Roman Remnants - Economic Times
December 1, 2010, 6:30:00 PM
"The Economic Times article tells the account of the syncretic voyage through Muziris' history. Muziris' legacy serves as a testament to Hugh and Colleen Gantzer's journey. When Rome dominated the globe, Muncharipattanam served as the centre of the Malabar Spice Coast. After 900 years, a significant flood silted up the port and made Cochin, farther south, accessible. After being abandoned, Muziris reemerged as a ghost town that straddled reality and fiction. Then, unpredictably, not too long ago, a flood of evidence started to emerge from the Pattanam community. Perhaps it was the initial harbour from which Muziris' megacity sprang.
The significance of Cheraman Juma Majsid in the Muziris Heritage Project lies in the fact that it is the first mosque in India. It was built in 629 AD by Malik Ibn Dinar.
The 300 sq km Muziris Heritage Project includes themed museums, a tourist centre, and any additional attractions that Benny Kuriakose, the project's conservation consultant, is able to design. We do, however, hope that they won't overlook the intangible in their sincere attempts to document Muziris' material heritage.There are still sarpakaavus dedicated to old snake deities,temples to Shakti, Siva, and Vishnu, the first church, the first mosque, and the synagogue of the first Jews in India. Here once flourished a culture renowned for tolerance, a harmonious blending of new and old customs, and inhabitants who had no time for intolerance.
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