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Al-Lāt (Arabic: اللات) a piano solo improvisation by David Hart
Al-Lāt (Arabic: اللات) a piano solo improvisation by David Hart
Al-Lāt (Arabic: اللات) was a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess who was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca. She is mentioned in the Qur'an (Sura 53:19) as one of the daughters of Allāh along with Manāt and Al-Uzz The goddess occurs in early Safaitic graffiti (Safaitic han-'Ilāt "the Goddess") and the Nabataeans of Petra and the people of Hatra also worshipped her, equating her with the Greek Athena and Tyche and the Roman Minerva. She is frequently called "the Great Goddess" in Greek in multi-lingual inscriptions.[1] According to Wellhausen, the Nabataeans believed al-Lāt was the mother of Hubal (and hence the mother-in-law of Manāt). The Greek historian Herodotus, writing in the 5th century BC, considered her the equivalent of Aphrodite: The Assyrians call Aphrodite Mylitta, the Arabians Alilat, and the Persians Mitra.[2] According to Herodotus, the ancient Arabians believed in only two gods: They believe in no other gods except Dionysus and the Heavenly Aphrodite; and they say that they wear their hair as Dionysus does his, cutting it round the head and shaving the temples. They call Dionysus, Orotalt; and Aphrodite, Alilat.[3] ΟΎΡΑΝΊΗΝ ἈΦΡΟΔΊΤΗ ἈΛΙΛΆΤ / ἈΛΊΤΤΑ אוראניה אַפּרידיטה אַפַלַוַדַתַה אַפָּר أورانيا آفرودیته آپريديته اللات Source (ΠΗΓΥΝΉ) : Hesiode Theogony Histories III:38 (Herodotus) In the Qur'an, she is mentioned along with al-Uzzá and Manāt in Sura
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Out of the Desert
Out of the Desert
Desert inspirations through time The Exhibition "Out of the Desert" at Darat al Funun echoes with the voices of those who lived in the desert and recorded their heritage on the eternal rocks of the Jordan. A visual celebration of man's journey in time, from Nabataean to modern day, Nabataean artifacts, Safaitic stones and papyrus scrolls are all on display for the first time at Darat al Funun, allowing the public to relive their glory. The installation setting them apart was designed by architect Sahel al Hiyari. Modern inspirations by the Jordanian desert include video art by Suha Shoman titled "I am Everywhere", and graphic art by Hakim Jamain titled "Salt of the South".