Name	Acre
Imgsize	60
Image3	Benami2.jpg
Imgsize3	300
Pushpin map	Israel
Arname	عكّا
Hebname
Iso	ʕakko
Type	city
District	north
Population	46,300
Popyear	2009
Area dunam	13533
Mayor	Shimon Lankri}}

Acre (, ''Akko''; , ''ʻAkkā''), is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country. Historically, it was a strategic coastal link to the Levant. Acre is the holiest city of the Bahá'í Faith. In 2009, the population was 46,300. Acre is a mixed city, 72 percent Jewish and 28 percent Arab. The mayor is Shimon Lankri, who was re-elected in 2011.

History

Antiquity

Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in Israel. The name ''Aak'', which appears on the tribute-lists of Thutmose III (c. 16th century BC), may be a reference to Acre. The Amarna letters also mention a place named ''Akka'', as well as the Execration texts, that pre-date them. In the Hebrew Bible, (Judges 1:31), Akko is one of the places from which the Israelites did not drive out the Canaanites. It is later described in the territory of the tribe of Asher and according to Josephus, was ruled by one of Solomon's provincial governors. Throughout Israelite rule, it was politically and culturally affiliated with Phoenicia. Around 725 BC, Akko joined Sidon and Tyre in a revolt against Shalmaneser V.

Greek and Roman periods

Greek historians refer to the city as ''Ake'', meaning "cure." According to the Greek myth, Heracles found curative herbs here to heal his wounds. Josephus calls it ''Akre''. The name was changed to ''Antiochia Ptolemais'' shortly after Alexander the Great's conquest, and then to Ptolemais, probably by Ptolemy Soter, after the partition of the kingdom of Alexander the Great.

Whs	Old City of Acre
State party
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii, v
Region	Asia-Pacific
Year	2001
Session	25th
Id	1042 }}

Strabo refers to the city as once a rendezvous for the Persians in their expeditions against Egypt. About 165 BC Judas Maccabeus defeated the Seleucids in several battles in Galilee, and drove them into Ptolemais. About 153 BC Alexander Balas, son of Antiochus Epiphanes, contesting the Seleucid crown with Demetrius, seized the city, which opened its gates to him. Demetrius offered many bribes to the Maccabees to obtain Jewish support against his rival, including the revenues of Ptolemais for the benefit of the Temple in Jerusalem, but in vain. Jonathan Maccabaeus threw in his lot with Alexander, and in 150 BC he was received by him with great honour in Ptolemais. Some years later, however, Tryphon, an officer of the Seleucids, who had grown suspicious of the Maccabees, enticed Jonathan into Ptolemais and there treacherously took him prisoner.

The city was captured by Alexander Jannaeus, Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Tigranes II of Armenia. Here Herod built a gymnasium, and here the Jews met Petronius, sent to set up statues of the emperor in the Temple, and persuaded him to turn back. St Paul spent a day in Ptolemais (Acts 21:7). A Roman colonia was established at the city, Colonia Claudii Cæsaris.After the permanent division of the Roman Empire in 395 CE, Akko was administered by the Eastern (later Byzantine) Empire.

Arab and Crusader periods

Following the defeat of the Byzantine army of Heraclius by the Muslim army of Khalid ibn al-Walid in the Battle of Yarmouk, and the capitulation of the Christian city of Jerusalem to the Caliph Umar, Acre came under the rule of the Arab caliphate beginning in 638. The Arab conquest brought a revival to the town of Acre, and it served as the main port of Palestine through the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates that followed, and through Crusader rule into the 13th century. It was captured by King Baldwin I of Jerusalem in 1104 in the First Crusade and the Crusaders also made the town their chief port in Palestine. Around 1170 it became the main port of the eastern Mediterranean, and the kingdom of Jerusalem was regarded in the west as enormously wealthy above all because of Acre. According to an English contemporary, it provided more for the Crusader crown than the total revenues of the king of England. It was re-taken by Saladin in 1187, and unexpectedly besieged by Guy of Lusignan reinforced by Pisan naval and ground forces at first, in August 1189. But it was not captured until July 1191 by Richard I of England, Philip of France, Leopold of Austria, the spearhead Swabian and German armies and the rest of the crusader's army. It then became the capital of the remnant of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1192. In 1229 it was placed under the control of the Knights Hospitaller. The Crusaders called the city "Acre" or "Saint-Jean d'Acre" since they mistakenly identified it with the Philistine city of Ekron, in northern Philistia, now southern Israel]. It was the final stronghold of the Crusader state, and fell to the Mameluks of Egypt in a bloody siege in 1291.

