Akko and art!
We woke up quite early this morning. After a
bowl of cereals and some toast with *god bless*Nutella (we were acting so
extremely delighted/happy/ amazed when we found out there was Nutella in Tamra
that the shop owner regarded us as madmen).
After
breakfast we went to the bus-stop downtown because we planned a trip to the old
city of Akko. As
usual, the bus arrived 40 minutes late but at least it came! When we arrived in
Akko, the first thing we noticed were the majestic, ancient city walls dating
from the time of the crusades. Akko was a city of great significance in
history. The Romans, Saladin and Richard
Lionheart are only a few of the many keywords that describe which events took
place in this city.
First we
visited the citadel that was built during the time of the crusades.The citadel
served as a fortification but also as a hospital for wounded knights. It
was a very large citadel with an impressive courtyard, architectural pointed arches
and columns and an underground tunnel!
the impressive courtyard of the citadel in Akko
After
the citadel we explored the old city centre of Akko. It was a very vibrant and
lively place but cosy at the same time. There
were merchants everywhere selling fruit, nougat
and typical Arabic baklava which is
by the way extremely delicious but a calorie bomb as well!
We couldn’t resist the merchant of orange juice who
persuaded us to buy some ‘liquid and healthy gold’. After some wandering
through the small streets and souks of Akko we decided to have dinner.
We found a nice little falafel bar near the Al-Jazzar
Mosque .Al-Jazzar means ‘the butcher’ because it was built by Jazzar Pasha , the Turkish governor, who
ruled at the end of the 19th century. The man was famous for his cruelty but
also for his public works and the fact that he defeated Napoleon in 1799 when
he tried to take over Akko. He designed the mosque himself, that was meant to
enhance his status.
After eating some falafel and omelettes (it was
de-licious!) we visited the mosque itself. It has a very large courtyard with
garden plants and palms. There’s also a water channel that was built in front of the mosque so muslims can wash their feet before entering to pray.
We even had the chance to sneak a peak and have a little chat with a muslim who was interested in our origin.
After visiting the mosque we had very little time left to
catch the bus. Shabbat usually begins around 3 P.M. on Friday, so we needed to
hurry. Luckily we caught our bus in time and arrived back in Tamra in the
afternoon.
The boys
decided to prepare dinner for us, how nice! We were very curious if they were
able to manage the kitchen and cook a proper meal.
First
they prepared bread with cheese, which was a simple but very nice starter. Then
the main course came: couscous with vegetables and chicken. It was really tasty
and told the boys that they were ‘allowed’ to cook more often. As desert, Ms
Ilse De Bolster who visited us, offered us some real BELGIAN pralines. So
delicious!
With our
bellies full, we managed to prepare some lessons for the next week. Because one
of the teachers, Susan, likes us to teach about ethics, we prepared a lesson
about ‘walls’ en ‘building bridges’ . The goal of this lesson was to make
pupils aware of the importance of communication and respect towards other
people.
Before
we got to bed, Aïsha came to us to suggest something for the day after. She had
arranged a trip for us with Achmad Canaan, the husband of Khaled’s sister. We
would visit his gallery and see all his artwork with a lunch afterwards. We
were very enthusiastic and curious about it.
The next
day we got picked up by Achmad and his wife. In two separate cars, we drove
through Tamra to see all Achmad’s artwork. He made sculptures in different
materials going from wood to bronze.
The main
idea behind Achmad’s work is communication between people, Saladin (the leader
of the muslims during the crusades) and the problem between the Jews and Arabic
people.
Themes
that returns a lot in his paintings are Palestinian refugees, torn-apart
families, sadness, despair and identity. I especially loved the drawings Achmad made of dancing refugees.
I liked this painting the most...
A theme that appears a lot in Achmad's work is Saladin, the leader of the muslims during the crusades. Saladin or 'the Knight' symbolises, to Achmad, protection.
Beside paintings
about the Palestinian refugees and such, the man also draws his family a lot.
Achmad showed us a painting he made of his wife, whom he called ‘ my queen’. It was very clear that Achmad loves his wife
a lot, and that they respect each other very much. We already noticed that this
is a very ‘close’ family with an eye for personal development and it’s what we
would call in Dutch a ‘warm nest’.
After
the tour, we were invited by the Canaan family to have lunch.
First
they showed us their house which was very ‘special’ (that’s the least I can
tell about it). Artwork everywhere, pottery everywhere, bright and vibrant
colours and round shapes. This house is one of a kind!
The interior of Achmad's house, one word: wauw!
The
lunch was very nice and consisted of rice, chicken and a lot of vegetables: we
liked it!
With our
bellies more than full, we listened to Mohammed, Achmad’s son. He’s a very
talented young boy who plays the cello very well. His younger brother is also very
talented and plays djembe. The oldest son of the family also had musical
talents it seemed: what a family!
Together
they played music for us and it was wonderful to listen at! We had a wonderful
time with the Canaan family and they ensured us we were always welcome to visit
them another time.
The Arab
hospitality, it’s something we’ll definitely miss in Belgium!
Ps: Because I personally can't get enough of Achmad's work and a picture says more than a thousand words, I'll share some more 'eyecandy' with you. Enjoy!
Achmad's wife: 'his queen'
No comments:
Post a Comment