Qasr al Hallabat
Qasr al Hallabat Location in Jordan
Coordinates: 32°4′N 36°22′E / 32.067°N 36.367°E / 32.067; 36.367
Country	Jordan
Governorate	Amman Governorate
Time zone	UTC + 2

Coordinates: 32°3′55″N 36°21′59″E / 32.06528°N 36.36639°E / 32.06528; 36.36639

Qasr al Hallabat is a town in the Amman Governorate of north-western Jordan.^[1] The town is named after the Umayyad castle located there. Also located in the town is the Qasr Hammam As Sarah. It is located north-east of the capital of Amman.

Castle[link]

The complex of Qasr al-Hallabat is located in Jordan's eastern desert. Originally a Roman fortress constructed under Emperor Caracalla to protect its inhabitants from Bedouin tribes, this site dates to the second and third century AD, although there is trace evidence of Nabatean presence at the site. It was one fort of many on the Roman highway, Via Nova Traiana, a route that connected Damascus to Aqaba by way of Petra and Amman. However, by the eighth century, the Umayyad Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ordered for the Roman structures to be demolished in order to redevelop this military site and its neighboring territory to become one of the grandest of all Umayyad desert complexes.

Guided by the extant plan, he incorporated a mosque (found 15 meters from the southeast of the main structure), a complicated water system including five cisterns and a considerably large water reservoir, and a bathhouse. Furthermore, situated to the west of the palace remains an enclosed structure probably used for agricultural purposes such as cultivating olive trees and/or grapevines. While only one-layered stone footprint of the agricultural structure still stands today, three wall sections of the mosque, including the mihrab in the southern wall, remain intact. The main palace is constructed of black basalt and limestone and has a square floorplan with towers at each corner. Grand in stature, the principal structures were further enhanced with decorative mosaics depicting an assortment of animals, detailed frescoes and highly crafted stucco carvings. The site remains to be completely restored.

Approximately 1400 meters east of the palace stands the remains of the mosque at Qusayr al-Hallabat. Small in scale, it measures 10.70 by 11.80 meters and is constructed of layered limestone. Inside, two arching riwaqs divide the mosque into three sections. A rounded molding extends the perimeter of the space at the height of 2.10 meters. Similar to Qusayr 'Amra and Qasr Hammam as Sarah, three tunnel vaults support the roof of the structure. Encircling the mosque from the north, west, and east stood a 3.30-meter wide portico.

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  mosque

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  entrance courtyard

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  floor mosaic

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  inscribed block

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Qasr al Hallabat

• Satellite map at Maplandia.com
• Search for Qasr al Hallabat in the MSN Encarta atlas
• Archnet entry for Qasr al Hallabat and Qasr as Sarah
• A history of the excavation of Qasr al Hallabat

References[link]

1. ^ Maplandia world gazetteer

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Marwan Khoury (Arabic: مروان خوري‎) (February 3, 1968) is a Lebanese singer, writer, composer and music arranger. His compositions are performed by some of the most famous artists in the Arab World and adapted by many other countries including Turkey. He composed hits for leading artists such as Majida El Roumi, Saber Rabai, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Assala Nasri, Najwa Karam, Fadl Shaker, Elissa, Carole Samaha, Bassima, and Myriam Fares.

Biography[link]

Marwan Khoury was born in Amchit, Lebanon, he is the third of five children born to Tanyous and Naseema Khoury. He has two older sisters Leena and Mona, and two younger brothers Claude, who works as a TV director, and Dany is a music arranger. In 1986, Khoury enrolled at the Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik (USEK) in Lebanon where he studied piano, Musicology and Music History. During his university years, he won a prize in a music composition contest. The award was presented to the singer by former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel. In 1988, Khoury produced his first album Kasak Habibi (كاسك حبيبي) depending solely on himself in writing the lyrics, composing the songs, and producing.

Khoury started a new phase in his life in 1989, not as a singer but as a keyboard player and a band conductor. He performed in various TV shows. He continued as a keyboard player until 1996 and played with many famous Lebanese artists. But during that period, Khoury wrote and sang the single, "Fik Yamma Balak" (فيك ياما بالك). It was released in 1994 and established him as a singer. In 1997 he wrote, composed and performed his second single "Lasbor Ala Welah" (لأصبر على ويله). It was not until 1999 that Khoury finally became known in the music industry as a writer/composer. He wrote and composed two hit songs for Nawal Al Zoghbi; "Tia" (تيا) and "Dalouna" (الدّلعونه) Then the year 2001 came along and with it Khoury launched his first official album Khayal El-Omer (خيَّال العمر). The very next year, Khoury shot his first video clip "Ya Shog" (يا شوق).

Khoury has twice been awarded the Murex d'or. He first won in 2003 and then in 2004 he was awarded another Murex d'or for Best Multi-Talented Artist (singer, composer, music video, song and album). Kil Al Asayed (كل القصايد) was one of the best selling albums of 2004.