Ottoman period

The Ottomans under Sultan Selim I captured the city in 1517, after which it fell into almost total decay. English academic Henry Maundrell in 1697 found it a ruin, save for a khan (caravanserai) occupied by some French merchants, a mosque and a few poor cottages.

Towards the end of the 18th century it revived under the rule of Dhaher al-Omar, the local sheikh. His successor, Jezzar Pasha, governor of Damascus, improved and fortified it, but by heavy imposts secured for himself all the benefits derived from his improvements. About 1780 Jezzar peremptorily banished the French trading colony, in spite of protests from the French government, and refused to receive a consul. In 1799 Napoleon, in pursuance of his scheme for raising a Syrian rebellion against Turkish domination, appeared before Acre, but after a siege of two months (March–May) was repulsed by the Turks, aided by Sir Sidney Smith and a force of British sailors. Having lost his siege cannons to Smith, Napoleon attempted to lay siege to the walled city defended by Ottoman troops on 20 March 1799, using only his infantry and small-calibre cannons, a strategy which failed, leading to his retreat two months later on 21 May.

Jezzar was succeeded on his death by his son Suleiman Pasha, under whose milder rule the town advanced in prosperity till his death in 1819. After his death, Haim Farhi, who was his adviser, paid a huge sum in bribes to assure that Abdullah Pasha (son of Ali Pasha, the deputy of Suleiman Pasha), whom he had known from youth, will be appointed as ruler. Abdullah Pasha ruled Acre until 1831, when Ibrahim Pasha besieged and reduced the town and destroyed its buildings. During the Oriental Crisis of 1840 it was bombarded on 4 November 1840 by the allied British, Austrian and French squadrons, and in the following year restored to Turkish rule.

British Mandate

The Citadel of Acre was used by the British as a prison. On May 4, 1947, the Irgun broke into the prison and succeeded in releasing Jewish underground movement activists. Over 200 Arab inmates also escaped. In the 1947 UN Partition Plan, Acre was designated part of a future Arab state.

State of Israel

During the war of 1948, Acre was besieged by Israeli forces. A typhoid fever outbreak occurred in Acre at this time. Egypt claimed that the Haganah used typhus as a biological weapon against the inhabitants, though no evidence was forwarded in favour of the claim. Brigadier Beveridge, chief of the British medical services, proclaimed at the time that "Nothing like that ever happened in Palestine". According to historian Ilan Pappé, investigation by Beveridge, Colonel Bonnet of the British army and delegates of the Red Cross concluded that the infection was caused by water-borne sources. Israel denies it has ever used biological weapons.

Acre was captured by Israel on May 17, 1948 displacing about three-quarters of the Arab population (13,510 of 17,395). Ethnic tensions erupted on October 8, 2008 after an Arab citizen drove through a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood during Yom Kippur, leading to five days of violence.

Demography

According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, there are 46,300 citizens in Acre. Acre's population is mixed with Jews, Muslims and Christians. Jews are 67.1% of the city's population, Muslim Arabs are 25.3% of the city's population, Christian Arabs are 2.4% of the city's population and other citizens make up 5.2% of the city's population.

According to the Israeli Central Office of Statistics, 95% of the residents in the Old City are Arab. Only about 15 percent of the current Arab population in the city descends from families who lived there before 1948. Schools for Arab citizens have been underfunded. In 1999, there were 22 schools in Acre with an enrollment of 15,000 children. In 2000 there was only one Arab elementary school in the city.

