The night comes alive at the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa Square in Marrakech, Morocco. Jemaa el-Fnaa dates back to 1050 CE and was originally a square of public executions hence its translation to "assembly of the dead". Today it is a cultural center and marketplace similar to life around Tha Phae Gate here in Chiang Mai. As part of your studies in AP World History, you will read about the great Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta, who visited Marrakech in circa 1350, at the height of the Bubonic Plague. Ibn Battuta observed cities in the Arab world struggling to cope with a pandemic without the benefits of modern medicine, writing "... people fasted for three successive days... [Then all the people] assembled in the Great mosque until it was filled to overflowing... and spent the night there in prayers... Then, after performing the dawn prayer..., they all went out [barefoot] together... carrying Korans in their hands. The entire population of the city joined... The Jews went out with their book of the law and the Christians with the Gospel... [all] of them in tears . . . imploring the favor of God through His Books and His Prophets." What comparisons can we make between Battuta's first hand descriptions of BLACK DEATH to the COVID pandemic that remains fresh in our minds today? What similarities and what differences can we observe? WHAP is less concerned about the memorization of dates and facts and more concerned with highlighting our HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS and REASONING PROCESSES. While this course is incredibly demanding, I hope wholeheartedly that you will find it infinitely fascinating and highly rewarding.
The night comes alive at the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa Square in Marrakech, Morocco. Jemaa el-Fnaa dates back to 1050 CE and was originally a square of public executions hence its translation to "assembly of the dead". Today it is a cultural center and marketplace similar to life around Tha Phae Gate here in Chiang Mai. As part of your studies in AP World History, you will read about the great Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta, who visited Marrakech in circa 1350, at the height of the Bubonic Plague. Ibn Battuta observed cities in the Arab world struggling to cope with a pandemic without the benefits of modern medicine, writing "... people fasted for three successive days... [Then all the people] assembled in the Great mosque until it was filled to overflowing... and spent the night there in prayers... Then, after performing the dawn prayer..., they all went out [barefoot] together... carrying Korans in their hands. The entire population of the city joined... The Jews went out with their book of the law and the Christians with the Gospel... [all] of them in tears . . . imploring the favor of God through His Books and His Prophets." What comparisons can we make between Battuta's first hand descriptions of BLACK DEATH to the COVID pandemic that remains fresh in our minds today? What similarities and what differences can we observe? WHAP is less concerned about the memorization of dates and facts and more concerned with highlighting our HISTORICAL THINKING SKILLS and REASONING PROCESSES. While this course is incredibly demanding, I hope wholeheartedly that you will find it infinitely fascinating and highly rewarding.
