"Zenobia"
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Zenobia A slim and dark-haired Palmyrene woman, Zenobia was pretty as a pearl and lively as a wild deer. Her love for freedom came Zenobia studied in Alexandria and mastered the Aramaic, Greek and Latin languages. After the assassination of her husband Odenathus, Head of the Palmyrene Senate, she ruled as regent of her son Vaballathus, and her Palace turned into a gathering place for poets and philosophers such as Longinus, and a refuge for the persecuted. The Ancient World was a playground for the Romans, and Palmyra, the rich and sparkling state, fell like all other states of the time within the Roman sphere of influence. Zenobia did not yield to the luxurious life of palaces. She was dreaming of independence. Why can’t all countries be sovereign? Why do some peoples occupy other lands and deprive them of sovereignty and resources? “I was born free in the desert and I came to free the others.” Zenobia, who carries in her blood the dignity and honor of all women, proclaimed herself Queen of Palmyra and vowed to an end the Roman presence in the East. She challenged Rome and was the first Arab voice in the face of the occupier. Zenobia liberated Syria, Egypt and a part of Asia Minor, and people used to greet her with songs and dances. The Roman Caesar Aurelian, who disregarded Zenobia at the beginning, could no longer remain passive. He led his armies, determined to defeat her. In the end, quantity prevailed over quality, and Zenobia was defeated. The meeting that took place between the defeated Zenobia and the triumphant Aurelian was a message for the generations to come. “I surrender to my destiny,” she said… “and I head to Rome. In my golden chariot, I go shackled by chains of gold. Aurelian, the defeated Palmyra and the triumphant Rome will be in the future nothing but stones and ruined columns; and you and me, two cold statues in a museum. Neither the army of Rome nor Rome itself would be able to shut up this voice, Aurelian.” A battle between the East and the West took place at the east of the Euphrates River. The triumph of the East would have meant the triumph of civilization, dialogue, knowledge and love. However, the victory was for the West, for the civilization of iron, for Rome. Each and every day, a new Rome shall be born, a state of iron, of killing and destruction, from now and till the end of days. Zenobia will be celebrated first in Dubai, which has thrown its support behind this enterprise. Here at the centre of the New Arabia, the people will welcome her spirit with open arms, just as the people used to celebrate the farewell of Zenobia as if they were welcoming her... in fact, they were welcoming a new era inaugurated by Zenobia, a new era that would change the course of History, an era where the weak resist the tyrants. I am the first voice of freedom in this arabic land I am the first voice against injustice I offered my blood for freedom N.B: The uniqueness and deep development of this musical play is accompanied by great music composition, choreography, songs, acting, outfits, settings, and armies that take us back to a great era in our History and remind us of an Arab woman figure who resisted the greatest Empire in History. Mansour Rahbani |
from the vast deserts she lived in, which made her the first voice of liberation in the East. By refusing to submit to the greatest Empire in History, she has drawn our attention to the exceptional power women can have in the field of leadership, courage, wisdom and determination.