Education and culture

The Sir Charles Clore Jewish-Arab Community Center in the Wolfson neighborhood runs youth clubs and programs for Jewish and Arab children. In 1990, Mohammed Faheli, an Arab resident of Acre, founded the Acre Jewish-Arab association, which originally operated out of two bomb shelters. In 1993, Dame Vivien Duffield of the Clore Foundation donated funds for a new building. Among the programs offered is Peace Child Israel, which employs theater and the arts to teach coexistence. The participants, Jews and Arabs, spend two months studying conflict resolution and then work together to produce an original theatrical performance that addresses the issues they have explored. Another program is Patriots of Acre, a community responsibility and youth tourism program that teaches children to become ambassadors for their city. In the summer, the center runs an Arab-Jewish summer camp for 120 disadvantaged children aged 5–11. Some 1,000 children take part in the Acre Center's youth club and youth programming every week. Adult education programs have been developed for Arab women interested in completing their high school education and acquiring computer skills to prepare for joining the workforce. The center also offers parenting courses, and music and dance classes.

Landmarks

Acre's Old City has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Since the 1990s, large-scale archeological excavations have been undertaken and efforts are being made to preserve ancient sites. In 2009, renovations were planned for Khan al-Omadan, the Inn of the Columns", the largest of several Ottoman inns still standing in Acre. It was built near the port at the end of the 18th century by Ahmed Pasha al-Jazzar. Merchants who arrived at the port would unload their wares on the first floor and sleep in lodgings on the second floor. In 1906, a clocktower was added over the main entrance marking the 25th anniversary of the reign of the Turkish sultan, Abdul Hamid II.

City walls

In 1750, Daher El-Omar, the ruler of Acre, utilized the remnants of the Crusader walls as a foundation for his walls. Two gates were set in the wall, the "land gate" in the eastern wall, and the "sea gate" in the southern wall. The walls were reinforced between 1775 and 1799 by Jezzar Pasha and survived Napoleon's siege. The wall was thin: its height was 10 to 13 metres (33 to 43 feet) and its thickness only one metre (3 ft). A heavy land defense wall was built north and east to the city in 1800–1814 by Jezzar Pasha and his Jewish advisor Haim Farhi. It consists of a modern counter artillery fortification which includes a thick defensive wall, a dry moat, cannon outposts and three ''burges'' (large defensive towers). Since then, no major modifications have taken place. The sea wall, which remains mostly complete, is the original El-Omar's wall that was reinforced by Jezzar Pasha. In 1910 two additional gates were set in the walls, one in the northern wall and one in the north-western corner of the city. In 1912 the Acre lighthouse was built on the south-western corner of the walls.

Jezzar Pasha Mosque

The Mosque of Jezzar Pasha was built in 1781. Jezzar Pasha and his successor Suleiman Pasha, are both buried in a small graveyard adjacent to the mosque. In a shrine on the second level of the mosque, a single hair from the prophet Mohammed's beard is kept and shown on special ceremonial occasions.

Citadel of Acre

The current building which constitutes the citadel of Acre is an Ottoman fortification, built on the foundation of the Hospitallerian citadel. The citadel was part of the city's defensive formation, reinforcing the northern wall. During the 20th century the citadel was used mainly as a prison and as the site for a gallows. During the British mandate period, activists of Jewish Zionist resistance movements were held prisoner there; some were executed there.

Hamam al-Basha

Built in 1795 by Jezzar Pasha, Acre's hammam has a series of hot rooms and a hexagonal steam room with a marble fountain. It was used by the Irgun as a bridge to break into the citadel's prison. The bathhouse kept functioning until 1950.

Knights' Halls

Under the citadel and prison of Acre, archaeological excavations revealed a complex of halls, which was built and used by the Hospitallers Knights. This complex was a part of the Hospitallers' citadel, which was combined in the northern wall of Acre. The complex includes six semi-joined halls, one recently excavated large hall, a dungeon, a dining room and remains of an ancient Gothic church. Medieval European remains include the Church of Saint George and adjacent houses at the Genovese Square (called Kikar ha-Genovezim or Kikar Genoa in Hebrew). There were also residential quarters and marketplaces run by merchants from Pisa and Amalfi in Crusader and medieval Acre.

