Studies
Recounting the past in service of the future:
Ghilan Al-Dimashqi in various
contexts
This study seeks to focus on the process of
recounting history for the sake of the present.
Indeed this process is linked to a number of
fields related to public affairs, which may be
deployed in politics, culture and philosophy –
especially in efforts to face the obstacles of the
present. In the aim of realising that goal, this
study recounts a specific historical story; the life
of Ghilan Al-Dimashqi who lived in Damascus
in the eighth century, A.D. It is the study of the
methods that emerge in relation to this story
in three stages that subscribe to different time
periods, as well as understanding the different
contexts in which those stages occurred.
The story begins with the image that Judge
Abdul-Jabar (d. 1025) presents of Ghilan AlDimashqi, describing the relationship between
that image and the life of the Judge when
he presented this image. After summarising
some issues related to the life of Judge AbdulJabar, it becomes apparent that his projection
of personal life obstacles upon Ghilan AlDimashqi contributed to the image of him
being perceived in a particular way. Indeed, the
historian Ibn Asaker (d. 1175) creates an image
of Ghilan Al-Dimashqi
that reflects the specific
time period in which he
wrote his work on AlDimashqi’s life and that
is completely contrary
to Judge Abdul-Jabar’s depiction. However,
both historians agree that their depictions
of Al-Dimashqi were in line with the interests
of their time. The study continues to explore
the third stage, which is the cinematic style of
Syrian director Haytham Haqi, who deals with
Ghilan in a film about his life. The importance
of Haqi’s film is that it presents a holistic view
of this historical personality launching from a
present context, whilst skilfully avoiding the
trap of oversimplification which sometimes
deals with historical events as examples that
have given birth to the present.
By: Firas Al-Hawat
Delta-N Journal
Summary Edition - June 2014
15