

    The Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon is one of the most famous diplomatic visits in the Bible, but we know very little about this powerful monarch.  Her visit appears in religious texts sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, however, her name was never mentioned.  We are not exactly sure where “Sheba” even is.  She is described as a “Queen from the South”, who came to visit King Solomon to test his great wisdom.  She brings with her a treasure trove of frankincense, myrrh, gold and jewels as well as a head full of riddles.  He answers them to her satisfaction and converts her to worship Yahweh.  Then she returns…

  • The Vanishing Persian Army of Cambyses

    When your dad is Cyrus the Great, you have a lot to live up to.  He began the Achaemenid Empire and reigned over the territory from Asia Minor to India.  Unfortunately, Cyrus met his match in a warrior queen named Tomyris and went to his long home.   (More on her in this post:  http://www.historynaked.com/tomyris-the-woman-who-brought-down-cyrus-the-great/ )  This left his son Cambyses in charge.  There had been a bit of trouble when he was overseeing things for his father in Babylon.  No one is quite sure, but the Chronicle of Nabonidus indicates there was an issue during the very important New Year’s Akitu festival.   Possibly with Cambyses being armed during the ceremony,…

  • The Date of Christmas

    “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”  Luke 2:8.   This is a part of the infancy gospels that are very familiar to us.  The shepherds out in the fields with their flocks and being visited by the Heavenly Host and told to go find the Christ child.  If this is indeed true, then this throws the date of December 25 as the date of Christ’s birth into shadow.  The flocks were kept in corrals unwatched at night every season but lambing time, which took place in the spring.  Only during lambing times were shepherds in the fields with…

  • The Twists and Turns of Outremer

    After the defeat of the Byzantine Empire at the battle of Manzikert, Emperor Alexius Comnenus turned to his European counterparts for help. Although there was no lost between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, Pope Urban saw an opportunity. The holy places of Christianity had been in the hands of Islamic conquerors for over 400 years. It was time to get them back. Hence the First Crusade, which allowed Alexius to retake western Anatolia and the crusaders to take Jerusalem. Although Godfrey of Bologne, the leader of the First Crusade, declared there should be no man wearing a crown where Christ wore the Crown of Thorns, his successors…