Bahá'í holy places

There are many Bahá'í holy places in and around Acre. They originate from Bahá'u'lláh's imprisonment in the Citadel during Ottoman Rule. The final years of Bahá'u'lláh's life were spent in the Mansion of Bahjí, just outside Acre, even though he was still formally a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire. Bahá'u'lláh died on May 29, 1892 in Bahjí, and his shrine is the most holy place for Bahá'ís — their Qiblih, the location they face when saying their daily prayers. It contains the remains of Bahá'u'lláh and is near the spot where he died in the Mansion of Bahjí. Other Bahá'í sites in Acre are the House of `Abbúd (where Bahá'u'lláh and his family resided) and the House of `Abdu'lláh Páshá (where later 'Abdu'l-Bahá resided with his family), and the Garden of Ridván where he spent the end of his life. In 2008, the Bahai holy places in Acre and Haifa were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Sports

The city's football team Hapoel Acre is a member of Liga Leumit, the second tier of Israeli football, after a brief stint in the Ligat ha'Al top division during the 1970s. At the end of the 2008/9 season Hapoel Acre finished in the top five and so was promoted to the Ligat ha'Al for a second time, after an absence of 31 years. A new football stadium is under construction at the southern approaches to the city and it is hoped that it will open during the 2011/2012 season and will seat 5000 spectators.

Transportation

The Acre central bus station, served by Egged, offers city and inter-city bus routes to destinations all over Israel. The city is also served by the Acre Railway Station.

Twin towns — Sister cities

Acre is twinned with: Pisa, Italy, since 1998 Bregenz, Austria La Rochelle, France, since 1972 Recklinghausen, Germany Bielsko-Biała, Poland Canton, United States Deerfield Beach, United States

Notable residents

Heinrich Walpot von Bassenheim

Otto von Kerpen

Louis-Marie-Joseph Maximilian Caffarelli du Falga

Popular Culture

Acre is used as one of the three main cities (besides Damascus and Jerusalem) in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed in which the game's protagonist, Altaïr, conducts missions for the Assassin Order.

See also

District of Acre

References

Sources

External links

Official website of the Old City of Acre

Acre's History (Jewish Virtual Library)

Acre travel home page (TripTouch.com)

Names by which Acre has been known & pictures (Bibleplaces.com)

Hazlitt's Classical Gazetteer

The Tourists Guide to Acre

Photo gallery of the old city of Acco

Category:Daher al-Omar fortifications Category:Holy cities

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name	Ai Kago加護 亜依
background	solo_singer
alias	Aibon, Kago-chan
birth date	February 07, 1988
origin	Yamatotokada, Nara, Japan
genre	J-pop
occupation	Singer, actress, author
years active	2000–2007, 2008–present
label	Zetima (2000–2007) in da groove/Columbia Japan (2008–2010)P-Vine Records (2010–present)
associated acts	W, Morning Musume, Tanpopo, Minimoni, Sakuragumi, 3-nin Matsuri, Happy 7, Salt5, H.P. All Stars
website	Love basket }}

(born February 7, 1988 in Yamatotokada, Nara, Japan) is a Japanese singer, actress, author and former Guinness World Record holder.

At age 12, Kago won the 4th National Audition of Morning Musume held by Up-Front Works Agency in 2000, which led to her admission into the extremely popular idol group as a 4th generation member. In the same year, she became a founding member of Minimoni. In 2004, she ''graduated'' from both the aforementioned groups and formed W with Nozomi Tsuji.

In 2006, photos of the under-age Kago smoking were leaked by the media. As a result, she was immediately suspended for one year by Up-Front Works Agency. In 2007, toward the end of her suspension, she was caught once again smoking. This resulted in her contract being terminated permanently. After a hiatus that lasted a year, she signed a contract with R&A; Promotions Co.,Ltd and resumed her career as an actress and a singer.

Biography

Hello! Project

On April 16, 2000, Kago, along with Rika Ishikawa, Hitomi Yoshizawa, and Nozomi Tsuji, were inducted into the idol group Morning Musume as its fourth generation. Their recording debut was in the group's ninth single "Happy Summer Wedding".

