Howard Crosby Butler

العلا وقصر ابن وردان من تأليف باتلر وترجمة عائشة موسى يسلط الضوء على (19) موقعًا أثريًا في المنطقة الشمالية من وسط سوريا. ويعد قصر ابن وردان تحفة عمرانية منقطعة النظير تنفرد بين جميع المواقع الأثرية في شمال سوريا بجمالها الأخَّاذ وتنوعها المذهل. وقد بدت مساقطه الأفقية وطرز عمارته ومواد بنائه مماثلة إلى حدٍ كبير لتلك المتَّبعة في تشييد الصروح الإمبراطورية التي اشتهرت في القسطنطينية خلال عهد الإمبراطور جاستينيان. وتتباهى المنطقة بأكملها بكثرة مبانيها الأثرية التي تمثل فنونًا معماريةً متنوعةً تجسدت في نمطٍ فريدٍ اختصت به سوريا دون غيرها من البلدان؛ إذ لا يوجد في أي مكان آخر في العالم مثل هذا الغنى في أوابده الأثرية الدينية والعسكرية والسكنية والجنائزية والتي تفتح الباب واسعًا أمام كل راغبٍ في دراستها وكشف خفاياها. The ͑Alā and Ḳaṣr Ibn Ward n, written by Butler and translated by Aisha Moussa, covers (19) ancient sites in Northern Central Syria. Ḳaṣr Ibn Ward n is the most prominent architectural masterpiece which is unmatched in beauty and diversity of style among all ancient ruins in Northern Syria. It was built on a ground plan, in a style, and of material similar to those employed in the imperial edifices of Constantinople during the reign of Justinian. The whole area boasts its great body of buildings representing every variety of architecture, in a style which is peculiar to the country. No where else are there such abundant remains of the religious, military, domestic and funerary architecture open for study and research activities.

Henry Jackson van Dyke (November 10, 1852 - April 10, 1933) was an American author, educator, and clergyman. *Biography* Henry van Dyke was born on November 10, 1852, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Poly Prep Country Day School in 1869, Princeton University, in 1873 and from Princeton Theological Seminary, 1877. He served as a professor of English literature at Princeton between 1899 and 1923. Van Dyke chaired the committee that wrote the first Presbyterian printed liturgy, The Book of Common Worship of 1906. In 1908-09 Dr. van Dyke was a lecturer at the University of Paris. By appointment of President Woodrow Wilson, a friend and former classmate of van Dyke, he became Minister to the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1913. Shortly after his appointment, World War I threw Europe into dismay. Americans all around Europe rushed to Holland as a place of refuge. Although inexperienced as an ambassador, van Dyke conducted himself with the skill of a trained diplomat, maintaining the rights of Americans in Europe and organizing work for their relief. He later related his experiences and perceptions in the book Pro Patria (1921). Van Dyke resigned as ambassador at the beginning of December 1916 and returned to the United States. He was subsequently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters and received many other honors. Van Dyke was a friend of Helen Keller. Keller writes, "Dr. van Dyke is the kind of a friend to have when one is up against a difficult problem. He will take trouble, days and nights of trouble, if it is for somebody else or for some cause he is interested in. 'I'm not an optimist, ' says Dr. van Dyke, 'there's too much evil in the world and in me. Nor am I a pessimist; there is too much good in the world and in God. So I am just a meliorist, believing that He wills to make the world better, and trying to do my bit to help and wishing that it were more.'" He died on April 10, 1933. He is buried in Princeton Cemetery. A biography of Van Dyke, titled Henry Van Dyke: A Biography, was written by his son Tertius van Dyke and published in 1935.. Howard Crosby Butler (March 7, 1872 Croton Falls, New York - August 13, 1922 Neuilly) was a United States educator and archaeologis