Chapter 142: On The Road To Acre
When people mention Damascus, the first thing that naturally comes to mind is those sharp swords with beautiful swirling patterns. Saracens dominated the entire Arabian Peninsula, bringing its beauty and fear to their enemies, but if that were all, how could Damascus be called “the garden of Heaven, the paradise on earth”?
But besides this cold steel, Damascus has another extremely precious and noteworthy specialty—brocade. Poets once said that the brocade produced in Damascus gathers the postures of beasts’ souls, the shimmering luster of birds’ feathers, and the fragrance emitted when roses bloom.
On the brocade of Damascus, you can see all the colors of the world. When you touch it, it gently laps against your palm like water waves, and those who can wear it on their bodies are either secular monarchs or agents of God.
To purchase this gorgeous brocade, the only thing you can use is gold. Even so, when a particularly flawless piece of brocade is woven, what it trades for is not just gold coins or silver coins, but something more valuable, like a glance from a sultan, a smile from a famous qiyan, or even a life.
But is it the most precious thing in Damascus City? No, it is not. The most precious thing in Damascus is only one thing, and that is knowledge.
People’s thirst for knowledge is endless, but sometimes, destiny sends rude fools to interrupt this process, specifically embodied in the barbarians’ purge of the Roman Empire. Once the most glorious culture retreated before the basest desires, knowledgeable people were no longer respected, everything was settled by the sword, and people’s fanaticism and the resulting persecution grew ever more severe.
When Christianity took control of Alexandria, the death of the Ancient Greek female scholar Hypatia could almost be seen as the last death knell tolling the demise of the great Mediterranean civilization—after this, the people of Europe entered a dark and sunless era, and the Church truly became the sole voice.
They monopolized scripture and the right to interpret it, prohibiting people from thinking, analyzing, and debating. Just as their scripture describes the best subjects—creatures as obedient and ignorant as lambs—they should have no thoughts beyond submission, and should only contribute their own and their children’s fur, milk, and flesh to the Church for free.
But after the Church had ruled autocratically for several centuries, not only the populace, but even nobles and monarchs felt the suffocation and distress brought by that colossal entity. They tried to struggle, only to find they could not see the road ahead. Imagine a knight who even needs the priest by his side to sign for him—how could he break through the vast net woven by the Church?
Thus, men of insight banded together. They needed knowledge outside the Church. But this knowledge, especially medicine, could only be found beyond the Church’s sphere of influence, and that sphere was heathen territory.
Speaking of which, the Saracens inheriting the vast sea of ancient texts left by Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire could also be called a coincidence.
Saracen culture appeared quite late, for it was not until the 7th century that the Saracens coalesced under the power of faith. They left the Arabian Peninsula and established a vast empire, and in the process of expanding their territory outward, they absorbed external cultures as hungrily as a parched desert.
Whether this culture was from Ancient Greece, Persia, or Francia, they did not care at all.
As their scholars said, the most beautiful ornament for humanity is knowledge. Although they were originally ignorant herders, without even their own language or writing, as the former said, they draped all the precious things they could gather on themselves and turned them into their own unique brilliance.
Like the classical philosophy and geometry of Ancient Greece, the official positions and systems of Byzantium, the doctrine of Christianity, the legal codes of Rome, the alchemy of Egypt, the literature and art of Persia, the mathematics and astronomy of India—yes, the prototype of the Saracen numbers we are familiar with comes from India, but it was Saracen merchants who spread it everywhere, so we call them Saracen numbers.
In addition, in distant China, they also found craftsmen willing to travel thousands of miles to make paper for them in Samarkand. With sufficient paper, in the 9th Century, many scholars were able, under the caliph’s encouragement, to begin translating the ancient texts of Egypt, Persia, Greece, and Rome—their reward was gold, as much gold as the weight of the translated manuscripts.
Moreover, whether caliphs or sultans, successive monarchs delighted in building numerous schools and libraries during their reigns. They even issued a decree that if a person mainly funded the construction of a library or school, the position related to the library or school that he thereby obtained could still be retained even after he left the army or court.
For from the Abbasid Dynasty onward, there were large numbers of Mamluks in the imperial court and army—that is, slave officials and soldiers. According to the law, they were someone else’s property and thus could not own their own assets. Once they stepped down from their original positions, the outcome was usually quite tragic and desolate. But since this decree, these people of slave origin, as long as they could fund the construction of libraries and schools, would have a place to settle in the future.
Even today, women have actively participated in such constructions, just like this primary school that Caesar and Geoffrey are visiting, which is funded by a merchant’s daughter, though it still must be attached to a temple.
It has spacious and bright courtyards, covered corridors and great halls for shelter from wind and rain. Students usually attend classes and study in the courtyard, only retreating to the great hall inside when it rains or there are strong winds. There are no tables and chairs in the great hall; students and teachers all sit on the ground, and they also pray here.
The teacher noticed them. He is a typical Saracen with a high nose and deep-set eyes. From the writing on his wooden board and the stone slabs in the students’ hands, he is teaching them to learn the Saracen language.
Unlike the courses Caesar studied with the prince back at Holy Cross Castle, the Saracens place more emphasis on the proper use of knowledge by humanity.