In 2005, Khoury landed a five-year contract with the major production company Rotana Records. He also released his first major album Kil Al Asayed in May 2005. The album and the title song were successful^[1] and their popularity spread fast. It was this album that made Khoury famous in the Arab World. In 2006 Khoury released an additional album Asr El Sho (قصر الشوق). His third album "Ana Wl Leil" was released on March 2008. Khoury's last album with Rotana Rajain contains 10 tracks and was released in 2010.^[2] In January 2011, he announced that his contract with Rotana has ended and he's heading for self-production.

Marwan Khoury is considered one of the most currently known Lebanese composers, but is also known as a singer. He has performed live at the Cairo Opera House and the Carthage Film Festival of Tunisia

Personal life[link]

Marwan is currently single. Rumors linked him with singer Carole Samaha since the success of their duet Ya Rab but both of them assured the press that both of them are just friends and share the same musical tastes.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Marwan Khoury's website
• Marwan Khoury Official Fan Club Du Liban, International Fan Club, and Official Group
• Marwan Khoury's Official Forums

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2011)

Mohamed Abdelwahab Abdelfattah (Arabic: محمد عبدالوهاب عبدالفتاح‎; b. Giza, Egypt, 1962) is an Egyptian composer of contemporary classical music and educator. He is a member of Egypt's third generation of classical composers.

Biography[link]

Abdelfattah graduated with a B.A. degree from the College of Applied Arts of Helwan University, Orman campus in Egypt and went on to attain second and third B.A. degrees from the Faculty of Composition and Department of Ear Training (Solfege) at the same year 1986, from the Cairo Conservatoire, with "excellent honors". In Egypt he studied composition under Gamal Abdel-Rahim, music history under Samha El-Kholy, harmony under Awatef Abdel Karim, counterpoint under Laiela El-Saiyad, instrumentation under Gihad Dawoud, orchestration under Youssef Elsisi, score reading under Gamal Salama, Schenkerian analysis under Ahmed El-Saedi, music education under Ikram Matter and solfege under Aiyda Danial.^{[citation needed]}

Abdelfattah was appointed to the faculty at Cairo Conservatoire in 1987, and he later obtained his M.A. degree, with his thesis entitled "Dodecaphony and Maqamat" from the Academy of Arts in Cairo in 1990, supervised by Awatef Abdel Karim.^{[citation needed]}

Abdelfattah received a scholarship in 1990 to study composition in Austria. He first studied composition in Graz and later in Vienna. He studied electroacoustic and experimental music under Dieter Kaufmann, where he obtained the qualification of Master of Arts in composition, from the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna in 1996. This degree was transferred to a Ph.D. in Egypt in 1998 from the academy of Arts University and the Minister of Higher Education. After his return to Egypt, he was promoted at the Cairo Conservatoire to assistant professor in 1989 and to associate professor in 2003.^{[citation needed]}

Abdelfattah is a multidisciplinary artist combining many fields in his compositions such as: poetry, painting, photography, and cinema montage, and presents them simultaneously and unconventionally using computer technology. He mixes the tone color of Egyptian traditional melodies with sound effects of machines, tools, and the sounds of daily life. He presented his first experimental and acoustic music concert in Egypt at the Cairo Opera House on November 22, 1999. Abdelfattah's works have been covered in both public and cultural media, where he has been quoted as being a comprehensive artist and a multi-media music pioneer in Egypt and the Arab countries. He has written some movements in modern graphic notation, under the title Nine Miniatures for String Quartet, premiered in Rome on December 2, 1999. He is also the first Egyptian composer to have written a composition with a specific music notation for the deaf. He has established a chamber percussion ensemble consisting entirely of deaf students in Egypt where he conducted them to perform a visual music composition under the title Seeing the Sound in a public concert at the Cairo Opera House on March 29, 2005.^{[citation needed]}

Over the last five years, Abdel-Wahab has focused on research, and published two books about orchestration and creating the sound. In his most recent booklet "Sound Scenography", entitled also Seeing the Sound, published in two volumes, (Academy of Arts University in Cairo), 2005, he writes about his unique experience related to embodied art and music. In this book he discusses new sound and musical terms, what he calls "Sound Theatricalization & Filmlization"--the translation of the dramatic feeling of any sound event into a specific visual display upon the stage. He has also written several articles in Arabic cultural journals about contemporary composition and how to find practical functions for music within society. His interests include writing applied music composition for the deaf and comic music to help from depression. He has cooperated with several Egyptian biologists and physicians to study the effectiveness of sound vibrations on the human bones and sound frequencies on blood pressure and brain function. He composed a therapeutic work utilizing water sound effects for depression, which was performed at Maadi hospital in Cairo in 2006.^{[citation needed]}

During the 2007–2009 academic year, he was a visiting professor at Boston University. He is currently a visiting lecturer at Salem State University.^{[citation needed]}

He frequently combines Eastern and Western elements, reflecting his view of the importance of cross-cultural experience. Beyond merely creating art for art's sake, Abdelfattah envisions a vital social role for his art in establishing cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, particularly between the Western and Arab peoples.

