In celebration of the Minaret

The Swiss, long known for religious tolerance, have just voted to ban the minaret, an important but not essential part of Islamic architecture.

An Op-Ed column in the New York Times of Dec 6, 2009 nicely comments on the social and political aspects of this story.

What is the purpose of minarets in Islamic buildings? Some believe that towering minarets are made to establish Muslim supremacy. Perhaps, but they serve far more practical functions. Minarets associated with masjids (mosques) are used to call the faithful to prayer. This was a practical option in the days when personal watches were not so common, but not one any more. Minarets also serve an air-conditioning  function - as the sun heats the dome, cold air is drawn in through the open arches (or windows) and hot air is released from the minarets, cooling the structure. Remember High School Physics - warm air is lighter than cold air and rises to the top.

Without going into the politics of the minaret, I celebrate the stupidity of the Swiss with pictures from my archives.  There are masjids with minarets and there are also masjids with no minarets. Many tombs and forts in the Indian subcontinent, which serve no religious function, also have minarets to enhance their architectural style.

Take a look.

Minarets on Masjids


From my Turkey files - 1. Sultanahmet Cami (Blue mosque), Istanbul; 2.  Yeni Cami (New mosque), Istanbul; 3. Eyup mosque, Istanbul; 4. Iznik minaret (notice the blue tile work from the city where the colour turquoise was discovered).

From the Indian subcontinent

Badshahi Masjid, Lahore, Pakistan - Built in 1673 by the sixth Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, it is remarkably similar to the Jama Masjid of Delhi. Sorry, I don't have Delhi's Jama Masjid in my digital files yet.

Faisal Mosque, Islamabad, Pakistan - Built in 1986, it adds a modern architectural style in Pakistan's capital city.

Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque), inside the Red Fort, Delhi, India - This personal masjid of Emperor Shahjehan has small minarets that served neither the purpose of calling for prayer nor were symbols of power. They were ornamental, adding only to the beauty of this masjid.

Minarets on Tombs

Humayun's Tomb, Delhi, India - Humayun was the second Mughal emperor. Clearly these minarets serve only an ornamental purpose on his tomb.

Gate of Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra, near Agra, India - Akbar was the third Mughal emperor. Notice the similarity between these and the minarets of the Taj Mahal (see later)

Jahangir's Tomb, Lahore, Pakistan - Jahangir was Akbar's son and the fourth Mughal emperor.

Shahjehan's Tomb, Agra, India - Shahjehan was Jahangir's son and the fifth Mughal emperor. He is buried beside his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in the beautiful Taj  Mahal. In this wide angle view from across the Yamuna river, the Taj Mahal is flanked by a masjid on the right (look, no minarets!!) and an identical structure on the left built just for the purpose of maintaining symmetry.

The Taj Mahal has one of the most elegant minarets you will find on a building. They are tall, but not overbearing on the structure. I am always reminded of a painter's fingers when I look at them. See if you agree.

Itmad-ud-daulah's Tomb, Agra, India - This is a small, ornamental tomb belonging to a nobleman in Jahangir's court and his father-in-law. Notice the small minarets that accentuate the corners of this tomb that stands, like most other mughal tombs in the middle of a charbagh - a four-cornered garden.

Minarets in Forts

The Red Fort, Delhi, India - Will the ramparts of the Red Fort be as beautiful without the minarets, which serve no religious purpose?

Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, India - A small structure close to the highest point of the fort has two exquisite minarets in a style seen in Qutub Shahi tombs (see my Hyderabad photo essay).

Other Minarets

Two other minarets stand out in the architecture of the Indian subcontinent.

Qutub Minar, Delhi, India - This is clearly a minaret of power, built on the ruins of Lal Kot, the citadel of Tomars and Chauhan, to celebrate the victory of Qutubuddin Aibak over Prithviraj Chauhan. Construction of the Qutub Minar was started in 1193 and was finally finished in 1386 by Firozshah Tughlaq. The inspiration for the Qutub Minar was the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan. Is this famous minaret named after Qutubuddin Aibak, the first Sultan of the Slave Dynasty or after Khwaja Syed  Muhammad Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, a Sufi saint venerated by Aibak's successor Iltutmish?

