Suleima above Ibn Khuldun Statue

Suleima above Ibn Khuldun Statue(Gasmi OLfa) SULEIMA WOKE UP EARLY. SHE STARTED TO SING CHEERFULLY TO AWAKEN THE OTHER BIRDS AND DOVES LIVING AROUND WHEN SHE SAW MISTER HOOPOE COMING, A PRETTY BIRD IN CHARGE OF DISTRIBUTING LETTERS. HE WAS HOLDING A LETTER. HE GREETED HER:
- GOOD MORNING, SULEIMA!
- GOOD MORNING, MISTER HOOPOE!
- I HAVE A LETTER FOR YOU.
- “THANKS” SULEIMA SAID, “COME IN!”
- “SORRY SULEIMA, IM IN A HURRY, I HAVE TOO MANY OTHER LETTERS TO DELIVER” HE REPLIED
- “OK BYE, AND GOOD LUCK”.
- “THANKS, BYE" HE SAID.
SULEIMA OPENED THE LETTER AND STARTED TO READ:

DEAR SULEIMA

WE MISS YOU A LOT!
WE WILL COME TO TUNISIA TOMORROW.
WE WILL BE IN THE FOREST OF THE
MARVELLOUS TREE AT 7 AM.
YOURS SINCERELY


“I MUST PLAN FOR A NICE JOURNEY” SULEIMA SAID TO HERSELF. “SINCE 2006 MARKS THE 600TH COMMEMORATION OF IBN KHALDOUN’S DEATH, I’M GOING TO MAKE THE CHILDREN DISCOVER HIS SPLENDID STATUE”.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOREST, THE TROUBLEMAKER BLUE BIRD, KAOS, WAS CRYING BECAUSE SULEIMA PREVENTED HIM FROM GOING WITH HER AND THE CHILDREN IN THEIR JOURNEYS BECAUSE HE ALWAYS MAKES TROUBLE.

THE NEXT DAY, SULEIMA’S FRIENDS CAME: SANDRA FROM SPAIN, MAYARA FROM TUNISIA, BASIL FROM JORDAN AND FREDERICO FROM ITALY. SULEIMA GREETED THEM WARMLY:
-“HI CHILDREN, WELCOME TO THE FOREST OF THE MARVELLOUS TREE”.
-“HI SULEIAMA” THE CHILDREN REPLIED.

WHEN THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY TO L’AHBIB BORGUIUBA AVENUE WERE OVER, SULEIMA AND HER FRIENDS WERE PROMPT TO LEAVE.
-“IT WILL BE A LONG TRIP”, SAID MAYARA.
-“REALLY”, ASKED SANDRA, ”HOW FAR IS LAHBIB BORGUIBA AVENUE FROM HERE SULEIMA?“
-“DON’T WORRY MAYARA, IT’S NOT TOO FAR.”
THE CHILDREN CAUGHT THE BUS. THE TRIP WAS PLEASANT WITH COMFORTABLE SEATS AND DELICIOUS FOOD.


THE BEAUTIFUL SULEIMA WAS FLYING GLADLY OVER THE BUS WHEN SHE NOTICED A SMALL BLACK BIRD FOLLOWING HER, “WHO’S THAT”, SULEIMA WONDERED.

WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT LAHBIB BORGUIBA’S AVENUE, SULEIMA STARTED TO TALK ABOUT IBN KHALDOUN. SHE ASKED THE CHILDREN TO LISTEN CAREFULLY, AS SHE WAS GOING TO TEST THEM BY THE END OF THE JOURNEY. BIRDS FROM NEAR AND FAR STARTED TO COME TO GREET SULEIMA AND TO LISTEN TO HER, AMONG THEM WAS THE BLACK BIRD.