Writings[link]

• Abdel Fattah, Mohamed Abdel-Wahab (1993). "Melody in the Music of Gamal Abdel-Rahim." In Festschrift for Gamal Abdel-Rahim, ed. Samha El-Kholy and John Robison (The Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt), pp. 85–117.
• Abdelfattah, Mohamed Abdelwahab (1999). "Tone-Color Composition." Afaaq, Magazine of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. Supreme Cultural Council, Cairo.

Recordings[link]

• As Short as Possible (String Quartet No. 1) La Tache Alea-01-97, works by Gerhard Präsent, Iván Erőd, Herbert Blendinger, M.Abdel-Fattah / ALEA Ensemble^[1]
• 1995 - Conserved Ex 256-2, various composers

References[link]

External links[link]

• Abdelwahab Abdelfattah, Mohamed The Living Composers Project
• Resurrected Abdel-Halim Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue 626 2003
• Egyptian-European Festival of Silent Movies with Live Music Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue 396 1998
• ai'yu (an expression of awe and wonder) earthsongschoralmusic.com
• Musical Instrument Drive For Horace Mann getsugar.com 2008
• Composers creativescentrum.at 1979 to 2009 (German)
• Seeing the Sound, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat # 9583- Tuesday February 22. 2005
• The difference between old and new Abdelwahab, Al-hram Al-Arabi # 370, year 123, Saturday April 24, 2004

Mohamed Abdelwahab

Personal information
Date of birth	(1983-10-01)October 1, 1983
Place of birth	Faiyum, Egypt
Date of death	August 31, 2006(2006-08-31) (aged 23)
Playing position	Left back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
	Aluminium Nag Hammâdi
	Al-Zafra
	ENPPI
	El-Ahly
National team
2004–2006	Egypt	13	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Mohamed Abdelwahab (Arabic: محمد عبد الوهاب‎, October 1, 1983 – August 31, 2006) was an Egyptian footballer. He played in the defensive left back position. He was an important part of the Egyptian squad that went on to win the 2006 African Cup of Nations. He died during training with his club El Ahly on 31 August 2006.

Early life and career[link]

Abdelwahab was born in the rural town of Faiyum. He began his professional career with Aluminium Nag Hammâdi and whilst there caught the eye of then national youth team coach Hassan Shehata, who included him in his squad. Abdelwahab went on to be part of the Egyptian youth team that won the 2003 African Cup of Nations in Mali.

His excellent form in the World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates encouraged UAE side Al-Zafra to sign him on a four-year-contract. However, Abdelwahab did not make any appearances at Al-Zafra and spent his first year on-loan to ENPPI. Whilst there, he was called up to the Egyptian national team by Italian coach Marco Tardelli. Abdelwahab scored on his debut in the national team's opening 2006 World Cup qualifier against Sudan.

He then joined El Ahly on a two-year loan but failed to secure a starting place in his first season with the club since coach Manuel José depended mainly on Angolan international Gilberto. Abdelwahab's break came in the 2005 African Champions League final against Etoile Sahel of Tunisia when Gilberto left the pitch injured after ten minutes. Abdelwahab was brought on and went on to set up Osama Hosny for El-Ahly's second goal in the 3-0 win that saw the club crowned African champions.

Abdelwahab became a pivotal member of Hassan Shehata's national squad and helped Egypt win the 2006 African Cup of Nations on home soil by scoring the second penalty in the penalty shootout against Côte d'Ivoire. His steady performances helped Al Ahly secure their second consecutive local title, the Egyptian Cup and CAF Super Cup in the same season.

Ahly then moved to land Abdelwahab on a permanent basis from Al-Zafra, who turned down the offer. However, a clause in the player's contract with the UAE side allowed him to annul it and sign for Ahly, triggering a tug-of-war between Ahly and Al-Zafra and leaving the player inactive for the entire summer, causing him to lose his place in the national side. FIFA had still not determined the outcome of the disagreement when he died on August 31, 2006.

Death[link]

Abdelwahab collapsed during Ahly's morning training session on 31 August 2006. He was rushed to 'Egypt International Hospital' in Dokki, Cairo, but the 23-year-old winger died before he could be revived. According to Egyptian doctors, the cause of Abdelwhab's death was a heart defect.^[1] National coach Hassan Shehata and the players traveled to Abdelwahab's hometown, Faiyum, to attend the funeral proceedings. His #3 jersey was retired.

References[link]

1. ^ Shaheen, Amr (August 21, 2006). "Heart defect kills Egypt defender". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/5301282.stm. Retrieved October 3, 2006. 

External links[link]

• Mohamed Abdelwahab at National-Football-Teams.com
• Mohamed Abdelwahab – FIFA competition record
• CAF announcement of death

v t e Egypt squad – 2006 Africa Cup of Nations Winners (5th title) 1 El-Hadary 2 A. El-Sayed 3 Abdelwahab 4 Said 5 El-Saqua 6 Mostafa 7 Fathy 8 Eno 9 H. Hassan (c) 10 Moteab 11 Shawky 12 Barakat 13 T. El-Sayed 14 Ali 15 Mido 16 Abdel Wahed 17 A. Hassan 18 Sabry 19 Zaki 20 Gomaa 21 Abdel Malek 22 Aboutrika 23 Abdel Monsef Coach: Shehata