Just like the prevailing “squire system” among Christ’s knights, Saracen children also begin education at six years old until fourteen, during which they should learn scripture, language, and ethics.
But at fourteen, they begin to specialize.
In Christian countries and societies, the destiny trajectory of the common people is almost fixed. Sometimes from their names and surnames, people can tell what their fathers, grandfathers, or even great-grandfathers did, like carpenter, baker, hunter…
These occupational names later became some of the surnames people are familiar with. A carpenter’s son can ultimately only become a carpenter. A blacksmith’s son should only forge iron. If they go astray and want to do other work, whether out of interest or desire for money, they will face people’s doubts.
Of course, they can also ask their fathers to send them to be apprentices in trades they are interested in. Leaving aside whether the harsh apprentice system will let them succeed, countless children die in the long learning process—or rather, the process of being beaten and scolded. Even if he finally learns some meager skills, he has to wait until his thirties or forties to leave his master and work for himself.
But considering the medieval period, especially the average lifespan of the poor, this period is undoubtedly quite short.
The Saracens are different. Their children can choose disciplines they are interested in after fourteen, like reading, crafts, literature, medicine, mathematics… even Saracen priests—that is, “scholars”—are not deliberately blocked from advancement—it’s just that reaching this step takes a long time and is difficult, requiring talent more than anything. Scholars who guide a tribe or city must have received the Prophet’s “revelation”.
“Is that a girl?” Geoffrey asked in surprise— the students here are all around eight or nine years old, those wearing headscarves are girls, numbering at least a third of the total.
Among Christians, women rarely receive systematic education. Their education comes from other older women or their own mothers, and what they learn is nothing more than farming, mending, cooking, and managing household chores. Noblewomen might add subjects like poetry, dance, or playing music, but overall, they are still required to entertain their husbands or other men.
But according to Heraclius, Saracen noble ladies can even study theology and mathematics, astronomy and geography. Their knowledge can even surpass true scholars. Even so, there is no need to worry about retaliation or intimidation from men; people actually admire it greatly. Once, an exceptionally talented noble lady was even called a “scholar”. Of course, this “scholar” was just a title; she could not enter the temple to receive “revelation”. No woman can.
The scholar saw them and also saw the guide sent by Kamal—these two are also quite renowned figures in Damascus. He immediately stood up to greet them.
But upon seeing Caesar dressed as a Saracen by his side, even this usually steady and composed old man could not help but be stunned for a moment.
Saracen aesthetics differ from those of Christians, but sometimes, this difference can be completely ignored. The scholar even looked surprised at their guide, thinking he had brought a woman dressed as a man into the school. The school certainly accepts young female students, but an older woman should not be casually exposed, let alone dressed as a man—this is something Allah does not allow.
Fortunately, before he could ask, he saw Caesar’s Adam’s apple. He could not help shaking his head, marveling that Allah is truly omnipotent.
However, Caesar’s status still made him hesitate. By Caesar’s current height and shoulder width, he was already an adult, but if an experienced person observed carefully, they would find that his body still retained a childlike innocence, and he had not grown a beard.
Among Saracens, a man, once adult, must begin growing a beard. They can keep it very short or neat, but there must be a beard; only then will people see him as a man, not a boy.
His gaze then fell on Geoffrey, and he slightly frowned. This other beardless person should be a Christian.
“Lord Kamal asked me to show them around the city,” the guide immediately reminded him. Kamal undoubtedly held a special status in these people’s hearts. At least this scholar showed no intention of defying him. He nodded. “But what is there to see in a school? There are over a hundred schools here,” he said proudly. “Our children learn here everything Allah wants them to know.”
“I see. This is the most beautiful sight in this world,” Caesar said sincerely. This place even reminded him of schools from another world.
He looked around; those children were curiously eyeing these uninvited guests. They were all children of only eight or nine, the age of greatest curiosity and bluntness. If their teacher were not a stern scholar, they might have already been whispering and huddling together.
“I won’t disturb your class,” Caesar said politely. “But I want to see the library.”
The library and school are connected. Passing through the courtyard and great hall to the building in the back, they saw patrolling guards and scholars discussing or pondering in twos and threes. This scene was already quite similar to later libraries.
The library even has administrators. Even though the Saracens had learned to make paper, books were still extremely precious. Some books could not be taken out of the library, and even reading required qualifications. Non-scholars did not even have the chance to touch them.
“What would you like to see?” Because Kamal had already told this guide about Caesar’s “purification” for the sultan, he was especially kind and courteous to Caesar.
“I want to see some books on medicine,” Caesar lowered his eyes, “on leprosy.”
The guide actually hesitated for a moment. He too was a “scholar” and naturally knew how rare these books were. Sure enough, they were refused, but the administrator also pointed out a clear path: “As far as I know, scholar Razis once copied all the medical books in the House of Wisdom（ Library）. If you can persuade him to allow you to read or borrow them…”
“Do you know where Razis is now?”
“You seem really eager,” the administrator looked at the time of day; dusk was approaching. “These past few days, he has been at qiyan Laila’s place. He is pursuing her but has not succeeded yet.”
