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Discover
AMRIT-/SAFITA-AR`RASAFEH-BANYAS-ALBARA-ARWAD
AL LATHIQIYEH ( LATAKIA )
AL LATHIQIYEH IS
SYRIA'S MAJOR SEA PORT ON THE MEDITERRANEAN. THE CITY HAS RETAINED ITS
IMPORTANCE AS A SEA PORT SINCE ANCIENT TIMES. IT WAS ON OF THE FIVE CITIES BUILT
BY SALQOS NICATOR IN THE 3RD CENTURY B.C. HE NAMED IT AFTER HIS
MOTHER , LOUDETIA.
NOT MANY ANCIENT
REMAINS HAVE SURVIVED IN AL LATHIQIYEH, BUT THERE ARE FOUR COLUMNS AND A ROMAN
ARCH FROM THE TIME OF SEPTIMIUS SEVER US , IN ADDITION TO A BEAUTIFUL OTTOMAN
CONSTRUCTION CALLED “ KHAN AL DUKHAN “ , WHICH IS NOW AN IMPORTANT MUSEUM.
UGARIT
THE WORD UGARIT ( THE
SITE OF RAS SHAMRA NEAR LATAKIA ) IS ALWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GREAT GIFT
UGARIT OFFRED HUMANITY , NAMELY ITS ALPHABET, THE FIRST ALPHABET IN THE WORLD.
THIS ALPHABET CONSISTS
OF 28 SIGNS, IN COMPARISON WITH THE EARLIER SYLLABIC CUNEIFORM WRITING WHICH
EMPLOYED MORE THAN 200 SYLLABLES AND 300 SYMBOLS.
IT IS ALSO WORTH
MENTIONING THAT THE FIRST “WRITTEN “ MELODY IN HISTORY ( WRITTEN BY USING
LETTERS EACH SIGNIFYING A SPECIAL TUNE) WAS DISCOVERED IN UGARIT IN THE 1950
WHEN A MUD TABLET CONTAINING THE UGARIT WORSHIP SONG WAS FOUND . THE TABLET IS
DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS, ONE FOR THE WORDS OF THE SONG, THE OTHER FOR ITS MELODY.
THIS TABLET, DATING
BACK TO THE 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. IS NOW ON DISPLAY AT DAMASCUS MUSEUM.
THE ART OF
ARCHITECTURE IN UGARIT PROVES THE CONTINUITY OF THE STYLE OF THE ARAB
TRADITIONAL HOUSE AS WE KNOW IT TODAY. ITS LANGUAGE IS CLOSELY LINKED TO THE TO
THE AKKADIAN AND THE ARAMAIC LANGUAGES, HENCE ITS CLOSE RELATION TO THE ARABIC
LANGUAGE.
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