What do you think?
Rate this book
Simeon
The first time I visited Simeon Stylites on his pillar was in 1970, just when Hafez al-Assad had become President of Syria. The pillar - in northern Syria - was the centre piece of a magnificent basilica built around it soon after Simeon's death in 459. The site is known as Qalaat Simaan, hill of Simeon. For some 40 years this holy eccentric chained himself to the top of a high pillar beside a major East-West Road that crossed northern Syria between the worlds of the Mediterranean and the Orient. His shrine has subsequently been visited by passers-by from all over the region.
That link, that Road, explains so much of Syria's history. I travelled on it whenever I visited Simeon - the Jinn as he was known locally - and his shrine. That is set some thirty kilometres west of the great mercantile city of Aleppo. Much further to the west is city of Antioch - Antakya in today's Turkey. The Road was traversed by armies, merchants, churchmen, and pilgrims. A small patch of the ancient road still remains beside the modern road.
The pillar also came to symbolise for me the history of this tragic, beautiful country. My 'timetable' for this story starts in 1970, three years after the 1967 war in which the Arabs were roundly defeated by Israel and which led to Assad's rise to the Syrian presidency. It is over fifty years since that first visit, years that have been marked by the chronic instability of the region in contrast with the immobility. I was fascinated by the immobility (and logistics!) of this man compared with the mobility of those
who crowded to, past, by, near him, moving on that axial Road between East and West. In this fictional account I saw Simeon as a symbol of stability in the maelstrom of the Middle East. Many of his visitors were seeking comfort, consolation for the tragedies of their lives. Many also came to give thanks for happy moments.
I was fascinated by the locality of his pillar - where it stood beside a road passed by caravans, armies, tourists, above all pilgrims - Christian and Muslim - travelling through what? - the Middle East after all. Everyone now as then on the move.
Not forgetting in all this the anguish of Syria, much of the latest instalment taking place while I have been writing. Qalaat Simaan - Simeon's citadel, the hill on which he stood - used to symbolise for me the one point of stability in the turmoil of the Middle East.
But now? Where is Simeon now? Where is the Jinn?
That link, that Road, explains so much of Syria's history. I travelled on it whenever I visited Simeon - the Jinn as he was known locally - and his shrine. That is set some thirty kilometres west of the great mercantile city of Aleppo. Much further to the west is city of Antioch - Antakya in today's Turkey. The Road was traversed by armies, merchants, churchmen, and pilgrims. A small patch of the ancient road still remains beside the modern road.
The pillar also came to symbolise for me the history of this tragic, beautiful country. My 'timetable' for this story starts in 1970, three years after the 1967 war in which the Arabs were roundly defeated by Israel and which led to Assad's rise to the Syrian presidency. It is over fifty years since that first visit, years that have been marked by the chronic instability of the region in contrast with the immobility. I was fascinated by the immobility (and logistics!) of this man compared with the mobility of those
who crowded to, past, by, near him, moving on that axial Road between East and West. In this fictional account I saw Simeon as a symbol of stability in the maelstrom of the Middle East. Many of his visitors were seeking comfort, consolation for the tragedies of their lives. Many also came to give thanks for happy moments.
I was fascinated by the locality of his pillar - where it stood beside a road passed by caravans, armies, tourists, above all pilgrims - Christian and Muslim - travelling through what? - the Middle East after all. Everyone now as then on the move.
Not forgetting in all this the anguish of Syria, much of the latest instalment taking place while I have been writing. Qalaat Simaan - Simeon's citadel, the hill on which he stood - used to symbolise for me the one point of stability in the turmoil of the Middle East.
But now? Where is Simeon now? Where is the Jinn?
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2024
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 22, 2024
A brilliant imaginative historic journey
SIMEON by Sarah Searight
This is a brilliant and magical book, using all the author’s deep knowledge and love of the history, landscapes, peoples and cultures of Syria and its neighbouring territories to construct a rich narrative centred around the 5th century ascetic known as Simeon Stylites (the ‘pillar squatter’) but interwoven with her personal journeys and contacts over many years linking the past and the present. The story of Simeon’s search for spiritual grace is told from his early struggles with his own sensual urges to his excessive self-deprivation and descent into a ragged and smelly holy man, and eventually his elevation above the adoring crowds on his raised platform. The world he lives in is described with vivid detail with references to all the varied peoples who passed on that well-worn route from the coast through Antioch and Aleppo – merchants, invaders, occupiers, preachers. Romans, Arabs, Persians, Turks, Huns…Sarah Searight’s rich imagination and descriptive gifts evoke all the aromas, sights, sounds and tastes of the area then and now, with plenty of memorable incidents, characters and lively narrative, interspersed with insights into the schisms and power struggles of a Christian world balanced between Rome and Constantinople and a region whose way of life was increasingly threatened by a world in disorder, as it is now. The author describes the book as a work of imagination, which it certainly is, but grounded in research and factual veracity, as one would expect from someone with a background in journalism who has also written scholarly works on the Middle East. A wonderful achievement and a great read.
SIMEON by Sarah Searight
This is a brilliant and magical book, using all the author’s deep knowledge and love of the history, landscapes, peoples and cultures of Syria and its neighbouring territories to construct a rich narrative centred around the 5th century ascetic known as Simeon Stylites (the ‘pillar squatter’) but interwoven with her personal journeys and contacts over many years linking the past and the present. The story of Simeon’s search for spiritual grace is told from his early struggles with his own sensual urges to his excessive self-deprivation and descent into a ragged and smelly holy man, and eventually his elevation above the adoring crowds on his raised platform. The world he lives in is described with vivid detail with references to all the varied peoples who passed on that well-worn route from the coast through Antioch and Aleppo – merchants, invaders, occupiers, preachers. Romans, Arabs, Persians, Turks, Huns…Sarah Searight’s rich imagination and descriptive gifts evoke all the aromas, sights, sounds and tastes of the area then and now, with plenty of memorable incidents, characters and lively narrative, interspersed with insights into the schisms and power struggles of a Christian world balanced between Rome and Constantinople and a region whose way of life was increasingly threatened by a world in disorder, as it is now. The author describes the book as a work of imagination, which it certainly is, but grounded in research and factual veracity, as one would expect from someone with a background in journalism who has also written scholarly works on the Middle East. A wonderful achievement and a great read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review