Roma, Non Peracta…

As many of you know, I am currently undertaking a gap year in order to pursue some passion projects and attempting to figure out what I want to do, and who I wish to be in life - God, I sound like such a back-packing hippie. Amongst my other endeavours, I have had the chance to travel a little in the first few months of this year; recently I returned from Rome, with a developed understanding of the truth that a vacation need not be two weeks in a resort, nor spending unholy hours roasting under the sun.

A week in Rome can show you the rapture of travel and the splendour of history in roaring action. The joy in stepping off a plane, whether its Emirates or Ryanair, each step a broadening in the comprehension of Allah's creation. Although Rome is hardly an exposition of the natural world, it is on the whole a monument in tribute to the power of human possibility. The largest concrete dome in the world, the largest stadium on earth for 1800 years, over 400,000km of roads - all 2759 years before the iPhone was invented to capture it.

As impressive as this may be, Rome envelops the religious epicentre of the Catholic world, The Vatican. A country in its own right, The Vatican wafts an air of religiosity over the cobbled streets of Rome. I noticed a greater degree of social modesty upheld by both tourist and local, most likely due to the religious inclination of Rome and its rich Catholic history. From fashion to food and architecture, Rome teems with a yearning desire to be what it once was. Hydroflasks filled by 'nasoni' taps that have supplied the visitors of Rome with water for 2 centuries, modern buildings decorated with Michaelangelo inspired ceiling tapestries; stone fired pizza blisters and bubbles, forming hills through which viridescent rivers of olive oil flow freely and the chill of gelato cool the weary traveller.

Rome is a deafening collision of the historic and the modern; the shiny and the new usurped by ancient ruins and guilded cathedrals. Amongst the throngs of tourists, immigrant workers predominantly of a Bengali origin and locals of the Lazio region, remain figures of history that highlight a people who understood the world so vastly different to how we do in this 21st century.

The suckling of Romulus and Remus is a fiction oft sighted on historical buildings as well as Egyptian obelisks standing erect in piazzas across the city. I found Rome a city of great conscious, aware of each of its many searing contradictions and oddities. From Pagan Rome to Catholic Rome, Coliseum to Obelisk, Sun God to Holy Father, Emperor to Senate, Rome has, is and will always be a reflection of human nature. Our capricious tendencies, difficulty to stick to one path in life, avoidance of certainty and embrace of extravagance - Rome was the centre of the world for so long and rightfully so. We can learn from it the ubiquitous desire for mankind to worship something, that spiritual heed must be paid regardless of who or what it is to. We learn of our desire to conquer, expand, populate, build, democratise, subjugate, enforce, protest and discover.

"You don't really know a person until you live with him, travel with him or do business with him”, Umar Ibn Al Khattab RA. This adage inspires both a confidence and trepidation in the uncovering of a companion's personality. A fear is conjured in the thought that when you travel with someone for the first time you may uncloak an infirmity in their character and I am sure many friendships have been damaged in this process. Friendship to me has never been defined by proximity or grandeur - and I'm not entirely sure what it is characterised by yet - but I do know that the brothers I travelled to Rome with showcased the positive impact a good heart and strong friendship can have on a short trip.

I now find myself longing for the crunch of fresh pizza, the sweet and tart spoonfuls of gelato; I miss the overgrown foliage on city walls and bustle in quant alleyways, the warmth of incense burning in unsuspecting nooks leading us to into grand, vacant cathedrals and the glistening pride the people of Rome have in their great city. And I pledge to honour the great uncertainness of Roman history with the conviction that one day I will return to Rome.

As always, contribute to the blog in anyway you can. Feel free to get in contact or leave any feedback at issaishaqblog@gmail.com. Share with friends and family and subscribe below 💛