“OH WHAT A SPLENDID STATUE”, THE BLACK BIRD CRIED.
SULEIMA ASKED: “DO YOU KNOW WHY IBN KHALDOUN IS FAMOUS?“
“HE MUST HAVE BEEN A STRONG MAN”, FREDERICO REPLIED, “IS HE A POWERFUL WARRIOR?” HE ADDED.
”NO FREDERICO. HE WAS A PEACEFUL MAN. HE BELIEVES THAT POWER DOES NOT RESIDE IN PHYSICAL STRENGH, BUT IN GOOD MENTAL REASONING. HE WAS BORN IN 1332 IN TUNIS AND DIED IN 1395. HE IS UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED AS THE FATHER OF SOCIOLOGY AND OF THE STUDY OF HISTORY.
-“WHAT’S SOCIOLOGY?” SANDRA ASKED.
-“IT IS THE STUDY OF HUMAN SOCIETY AND THE BEHAVIOUR OF PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS. HE SPENT MUCH OF HIS YEARS TRAVELING IN MUSLIM SPAIN AND PARTS OF NORTH AFRICA“.
-“WHAT’S THE MOST FAMOUS BOOK OF IBN KHALDOUN?” LARA ASKED,
-“AL MUKHADDIMAH (THE INTRODUCTION), IT WAS A MASTERPIECE IN PHILOSOPHY, HISTORY AND SOCIOLOGY.”
-“WHAT DOES MASTERPIECE MEAN?” ASKED LARA.
-“IT MEANS AN EXTREMELY GOOD WORK OF ART DEAR LARA. IN IT, IBN KHALDOUN IDENTIFIED THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE GROWTH OF HUMAN CIVILIZATIONS”.
“I HAVE SEEN THIS BOOK WRITTEN IN FRENCH ON MY FATHER’S DESK”, MAYARA SAID.
“YES DEAR, AS IBN KHALDOUN’S WORKS ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION AND ADMIRATION OF SCHOLARS IN THE EAST AND THE WEST, THEY WERE TRANSLATED INTO MANY LANGUAGES.
-“DID HE VISIT EGYPT?”, BASSIL ASKED.
-”YES DEAR. HE DID AND HE LECTURED AT THE FAMOUS AZHAR UNIVERSITY AND WAS APPOINTED CHIEF MALAKITE JUDGE”.
DO YOU KNOW ANY OTHER BOOKS WRITTEN BY IBN KHULDOUN?” SULEIMA ASKED.
-“YES”, MAYARA REPLIED. “I KNOW KITAB AL ABRAR“.
“GREAT MAYARA, THIS BOOK DEALS WITH THE HISTORY OF NORTH AFRICA."

WHILE SULEIMA WAS INFORMING THE CHILDREN ABOUT IBN KHALDOUN, THE BLACK BIRD WHO HAD FOLLOWED HER WAS ADMIRING THE BIG BUILDINGS ALONG LAHBIB BORGUIBA AVENUE, THEN HE MOVED CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY SO AS NOT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO HIM AND RAPIDLY FLEW AWAY. ON HIS WAY, HE NOTICED A BIG CHURCH.
“OH WHAT A SPLENDID BUILDING!”, THE BLACK BIRD WHISPERED.

A HUGE PRESTIGIOUS THEATRE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AVENUE HAD CAUGHT THE BLACK BIRD’S EYES. NOT FAR AWAY, HE SAW SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING. IT WAS A HUGE GOLDEN CLOCK UNDER WHICH THERE WAS A VAST SWIMMING POOL WITH COLORFUL BEAUTIFUL LIGHT SHADOWS.
“GREAT!“ THE BIRD EXCLAIMED. “I‘M GOING TO GO THERE” HE DECIDED.

ON HIS WAY, HE CAME ACROSS A FLOCK OF BIRDS. THEY WERE QUARRELLING ABOUT WHICH OF THEM IS STRONGER. THE BLACK BIRD LISTENED TO THEM THEN UTTERED IN CONFIDENCE: “HEY BIRDS, IM GOING TO PROVE MY POWER OVER YOU ALL.”
“WELL, I’M READY”, HE ADDED, THEN HE GATHERED ALL HIS STRENGTH AND STARTED TO BEAT BIRDS USING HIS WINGS, WHILE ANOTHER BIRD, CALLED MISTER WISDOM, WAS LOOKING AT HIM THEN SHOUTED: “TO PROVE YOUR POWER, YOU SHOULD REACH THE CLOCK THEN GO OUT QUICKLY AND COME BACK TO THIS TREE.” ALL THE BIRDS AGREED THEN HURRIED TO THE CLOCK.
THE BLACK BIRD CRIED: “LOOK HOW POWERFUL I AM”. HE CAME INTO THE HUGE CLOCK AND THE BIRDS FOLLOWED HIM, THEN HE STARTED TO MOVE UP AND DOWN CRAZILY TRYING TO COME OUT OF THE HUGE IRON CLOCK WHILE THE OTHER BIRDS WISELY AND CLEVERLY MANAGED TO GET OUT. THEY REACHED THE TREE, WHILE THE BLACK BIRD REMAINED A PRISONER.

