|
Failaka Island ((アラビア語:جزيرة فيلكا) '' / '') is a Kuwaiti Island in the Persian Gulf. The island is 20 km off the coast of Kuwait City in the Persian Gulf. The name "Failaka" is thought to be derived from the ancient Greek '' - '' "outpost".〔(BBC News article )〕 ==History== In 2000 B.C., Mesopotamians settled in Failaka at least a century before the Dilmun civilization.〔 Traders from the Sumerian city of Ur occupied Failaka and ran a mercantile business.〔 Failaka had many Mesopotamian-style buildings typical of those found in Iraq dating from around 2000 B.C.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Traders from Ur? )〕 In 3rd century BC, Failaka was home to the Dilmun civilization.〔 During the Dilmun era (from ca. 3000 BC), Failaka was known as "Agarum", the land of Enzak, a great god in the Dilmun civilization according to Sumerian cuneiform texts found on the island.〔 As part of Dilmun, Failaka became a hub for the civilization from the end of the 3rd to the middle of the 1st millennium BC.〔 Failaka was settled following 2000 BC after a drop in sea level.〔Potts, Daniel T.. Mesopotamian civilization: the material foundations. 1997〕 After the Dilmun civilization, Failaka was inhabited by the Kassites of Mesopotamia, and was formally under the control of the Kassite dynasty of Babylon.〔 Studies indicate traces of human settlement can be found on Failaka dating back to as early as the end of the 3rd millennium BC, and extending until the 20th century AD.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Sa'ad and Sae'ed Area in Failaka Island )〕 Many of the artifacts found in Falaika are linked to Mesopotamian civilizations and seem to show that Failaka was gradually drawn toward the civilization based in Antioch. At some point following Alexander the Great's initial advance through the region in 331 BC or in the period 324/3 BC when he returned to Mesopotamia, the ancient Greeks colonized the island, which they named Ikaros after the Greek island in the Aegean Sea and the mythical hero Icarus, apparently in the belief that the island had a similar shape of its Aegean counterpart. Some elements of Greek mythology were mixed with the local cults.〔 "Ikaros" was also the name of a prominent city situated in Failaka.〔J. Hansamans, Charax and the Karkhen, ''Iranica Antiquitua'' 7 (1967) page 21-58〕 Remains of the settlement include a large Hellenistic fort and two Greek temples.〔George Fadlo Hourani, John Carswell, Arab Seafaring: In the Indian Ocean in Ancient and Early Medieval Times Princeton University Press,( page 131 )〕 Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Failaka was under Babylonian control.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Brill's New Pauly: encyclopedia of the ancient world )〕 Cuneiform documents found in Failaka indicate the presence of Babylonians in the island's population. Babylonian Kings were present in Failaka during the Neo-Babylonian Empire period, Nabonidus had a governor in Failaka and Nebuchadnezzar II had a palace and temple in Falaika. Failaka also contained temples dedicated to the worship of Shamash, the Mesopotamian sun god in the Babylonian pantheon.〔 In 127 BC, the kingdom of Characene was established around the Bay of Kuwait near Failaka. Characene was centered in the region encompassing southern Mesopotamia, including Failaka island. A busy Characene commercial station existed on Failaka island.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=A Parthian Harbour in the Gulf: the Characene )〕 A Christian Nestorian settlement flourished in Failaka from the 5th century until the 9th century.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Hidden Christian Community )〕 Excavations have revealed several farms, villages and two large churches dating from the 5th and 6th century.〔 Archaeologists are currently excavating nearby sites to understand the extent of the settlements that flourished in the eighth and ninth centuries A.D.〔 An old island tradition is that a community grew up around a Christian mystic and hermit.〔 The small farms and villages were eventually abandoned.〔 Remains of Byzantine era Nestorian churches were found at Al-Qusur in Failaka. Pottery at the site can be dated from as early as the first half of the 7th century through the 9th century.〔Vincent Bernard and Jean Francois Salles, "Discovery of a Christian Church at Al-Qusur, Failaka (Kuwait)," ''Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies'' 21 (1991), 7–21. Vincent Bernard, Olivier Callot and Jean Francois Salles, "L'eglise d'al-Qousour Failaka, Etat de Koweit," ''Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy'' 2 (1991): 145-181.〕〔Yves Calvet, "Monuments paléo-chrétiens à Koweit et dans la région du Golfe," ''Symposium Syriacum , Uppsala University, Department of Asian and African Languages, 11–14 August 1996'', ''Orientalia Christiana Analecta'' 256 (Rome, 1998), 671–673.〕 Prior to the Iraqi Invasion, the island had over two thousand residents and several schools. The village of Al-Zawr is situated near the middle of the northwest side of the island. It was the longest continuously inhabited location in Kuwait. During 1990 and 1991, the invading Iraqis depopulated the island, expelling all of its residents to the mainland. The Iraqi military mined the beaches and used the island's facilities and buildings for target practice. In 1991, the allied forces forced the Iraqi army forces occupying the island to surrender through bombing and psywar operations. The sewage system was destroyed and has yet to be fully repaired. Also, many old homes continue to sit empty and decaying; bullet holes can still be seen. After the war, Failaka was cleared of mines, but it remains under military use. Nevertheless, Failaka Island is becoming a popular holiday destination from Kuwait City. The ferry ''Ikarus'' takes passengers out to the island. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Failaka Island」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|