Kago and Tsuji's addition to the group received positive critical response. With an increasing fan base, they, along with fellow Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi and Coconuts Musume member Mika Todd, formed a new subgroup named Minimoni. In addition to this, Kago was also admitted into established subgroup Tanpopo as a second generation member.

From 2001 to 2004 Kago participated in the annual Hello! Project shuffle units, being part of the smallest units the first three times (3-nin Matsuri in 2001, Happy 7 in 2002, and Salt5 in 2003) and joining the 46-member H.P. All Stars in 2004.

In August 2004, Kago and Tsuji graduated from Morning Musume together after Minimoni began their indefinite hiatus. Under the arrangement of the Up-Front Works Agency, Kago and Tsuji formed a new pop duo, W, releasing two albums and six singles together.

As a hula hoop performer

Kago and Tsuji shared the world record for the largest hula hoop spun at in diameter. They set their record on January 1, 2004, during a live New Year's Day television special at Nippon Television Network, Tokyo, Japan. The record appeared in the 2005 and 2006 editions of the Guinness Book of World Records and was the second time that Tsuji held the record, having previously held the record between January 2003 and June 2003. The record was eventually broken by Ashrita Furman (USA) in September 2005.

Scandals

On February 9, 2006 it was confirmed that the magazine (the same one that provoked Mari Yaguchi's sudden departure from Morning Musume) would publish photos showing Kago smoking. The legal age for smoking in Japan is 20, and Kago had just turned 18 two days prior to the incident. On February 10, Hello! Project issued a press statement saying that the singer had been suspended "indefinitely."

According to an interview in the March 9, 2007 issue of ''Friday''–the very same magazine responsible for her suspension–Kago revealed she had been serving tea, answering phones and doing assorted secretarial work at the Up-Front Works agency since January 23, 2007, when her employers found it fit for her to return to Tokyo, after she spent most of 2006 under house arrest at her family's residence in Nara.

In the same interview the young idol claimed to have had undergone several changes in regard to her outlook on life, to have become more responsible. Additionally she met up with the other members for the first time at Yokohama Arena, after a lengthy period of time, though the group couldn't quite recognize her at first, given the fact she had lost some weight.

The agency said that they were working on her comeback, though the details were not clear.

On March 26, 2007 following a newly publicized scandal involving Kago dating a 37-year-old man as well as smoking again, it was announced by the Up Front Agency that her contract had been canceled. An English translation of the announcement:

In 2009 it was alleged that Kago had a relationship with 33-year-old actor Hidejiro Mizumoto. Mizumoto's wife Asato sued them both, stating that she has proof of the affair and that it was the cause for her pending divorce. On May 24, 2009 a family court found in Asato's favor and ordered Mizumoto to hand over his home in Kumamoto and his car to Asato as well as 300,000 yen in child support every month for his three children.

Post-Hello! Project life

On May 5, 2007, the Tokyo Broadcasting System's newscast reported that Kago's mother was trying to sign her to a new talent agency in her hometown of Nara.

On August 25, 2007, an interview with Kago's mother in the magazine ''Josei Seven'' revealed that after parting company with Hello! Project, Ai Kago left Japan and started residing in New York City.

On April 6, 2008, it was reported by Yahoo! News that Kago was returning to the entertainment industry. Also, in an interview by OhmyNews, Kago admitted that she had begun smoking to feel more like an adult without realizing the impact it would have on her peers and young fans. She stated that she had actually not gone to New York, but rather to Los Angeles for three months in 2007 with her boyfriend. She said she took the trip because she felt like a criminal in Japan. While in LA she met many new people who encouraged her (including Winona Ryder) and was able to reflect on her situation and begin her new life. She also admitted to having considered suicide and having inflicted self-injury upon herself by cutting her wrists. At the end of the interview, Kago states that even though she is now 20 years old and can legally smoke cigarettes, she no longer does or has any desire to do so.

On April 24, 2008, Ai Kago announced on her personal blog website, "Biscuit Club", that she will be appearing in Hong Kong movie Kung Fu Chef with Sammo Hung.

On July 4, 2008, in an interview with Akashiya Sanma, she stated that she had been in Kyoto filming for a movie about Princess Sen, followed by a joint Singapore/Hong Kong project.

