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In Syria, a Shiite shrine and community navigate a changed landscape

In Syria, a Shiite shrine and community navigate a changed landscape

Washington Post21-05-2025

SAYYIDA ZEINAB, Syria — At the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, rituals of faith unfold: worshippers kneel in prayer, visitors raise their palms skyward or fervently murmur invocations as they press their faces against an ornate structure enclosing where they believe the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad is entombed.
But it's more than just religious devotion that the golden-domed shrine became known for during Syria's prolonged civil war .

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Researchers delve into history of Utah's ‘buffalo soldiers,' create trail recalling their presence
Researchers delve into history of Utah's ‘buffalo soldiers,' create trail recalling their presence

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Researchers delve into history of Utah's ‘buffalo soldiers,' create trail recalling their presence

For perhaps the first time, Utah historians have organized much of the history surrounding the Black soldiers who served in Utah in the post-Civil War era to make sure it isn't forgotten. 'We didn't have any idea what we were getting ourselves into, and it's just mountains of information we've been able to bring to light because of this,' said Ian Wright, director of the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program, which is overseeing the effort. The research started in 2023 and the historians involved have created the Buffalo Soldier Heritage Trail linking several sites of note involving those first Black soldiers, known at the time as buffalo soldiers. Public events are set for Friday and Saturday at three of the sites, with signage geared to the general public to eventually be placed at the locations to promote interest in the history. 'A lot of folks know about the buffalo soldiers, but they don't usually connect them to Utah,' Wright said. Around a quarter of all African-American soldiers who served in the western United States in the period of westward U.S. settlement following the Civil War, though, came through the state, he said. As part of the initial public presentation of project findings, three simultaneous talks are scheduled for Friday at the Fort Douglas Military Museum in Salt Lake City, the Price Prehistoric Museum in Price and the Uintah County Heritage Museum in Vernal. On Saturday, driving tours will be held through three areas of note in the history of buffalo soldiers in Utah, starting in Salt Lake City, Price and Vernal. Participants must register online and organizers will send additional event details to those signing up to take part. Wright said some of the buffalo soldier history has been preserved in places like Carbon and Uintah counties and Fort Douglas, where some of the soldiers were stationed. 'But for the large part, it's kind of been overlooked a little bit here in Utah. One of our goals is to connect back into that larger story and bring this history to life, to help to safeguard that,' he said. 'The information's out there; it had just never kind of been pulled together in a way where people could see.' Two regiments of buffalo soldiers, the 24th Infantry at Fort Douglas and the 9th Calvary at Fort Duchesne, served in Utah, part of the U.S. military contingent assigned to the American West to protect settlers moving to the area. Wright said their presence was most pronounced in Utah from around 1878 to 1901. Well over 1,000 buffalo soldiers served in Utah, he estimates, with varied roles in Ford Douglas, Fort Duchesne, Carter Military Road, Gate and Nine Mile canyons, Moab, Helper, Price and Vernal, the key stops on the Buffalo Soldier Heritage Trail. While their official role was to protect settlers from attacks by the Native American population, the buffalo soldiers faced other challenges, notably discrimination from within the military ranks and from the communities they served. 'Not only is it a military story, it's an American story, it's a Western story, it's an African American story. It's just got so many neat nuances,' Wright said. Wright and his team, which operates under the umbrella of the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, have been working with the Sema Hadithi African American Heritage and Cultural Foundation, based in West Valley City. Reps from the University of Utah's American West Center, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have also helped. Much of the history they've organized and unearthed is available online and in an audiobook.

Gaza marks the start of Eid with outdoor prayers amongst the rubble and food growing ever scarcer
Gaza marks the start of Eid with outdoor prayers amongst the rubble and food growing ever scarcer

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time12 hours ago

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Gaza marks the start of Eid with outdoor prayers amongst the rubble and food growing ever scarcer

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AP PHOTOS: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip struggle to celebrate Eid al-Adha
AP PHOTOS: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip struggle to celebrate Eid al-Adha

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Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are struggling to celebrate one of the most important Islamic holidays. To mark Eid al-Adha — Arabic for the Festival of Sacrifice — Muslims traditionally slaughter a sheep or cow and give away part of the meat to the poor as an act of charity. Then they have a big family meal with sweets. But no fresh meat has entered the Gaza Strip for three months, and nearly all the territory's homegrown sheep, cattle and goats are dead after 20 months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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