Charminar, Hyderabad, India - Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah built Charminar (four minarets) in 1536 as a thanksgiving to the Almighty for the end of the plague outbreak in his city. Though it was built to be a mosque, the mosque is hidden in one corner of the topmost level; it is the minarets that are overpowering and a defining feature of this structure. My picture below shows the Charminar from the adjoining Makkah Masjid, whose minaret is seen in the foreground.

It is not just muslims who have used minarets on their buildings. When the British built their new capital on Raisina Hill in New Delhi, they put minarets on the facade seen today on buildings of the Noth Block and South Block, which house important ministries of the Government of India. Check out my picture of the North Block, all decked up for India's Republic Day.

I thank the Swiss for their inspiration. They make great chocolate, but right now make no sense.

Hyderabad - A Photo Essay

Hyderabad, the city of Nizams, pearls and biryani, is also the most rapidly expanding of Indian cities, a hub of high technology companies, but still full of charm and tradition.  As always, the pictures are all mine, from a trip in July 2009.

In its most recent history, the region was ruled by the Kakatiyas and then the Bahmani sultans, the latter possibly of Tajik-Persian descent, and possibly the first Islamic and Shi'ite kingdom in South India. The Bahmani Sultanate, which broke away from the Delhi sultanate during the rule of Muhammad bin Tughluq in 1347, itself broke up into 5 states - the Deccan Sultanate in 1518. Golconda was one of these, rules by the Qutub Shahi dynasty. The grand Golconda fort was the power centre and a few miles away stand the beautiful Persian style Qutb Shahi Tombs.

The Golconda Fort walls and ruins

 City from the Golconda Fort

 

 Makkah Gate, Golconda Fort - The old Sultan used this gate  to leave the Fort for the Hajj pilgrimage after abdicating the throne to his successor.

 

Hyderabad, according to popular lore, was established by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah after he fell in love with Bhagyamati, a Hindu Banjara girl. After her acceptance into the royal fold, she was named Hyder Mahal, and thus the name Hyderabad. Another theory is that Hyderabad is the 'City of Hyder', named after Ali, the fourth Khalifah (Caliph) of Islam. The city was established on the banks of the Musi river in 1591. Today, the river is no more than a drain, but thankfully its cleaning and preservation work has started.

The Qutb Shahi Tombs are fine examples of carved stonework set in a large garden, and are a rare example of almost the entire dynasty buried in one area. An elaborate hamam, with great natural lighting, and reminiscent of the baths of Central Asia, is also within the precincts and was used to wash the dead before burial.

Tomb of Hayath Bakhshi Begum

The Mortuary Bath - built by Sultan Quli Qutb ul Mulk (1st king) along with his own tomb

Tomb of Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah (6th king)

Tomb of Kulsoom Begum (daughter of Muhammad Qutb Shah)

 

Graves on the platform of Sultan Quli Qutb ul Mulk Tomb. In background are the Tomb of Kulsoom Begum and Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah

 

Tomb of Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah (6th king)

 

 Tomb of Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah (4th king)

 

Aurangzeb's Masjid at the Qutb Shahi Tombs; Aurangzeb is said to have prayed here during the siege of Golconda in 1687

 

Golconda was finally captured by the Mughal king Aurangzeb in 1687 and was governed from Delhi through Governors, who in time gained autonomy. In 1724 Asaf Jah I, Nizamul Mulk (Governor of the country) established control over Hyderabad and the Asaf Jahi Dynasty. His descendents, the Nizams governed Hyderabad till 1948, when the State of Hyderabad joined the Union of India.

The Chowmahalla Palace of the Nizams is a neo-classical palace modeled on the Shah of Iran's Palace in Tehran. Its construction was started by Salabat Jung (4th in succession) in 1750 and was finally completed by the 5th Nizam, Asaf Jah V, in the period 1857-68. With elegant gardens and fountains, the palace has two courtyards - the northern courtyard housing the administration and the southern courtyard housing four palaces - Afzal Mahal, Aftab Mahal, Mehtab Mahal and Tahniyat Mahal. Its construction over a long period ensures a number of architectural styles. The jewel of the Palace is Khilwat Mubarak, the Durbar Hall of the Nizams.

