Prince Hassan attends 12th international conference on history of Levant

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan, President of the Arab Thought Forum, on Sunday, attended the opening of the 12th international conference on the history of Bilad Al Sham (Levant), titled: "Historical writing in Levant during the first five Hijri centuries." 

The conference was organised by the Centre for Documents, Manuscripts, and Bilad Al Sham Studies, in cooperation with Yarmouk University, the University of Jordan, and Damascus University, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

In his speech, Prince Hassan stressed that the purpose of discussing Bilad Al Sham is to sound the alarm, particularly as the matter is related to identity and the construction of integrated and equitable independence between the countries of the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula.

He noted that the Levant has enjoyed diversity at all levels, where the major ethnicities in it rest on four pillars: Arabs, Persians, Turks, and Kurds, where this ethnic diversity, along with religious and linguistic variety, has enriched the economic, social, and cultural life of the Levant.

The prince highlighted the need to direct spending towards genuine security, which is human security, especially in countries suffering from wars, crises, famines, and poverty, as its positive returns far exceed those of military security expenditure.

Prince Hassan described what is happening in the Gaza Strip as a third nakba (catastrophe), producing victims who represent a humanitarian tragedy beyond any material compensation.

He also pointed out that discussing the Levant requires considering its intertwined elements: geography, identity, migration, and multiple identities, especially with the policies of eradication used by the occupation in its war on Gaza.

Prince Hassan added that what is happening is not a clash between civilisations or cultures, but a struggle over the essence of culture.

President of the University of Jordan Nazir Obeidat said that history is not merely a narration of past events, but a collection of integrated images of people's lives in a land and time, calling on historians today to embark on bold adventures into the past with a high scientific standard that serves the truth and stands by it without fear or shame.