Once upon a time, there was a queen (part 2 ) [Archives:2007/1051/Reportage]
May 17 2007
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Queen Arwa was a powerful woman and a good mother. Historians narrate, that one day her daughter Fatima complained that her husband married another woman. Queen Arwa instructed her daughter to get out of her husband's fort disguised as a man. Once Fatima was safe in her mother's castle, Queen Arwa ordered her daughter's fort to be besieged, driving the son in law to flee the country.
She was born and raised in Aden until she moved to live with King Ali Al-Sulaihi and his wife Queen Asma in Sana'a because of her father's death. She stayed with the family even after king Ali was murdered and his son Al-Makram became king, whom she married when she became 18 years old in 458 Hijriah. With him she had four children two boys who died in their childhood, and two girls.
She was kind and moral and so beautiful. She was tall, fair and a little plump and had a strong loud voice. Queen Arwa was wise and knowledgeable, that she surpassed so many intelligent men with her abilities. She had a photographic memory and memorized many stories, poems, and both religious and modern sciences. But most important of all her virtues, is that she was a good politician and won the love of her people whom she ruled for over 50 years.
She started her political life during her husband's time. Because of his bad health, King Al-Makram left every thing to her and she found it difficult to be both a wife and a ruler. She told him: “A woman destined to rule is no good to be her husband, so let me be to attend to my tasks as a queen.”
When her husband died, she overcame any opposition and still controlled Al-Sulahi Kingdom. The first political move she made was during her husband's life when she moved the capital from Sana'a to Jibla. Her understanding of people's nature made her realize that Jibla is a more peaceful place to be in.
Jibla city is called the city of two rivers because is it is located between two big water streams caused by summer rain, a fact that made it one of the greenest areas in Yemen even today.
A castle worth of a queen
Before she moved to Jibla, Al-Makram instructed a castle to be built for her. It was called “Dar Al-E'z” and had 360 rooms, and the queen slept each night of the year in a different room. Some parts of the castle were designed as a workshop for making swords and spears. There is a mosque where the queen used to pray on the eastern edge of the castle, and at the end of the castle's garden, there was a narrow road paved by stones called Tareek Al-Sulaihi (Al-Sulaihi way).
The castle also included accommodation facilities for guests and ministers as well as a prison.
Locals say the queen created a tunnel underground between the castle and another mosque, which she had built for the public called Queen Arwa Mosque.
Although she was able to control the state during his husband's illness, Queen Arwa understood that the first thing she needed to do was get rid of Al-Sulaihi Kingdom's strongest enemy, Saeed Al-Ahwal, who had killed her father in law on his way to Mecca. In 481, the queen sent Al-Husein ben Abi (the king of Al-Shaer fort) to Al-Ahwal to tell him that Al-Makram is sick, and he left the country to a woman. She ordered him to pretend that the queen does not know about his voyage and to tell Saeed that he (Saeed) is the strongest king in Yemen, and he deserved to rule the whole country. Al-Husein would join armies with him to attack Jibla each from a different angle. Al-Ahwal fell for the trick and headed with 30,000 of his men towards Jibla. To his surprise he was faced by a ready army and was killed with many of his men.
When Al-Makram died, many Yemeni kings wanted to marry queen Arwa but she dedicated her life to God and running her kingdom. Sultan Saba' ben Ahmed Al-Sulaihi proposed to marry her, and when she refused he became angry and decided to show the queen his power. So he gathered his army not to fight the queen but to show her his might. The queen, in the other hand, gathered her army. The two armies were about to fight, when mediators intervened and the queen said that if the Caliph of all Muslims Al-Mustanser Billah ordered her she would marry. Saba' sent a massage to Al-Mustanser telling him his request. The Caliph Al-Mustanser ordered the queen to marry sultan Saba'. In his massage to the queen, the caliph reminded her that she should obey Allah' and his prophet' orders. And she consider the benefit of Muslims and that her marriage is a duty to avoid war and to unify the kingdoms. But the queen refused and after much persuasion, she agreed. After that sultan Saba' come to Jibla with so many people, and camped in Jibla valley. The queen was so generous to them. This made Sultan Saba' regret his behaviour with her. He asked her to pretend that they got married for the sake of the public and then left Jibla. Until his death in 441 he remained loyal to her and supported her in every way he could.
Company prize
drawings: who benefits?
By: Saddam Al-Ashmori
From time to time, we hear of competitions conducted by telecommunications firms. As soon as one company finishes its drawing, another one launches something similar. However, a question still remains about such firms' credibility and the return of such competitions to the firms themselves, as well as their customers.
In an effort to learn how such companies select the winners, we asked MTN Yemen Marketing Manager Walid Akawi, who pointed out that “Drawings take place in front of people and in public places, such as grand trade centers and parks. They're done in the presence of a judging committee and involve all classes of society, including doctors, engineers, lawyers, the media, etc., and attending audiences also sometimes participate.”
Akawi adds that the aim of such competitions is to boost customer trust in the company, as well as update them about new services. “It relies utterly on luck. Anyone can attend such activities to ensure our credibility.
“We're enthusiastic about such competitions because we, the company, and our customers both benefit from them,” Akawi concludes.
Hisham Mus'ed Saleh points out that he has participated in numerous competitions, but “So far, I haven't won. Such competitions have cost me approximately YR 3,000, but I've received nothing except spending my effort and fatigue.
“I think the objective of such competitions is to gain maximum profits, together with publicizing the company,” he adds.
Capt. Mahmoud Al-Sharghabi, who's never participated in any competition, agrees with Saleh that such companies just seek to gain more profits at the risk of customers.
However, others like Nashwan Al-Qamawi, who won a complete set of household furniture valued at $5,000, don't agree with Saleh or Al-Sharghabi and believe that such prizes do earn their firms credibility and cause customers to trust them, especially when the winners are from different areas.
Fellow winner Mohammed Shumailah declared that he didn't expect to win, especially since he'd participated many times in the past, but in vain. He adds that he won because he didn't become hopeless and continued participating; however, he doesn't remember the cost.
On the other hand, some individuals lose nothing, because they don't participate in such drawings on principle, describing them as ill-gotten or haram. One such example is Hussein Mohammed, who points out that Islam forbids such drawings because one receives something to which he has no right.
“It's clear that such companies aim to increase the number of customers and attracts others' attention to them without providing the services provided in other countries,” he opined.
Ali Al-Taweel reveals that he has participated in many drawings, but in vain. He thinks such drawings are no more than cheating promoted by mass media. “We blame you, the media, because you don't observe such firms' credibility or impartiality,” he remarked.
He concluded by vowing that he won't participate anymore, especially as he lost his eid pocket money while participating in last Ramadan's competitions.
Yahya Mohammed Daghish, who always participates in such competitions, agrees with Al-Taweel and doubts the results of such drawings because he hasn't won anything, despite the fact that he participates a lot. Regarding his losses, Daghish believes he spends 50 percent of his income on such competitions.
Nevertheless, Sabafon Marketing Manager Pierre Imad assures that the aim of such competitions is to boost sales and advertise a company's distinctive services in an attempt to satisfy customers or keep pace with other firms. He further noted that his company offered Yemen's grandest competition ever, valued at $600,000. Prizes were distributed in public and in front of the media.
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[archive-e:1051-v:15-y:2007-d:2007-05-17-p:report]