In June 2011, Kago announced on her blog that she left R&A; Promotions Co.,Ltd in November 2010 due to being unhappy with the direction of her work. Her current agency status is unknown at the moment.

As an author

On August 25, 2008, Kago released a book entitled . On a July 13, 2008 post to her personal blog website, "Biscuit Club", Kago described the book as "a book where I talk to young teens about their various troubles and dreams. Idols-in-waiting, exchange students, high school girls, and otaku. The teenage years can be tough, and I had a lot of troubles in those days. But it's important to break through those troubles."

Name

Kago's given name, "Ai", is a homonym for . Kago has sometimes said in interviews that she was named that by her parents because she was conceived out of wedlock. Written "亜依", it has no real meaning.

Discography

;Singles

Release date	Title	Oricon Singles Charts					Album
		Peak Positions			Sales
		Daily	Weekly	Yearly	Debut	Overall
June 24, 2009		26	52	—	1757	—	—

;Albums

AI KAGO meets JAZZ (March 31, 2010 P-Vine)

;Compilation Albums (Various Artists, Feb 10,2010 P-Vine)

*Lum no Love Song (Urusei Yatsura OP) / Ai Kago × Brian Hardgroove (Public Enemy)

*Himitsu no Akko-chan (Himitsu no Akko-chan OP) / Ai Kago × Paolo Scotti

Filmography

Film

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Other notes
2000	''Pinch Runner''		cameo appearance
2002	''Mini Moni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibōken!''	Herself
	''Kung Fu Chefs''	Shum Ying
''Benten-dori no Hitobito''	Saku
	Yūko
	Momoko
The Haunting Lover

Television

{|class="wikitable" width="90%" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; font-size: 90%;" cellpadding="2" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |rowspan=2|2002 |''Angel Hearts'' (2002) | | |- | |Yumi Shiina | |- |2003 | |Yumi Shiina | |- |rowspan=3|2004 | |Yumi Shiina | |- | |Yumi Shiina | |- | |Hinako Niwa | |- | 2005 | |Yumi Shiina | |- | rowspan=2|2008 | |Mai Kurume |ep3,6,11-12 |- | |Princess Sen | |- | 2009 | | |ep3 |}

Publications

Books

{|class="wikitable" width="90%" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; font-size: 90%;" cellpadding="2" ! Title ! Release date ! PublisherISBN ! Notes |- | |August 25, 2008 |Media KreisISBN 978-4778803384 |}

Photobooks

{|class="wikitable" width="90%" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; font-size: 90%;" cellpadding="2" !Title ! Release date ! PublisherISBN ! Notes |- |Kago Ai Shashinshū |November 11, 2003 |Wani BooksISBN 978-4847027833 | |- |Gekkan Kago Ai |January 23, 2009 |ShinchoushaISBN 978-4107901958 | |- | Gekkan Kago Ai -Super Remix |March 19, 2009 |ShinchoshaISBN 978-4107901972 | |- | |August 22, 2009 |KodanshaISBN 978-4063528152 | |- | |March 25, 2010 |Air ControlISBN 978-4860847371 |}

DVDs

{|class="wikitable" width="90%" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; font-size: 90%;" cellpadding="2" ! Title ! Release date ! Publisher ! Notes |- |Kago Channel (DVD) (Vol.1) |November 28, 2008 |avex trax | |- |Kago Channel (DVD) (Vol.2) |December 19, 2008 |avex trax | |- |Gekkan Kago Ai - marionnette |February 20, 2009 |E-net Frontier | |- |Micchaku Kago Ai |February 20, 2009 |E-net Frontier |Originally released exclusively to Lawson convenience stores,
Nationwide release July 30, 2009 |- | |October 25, 2009 |GP Museum Soft | |- |LOS ANGELES |March 25, 2010 |Air Control |}

References

External links

Biscuit Club official fanclub and blog

W's profile on Hello! Project's official site (prior to disbandment)