Northern Courtyard, Chowmahalla Palace

Northern Courtyard

 

 Khilwat Mubarak

 

 Khilwat Clock; entrance to Chowmahalla Palace

 

 Durbar Hall

 

The Throne

 

 Entrance to the Southern Courtyard

 

Southern Courtyard

 

Palace details, Southern Courtyard

 

The old city of Hyderabad is crowded but a shopper's delight, with its pearl and saree shops and the Laad Bazaar with glittering shops selling shiny bangles, a Hyderabad trademark.

Laad Bazaar

 

 Beautiful Hyderabadi Bangles

 

Two special buildings dominate the old city - the Charminar and the Makkah Masjid. Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (5th Qutb Shahi king) built the Charminar after he shifted his capital from Golconda across the Musi River to Hyderabad. This is a monument of gratitude to Allah for sparing the city of the plague outbreak in 1591. It is actually a masjid (mosque), which is hidden on the upper floor, but the structure is dominated by four beautifully ornate, strong yet aesthetic minarets with exquisite carvings.

The Charminar

The Makkah Masjid, so called because Sultan Muhammad Qutb Shah (6th king) commissioned it using bricks made from earth brought from the Islamic city of Makkah (Mecca). The work began in 1617 and was finished 77 years later by Aurangzeb in 1694. Next to the masjid stands a simple but elegant structure that houses the graves of the Nizams.

Makkah Masjid (right) and the Mausoleum of the Nizams (left)

The lovely minarets of the Nizam mausoleum

Here rests the Asaf Jahi dynasty (the Nizams)

 

Pigeons are in plenty at the Makkah Masjid, with Charminar in background

 

Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, a poet of great versatility and distinction in Persian and its forms later developed as the Urdu language, and in Dakhni (Southern Indian), dialect prayed at the inauguration of his new city.

Mera shehar logan soon mamoor kar
Rakhya joon tun darya mein min Ya Sami
(O God, fill my city with people, as you have the river with fish)

His wish seems to be granted. Hyderabad is teeming with people and more wanting to move there for the opportunities it offers today.

Feeling tired? Blame it on a virus.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), as the name suggests, leads to extreme tiredness in people over many years, and unlike the fatigue most of us feel after hard work or an acute illness, is not relieved by rest. Think of it like you feel during a cold, except that it lasts years.

There are estimates that CFS may affect about 1% of the world population. Though viral etiologies have been suggested, including the involvement of enteroviruses and herpesviruses, the cause of CFS has remained unknown. A new report in the magazine Science, shows the association of a retrovirus, called XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus), to CFS. This virus was earlier implicated in prostate cancer, one of the most common cancers in men.

Is there anything common between prostrate cancer and CFS? Its too early to say, but lets look at the science and the evidence.

A report in 2006 in the journal PLoS Pathogens first showed the presence of XMRV in prostate cancer patients. Hereditary prostate cancer (HPC), which accounts for 43% of early onset cases and about 9% of all cases, is due to germline mutations in HPC genes. Robert Silverman and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation found the HPC1 gene to code for RNase L, a protein involved in antiviral immunity. This suggested the possibility that chronic viral infections might predispose men to prostate cancer.  Together with Joseph DeRisi and Don Ganem at the University of California San Francisco, Silverman discovered XMRV in tumor-bearing prostate tissues (picture below). Interestingly, XMRV was present in prostate tissues of men who have a variant HPC1 gene (which makes a reduced activity variant of RNase L), but rarely in men with the wild type gene making normal RNase L.

The recent Science paper by Judy Mikovits' group from the Whittemore Pederson Institute in Reno (Nevada, USA) and collaborators at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick (Maryland, USA) shows that 67% of CFS patients, but only 3.7% of healthy persons, had XMRV in their blood. In cell culture experiments, these workers also demonstrated that XMRV obtained from CFS patients is infectious and can be transmitted from an infected cell to a healthy cell.

