Update

I have not been posting regularly here because I haven't been having the time to actually sit and squeeze something out of my brain. Usually, when I come online or visit my blog, it's a time when I escape from reality and try to use as little brain cells as possible. However, I am in the mood for torturing my brain cells! My next post will be coming soon within the next week.

I would like to note that my future posts here may not be exactly about Bint Jbeil, taken my lack of experience and knowledge on it, but my topics will be dealing with issues that may be indirectly/directly related to Bint Jbeil as being part of Greater Syria, whose experience under the Crusades, Mamluks, Ottomans and so on will have its effect on its smaller localities, hence Bint Jbeil... This is where and how the parallel may be drawn. Usually, in art history, when little information/sources/material/inscriptions is available on a monument/city, comparisons are made with other monuments/cities in order to locate specific local idioms or narratives [i.e. comparing an foundation inscription on monument A with that of monument B and because we know monument B bears significant Mamluk characteristics, thus monument A may belong to the Mamluk period, etc...]. However, [not wishing to fall into the mistake of thinking that the circumstances of a more studied city will definitely apply to another] while in Greater Syria there seem to be a set of common features (such as the square minaret), its cities retained characteristics only specific to them. It is also worth noting that mistakenly we (historians/art historians) may tend to focus mainly on the macro, thus neglecting the micro. We attempt to fit the city into a larger history or fit this history into the city. I always try to keep in mind the importance of positioning both in an interlocking dialogue [many times, unknowningly, I fail]. In simple terms, both need one another and both justify one another.

Within the coming period, I hope to write on the following:

1- I want to elaborate more upon the Lebanese central hall house, taking my direct reference Bint Jbeil's pictures posted here, while illuminating on the recent studies and findings regarding this house type. Ragette's work is a pioneering work but it is outdated now.

2- I wish to write a few thoughts on the prevalent urban structure of most Islamic cities.

3- I want to write about the Mamluks and their interesting relationship with the Ayubids (historical and architectural terms).