SULEIMA AND THE CHILDREN NOTICED THE CROWD OF BIRDS ROUND THE CLOCK.
THEY WENT THERE TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. SO CONFUSED, THE BLACK BIRD SMASHED INTO THE IRON OF THE CLOCK THEN FELL INTO THE POOL WHICH WAS BENEATH THE CLOCK. WHEN HE GOT OUT OF THE WATER, SULEIMA NOTICED THAT THE BLACK BIRD TURNED BLUE! SHE IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED KAOS WHO HAD DISGUISED HIMSELF BY PAINTING HIS FEATHERS BLACK.
THE BIRDS STARTED TO MAKE FUN OF HIM...SULEIMA ADMONISHED HIM: “YOU HAVE FOLLOWED ME! YOU ARE REALLY A MALICIOUS BIRD.”
ASHAMED, KAOS BEGGED SULEIMA’S FORGIVENESS AND PLEADED HER TO LET HIM PARTICIPATE IN THE GAME.

SULEIMA TOLD HIM:” OK, BUT IT WILL BE THE LAST TIME THAT I FORGIVE YOU KAOS”.
KAOS SAID TO HIMSELF GLADLY “I’M GOING TO WIN SURELY. I’M GOING TO BE THE RICHEST BIRD IN ALL THE MARVELOUS TREE FOREST”.
SULEIMA ASKED THE CHILDREN TO COME CLOSER TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE QUESTION.
“THE ONE WHO WILL GIVE THE RIGHT ANSWER WILL WIN A NICE PRESENT," SULEIMA EXPLAINED. THE QUESTION IS: “WHAT’S THE MORAL THAT SHOULD BE SAID TO KAOS AND THAT I HAVE MENTIONED TO FREDERICO?” SULEIMA DISTRIBUTED PAPERS AND ASKED THE CHILDREN TO WRITE DOWN THEIR ANSWERS.

THE CHILDREN WERE HAPPY, THEY KNEW THE ANSWER, BUT KAOS STARTED TO CRY AND ASK FOR HELP:” HELP ME CHILDREN, I’M YOUR FRIEND, AREN’T I?”
-“KAOS ,IF YOU HAD LISTENED TO ME, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ANSWER” SULEIMA SAID.
SO DISAPPOINTED, KAOS GAVE BACK AN EMPTY PAPER TO SULEIMA.
ALL HIS DREAMS SHATTERED WHEN SULEIMA ANNOUNCED THE NAME OF THE WINNER,
IT WAS MAYARA. SULEIMA ASKED HER TO READ THE ANSWER LOUDLY: ”POWER DOESN’T RESIDE IN PHYSICAL STRENGTH; IT RESIDES IN GOOD MENTAL REASONING“. MAYARA SAID.
SULEIMA TOLD KAOS: “IF YOU HAD USED YOUR MIND, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME OUT OF THE CLOCK QUICKLY AND EASILY. THIS IS THE REAL STRENGTH.”
SULEIMA GAVE MAYARA HER PRESENT AND ASKED HER TO OPEN IT. IT WAS A NICE COMPUTER! MAYARA JUMPED DELIGHTFULLY WHILE KAOS CRIED BITTERLY. MAYARA FELT SORRY FOR HIM.
“DON’T WORRY KAOS, I WILL LET YOU USE MY COMPUTER, YOU CAN PLAY A LOT OF GAMES”, MAYARA SAID TO KAOS.

SO GRATEFUL, KAOS THANKED MAYARA.
WHILE THE CHILDREN WERE ADMIRING THE NEW COMPUTER, SULEIMA SAID LOUDLY: “HEY CHILDREN, THE JOURNEY IS OVER”.
THE CHILDREN STARTED TO EXCHANGE THEIR ADDRESSES AS THEY REALLY BECAME TRUE FRIENDS.


YOU ARE ALSO CONCERNED DEAR CHILDREN, CHOOSE YOUR BEST DESTINATION AND WRITE TO ME. YOU CAN COME INTO A WORLD OF EDUCATIONAL AND FUNNY ADVENTURE IN THE COMPANY OF YOUR FRIEND SULEIMA. WRITE ABOUT YOUR BEST ADVENTURE, THE PLACES YOU HAVE ALREADY VISITED IN TUNISIA AND WHAT YOU HAVE APPRECIATED MOST. Your friend, Olfa Gasmi.