Is XMRV the cause of CFS? This is not proven yet. We only have an association. XMRV was detected in the blood of 68 of 101 CFS patients. What about the other 33? They may have levels of XMRV too low to detect by molecular methods (though I doubt this very much), or there may be other etiologies for CFS. It is also possible that XMRV is a passenger virus whose replication is activated (and it is therefore detectable) more often in CFS patients than in healthy people. What could be the reason(s) for such activation? It could be weakened innate immunity due to the low activity variant of RNAse L. CFS patients, just like those prone to prostrate cancer, carry this gene variant more often than healthy people.

The Science study also reports XMRV in the blood of 8 of 213 healthy persons. This 3.7% positivity also raises various issues Are these people able to control XMRV more effectively? What about the RNAse L variant in these persons? This also shows that XMRV is far more prevalent than previously believed.

Where did XMRV come from? The DNA of XMRV from prostrate cancer patients shows >90% identity to xenotropic murine leukemia virus, a virus found in strains of wild and laboratory mice. Mice produce low levels of this virus, which does not reinfect mouse tissues, hence called xenotropic - a virus that can grow in a species other than its origin. It is possible that XMRV jumped from mice to humans, and unlike in mice, where the virus is in equilibrium with its host, it is still evolving in humans, and is therefore associated with some clinical syndromes.

XMRV is found in the blood of CFS patients. It can potentially be transmitted through transfusion, intravenous drug use and other routes involving blood/blood cells. Whether it can transmit by other routes will depend upon where else it is found in humans. But transmission studies have not yet been done.

Is there an association between CFS and prostrate cancer? These studies are suggestive, but more direct studies are required.

These studies raise interesting questions, which will keep the field busy for many years to come.

References:
Urisman A, et al (2006). Identification of a novel Gammaretrovirus in prostate tumors of patients homozygous for R462Q RNASEL variant. PLoS Pathogens, 2 (3) PMID: 16609730
Lombardi V, et al (2009). Detection of an Infectious Retrovirus, XMRV, in Blood Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1179052

Discussing viruses in Napoleon's backyard

I just returned from Ajaccio (pronounced Ajak-cio) on the western coast of the island of Corsica, a French territory in the Mediterranean Sea, which is actually closer to Italy than it is to France. Besides being an extremely beautiful locale, its claim to fame is being the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The purpose of this trip was to attend a meeting of the International Consortium on Antivirals (http://www.icav-citav.ca/), "a not-for-profit drug development organization dedicated to the discovery and development of anti-viral therapies for neglected and emerging diseases." This was a small "by invitation" conference with scientists from various parts of the world who discussed emerging viruses, neglected diseases and strategies to fight them over 3 days.

Most of the group traveled from Marseille to Ajaccio (map on left), an overnight journey on the ship Napoleon Bonaparte. I flew from Delhi to Paris, on to Ajaccio to land at the (you guessed it right) Napoleon Bonaparte airport. Ajaccio, the capital city of Corsica is at the northern end of Ajaccio Bay (map on right). The conference was in Ajaccio, but we stayed at a resort called Coralia Club across the Bay at Porticcio (map on right), about 20 km by road or a 15 minute ferry ride across the Bay.

Ajaccio Bay is beautiful with hills lining it all along. It makes for a perfect setting to watch the sunset, and if you can get up early enough in the morning when the moon is full, it offers a spectacular sight. The pictures below show various moods across Ajaccio Bay, from Ajaccio and Porticcio.

Corsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with a coastline of over 1000 km and a population of only around 250,000. Large parts of the island are Nature Reserves, which includes rare breeding sites for sea eagles and protection for other endangered species. Corsica has been inhabited continuously since the Mesolithic Age and over time acquired an indigenous population that has influenced Mediterranean history. It became part of the Roman Empire, and was claimed by the Repulics of Pisa and Genoa. The Genoese took possession in 1347 and governed till 1729, briefly being taken by the French in 1553. The Corsican Independence Movement began in 1729 and 26 years later, in 1755 an independent Corsican Republic was formed under the leadership of Pasquale Paoli, which remained sovereign till 1768. In 1764, Corsica was secretly purchased by the French from the Republic of Genoa. Following a  brief civil war in 1768-69, Corsica was incorporated into France in 1770.