Category:1988 births Category:Japanese female singers Category:Japanese gravure idols Category:Happy 7 members Category:Living people Category:MiniMoni members Category:Morning Musume members Category:Tanpopo members Category:People from Nara Prefecture Category:Salt5 members Category:W (Double You) members Category:Japanese actors Category:Japanese idols

ar:آي كاغو es:Ai Kago fr:Ai Kago ko:가고 아이 ms:Ai Kago ja:加護亜依 pt:Ai Kago fi:Ai Kago sv:Ai Kago tl:Ai Kago th:ไอ คาโงะ zh:加護亞依

name	Juliana Jendo
background	solo_singer
birth name	Juliana Jendo
spouse(s)	Divorced
genre	Assyrian folk, Pop, Folk pop, World music, Dance, Folk dance.
occupation	Singer and actress Teacher (early occupation)
instrument	vocals
years active	1986–present }}

Juliana Jendo (Syriac: ܓܘܠܝܢܐ ܓܢܕܐ) is an Assyrian–American singer. She was born and raised in Tel Tamer, Syria. Along with her family, she emigrated to the USA in 1980 and settled in Chicago, Illinois. Jendo is usually classified as the "Queen of Assyrian Singers" because of her long and successful career throughout all the different Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac communities worldwide.

Early life and career

She was born and raised in Tel Tamer, Syria. Juliana recalls that she began singing at the age of 12 when she was in a drama. The Syrians thought she was so talented that they wanted to take her under their care and train her to sing however her father refused and insisted she remain in school and finish her studies.

She finished graduated from university with a degree in French literature and was a teacher for few years before she began her singing career. Along with her family, she emigrated to the USA in 1980 and settled in Chicago, Illinois. In 1987 she released her first album 'Mardita.' After a positive response from the Assyrian community in Chicago she began singing professionally. She followed up with "Khater Aynatoukh" in 1988, the album proved to be very successful and later released "Love & Dance" in 1990.

Breakthrough

In 1991 Juliana Jendo starred in the first Assyrian film "Wardeh Deesheh" directed by John Homeh, in which she played the lead role of Nineveh/Nina. Her collaboration with John Homeh in the early 1990s managed to put her on top of all the Assyrian singers in such a short singing career. The film was screened internationally throughout the Assyrian communities in Euorpe, Oceania, Middle East and the Americas.

In the summer of 1993 she produced and sang in "The Flowers of Assyria" a video released in 1994 that contained children's songs aimed at educating the young Assyrians. The video was very successful and Juliana was loved by all the young generation for her work. In her 1993 album "Wardeh Deesheh" Juliana Jendo becomes the first female Assyrian singer to sing in the different dialects; Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic and Turoyo.

She released an Arabic album in 1994 and follows it up with her first West-Assyrian dialect tape "Athro Halyo" which proved to be very successful amongst the West Assyrian community in Europe. In her 1998 album "Ashek D'Mathwathan" Jendo starts singing more in the Nineveh plains dialect and the album is received well by the Chaldean community.

Later life

Juliana later marries however the marriage is not successful and she returns with her 2003 album "Mellatti" which again she sings in Assyrian and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic dialects. Jendo releases her second Western Assyrian album "Elemo Halyo" in 2008 and "Tel Keppeh" in which she mainly sings in Arabic. Jendo currently resides in Royal Oak, Michigan and still is singing for the Assyrians with a recent album titled "Golden Tunes".

Discography

1987 - Mardita

1988 - Khater Aynatukh

1990 - Love & Dance

1991 - The Flowers Of Assyria

1993 - Wardeh Deesheh

1994 - Qadari (Arabic)

1995 - Athro Halyo

1998 - Ashek D'Mathwathan

2003 - Mellatti

2008 - Elemo Halyo

2008 - Tel Kepeh (mix)

2010 - Golden Tunes

Filmography

1988 - Semeleh (Silent short film)

1991 - Wardeh Deesheh (Lead role: Nineveh + Nina)

1994 - The Flowers of Assyria (8 Video clips)

2005 - The Cost of Happiness (Supporting role: Yimma "Mother")

External links

Qeenatha music profile

AssyrianVoice Music Profile

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Assyrian musicians Category:Syrian emigrants to the United States Category:Syriac-language singers

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