Napoleon Bonaparte (Nabulione Buonaparte) was born in 1769 in the house of Charles-Marie Buonaparte, an attorney and secretary to Pasquale Paoli. The modest 4-storey home is now a museum in the heart of Ajaccio, not far from the central piazza, the cathedral and the Town Hall.

The central piazza has a statue of Napoleon on horseback surrounded by his four brothers. Napoleon's presence is all over this town in the form of statues, streets and lanes.

Travel to the northern point of Ajaccio Bay and you come across some interesting sights. At lands end the coast is rocky and the Sanguinaires archipelago is visible with its Genoese tower, which was used to sight pirates and warn the inland population by lighting fires. Similar towers can also be found inland to relay the message through smoke and drums.

Another very interesting and unique sight towards the northern end of Ajaccio Bay is the Cemetery. It is unique because unlike other cemeteries with graves, this one has small chapels, each for an individual or many times even for a family.

While strolling through the Cemetery, I captured an interesting view with the chapels in the foreground and modern apartments in the background. I call this "Apartments for the Dead and Living".

The beauty of this place is awesome. I forget I was actually here to discuss viruses, viral diseases and research on drugs against them. So, back to the science.

The Conference was held at the Palais des Congres, which overlooks the Ajaccio Port. The first session presented an innovative model for funding drug development research. This included adding a small tax on international travel, which has so far raised over $500 million to finance access to medicines in developing countries.

The session "HIV - Present and Future Challenges" discussed various aspects of HIV vaccines, including recent success of the ALVAC-AIDSVAX prime-boost vaccine combination (which I covered in an earlier blog; Sept 24), and the failed Merck vaccine trial last year. Discussions also  focused on the host response to HIV infection and ways to modulate the host to contain infection.

The session "Dengue - An integrated model for arthropod-borne viral disease control" was dominated by an elegant and comprehensive talk by Eva Harris from UC-Berkeley. Eva's efforts from the bench to bedside in dengue research, her reach in impoverished and under-developed scientific communities, and her efforts to make them part of the solution are truly inspiring. Various other lectures and discussions focused on new drug targets in dengue and other flavi viruses. The community seems to be coming together for drug design and testing that requires coordination between virologists, structural biologists, bioinformatics experts, organic chemists, industry and clinical trials experts.

The sessions on "Emerging Viruses" started with  an entertaining but highly informative talk by Ernst Gould from Oxford University. Ernie's appearance and mannerisms reminded me of one of the comedians on the very funny TV show "Whose Line Is It Anyway". Various other speakers dealt with drug design efforts against hepatitis C virus, influenza virus, and more generic approaches to broadly active drugs against positive- or negtive-stranded RNA viruses. Predictably, pandemic flu viruses dominated the discussions.

This is definitely one of the best meetings that I have attended in a long time. Besides the beautiful surroundings, the science was good, discussions were intense but friendly and informal, the organization was superb, and there were just enough people to make it scientifically interesting yet personal.

One advantage of meeting in a small place is that even scientists get noticed. The Mayor of Ajaccio organized a reception for us in the Town Hall. We passed through a ceremonial Guard of Honour and were welcomed and addressed by the Mayor himself in the richly decorated Napoleon Bonaparte room.

The ICAV recognizes the state of scientific research and the pharmaceutical industry in India, and expressed interest in starting an India Consortium. A few MOUs were signed between ICAV and Indian institutions. We return energized from this conference and hope to get more Indian colleagues involved in this unique effort. We also hope to organize the 2011 ICAV Annual Conference somewhere in India.

I would like to personally thank  the organizers for inviting me and a few other colleagues from India. Jeremy and Michel are the brains behind ICAV; Rajan and Christine did all the logistics. Thank you everyone for a wonderful and stimulating meeting.

I hope to see you all in Montreal next year.