The man who lost a 'coral kingdom'

The man who lost a 'coral kingdom'
By Nick Squires
BBC News, Cocos Keeling Islands

For many, living on an tropical island away from the cares of everyday life is the ultimate dream. But, for a family of British merchant adventurers, the dream became a reality when they ran a group of islands as a private fiefdom for 150 years.

對許許多多的人而言，住在熱帶小島上遠離塵囂是終其一生的夢想。但是對一個英國商人冒險家家族來說，早在150年前，他們把幾座島嶼當成自己的封地來經營時，這個夢想就已經實現了。

From the air, they look like a chain of pearls wrapped around a giant opal. Twenty six tiny islands enclosing a turquoise and jade lagoon.

二十六座小島將透著藍綠色及碧玉色的瀉湖圈在中央。從空中俯瞰，像極了一串溫潤的珍珠纏繞鑲嵌在一顆巨大的蛋白石周圍。

Stepping out of the aircraft, I was enveloped by tropical heat.

步下飛機，迎面襲來的熱帶暑氣將我整個人罩住。

Palm trees rustled in the breeze and there was the distant sound of surf crashing on a reef. The locals were either barefoot or in flip-flops.

棕櫚樹在輕柔的微風中窸窸窣窣的響著，遠處傳來陣陣浪花拍打在礁石上的聲音。當地人不是赤著腳就是穿拖鞋。

Adrift in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the Cocos Keeling Islands lie halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka.

Cocos Keeling(可可斯)群島位於澳洲與斯里蘭卡中途，浮沉在印度洋的中央。

Home to just 500 people, they are an Australian territory, but on many maps of the continent, they do not even feature.

這擁有500位居民的家，現在是澳洲的領土，但許多澳洲地圖上卻根本沒有把它標示出來。

Which is a shame, because the islands have an intriguing history.

這真是一大憾事，因為這幾座島嶼藏著一段曲折的歷史故事。

Royal connections

They were uninhabited until the 1820s, when a small settlement was established by a Scottish adventurer named John Clunies-Ross.

一直到1820年才開始有人在島上定居，是由一位叫做John Clunies-Ross的蘇格蘭探險家，在那時開墾出來的小小拓居地。

He was originally from Shetland and must have delighted in exchanging his frigid homeland for these balmy, sun-kissed isles. He set about planting hundreds of coconut palms and brought in Malay workers to harvest the nuts.

他原先是住在Shetland(設得蘭郡，英國最北端的群島)，拿自己寒冷的家園換得這幾座陽光拂照的宜人小島時，想必一定是樂不可支。他著手栽種幾百棵椰子樹，並且還引進馬來人的勞工好採收椰子。

Successive generations of Clunies-Rosses built up a business empire based on copra, the dried flesh of coconuts traded for its oil. Their tenure over their exotic adopted home was confirmed in 1886, when Queen Victoria granted them possession of the islands in perpetuity.

Clunies-Rosses後繼的代代子孫終於建立起一個企業王國，是以做copra ─ 椰子乾起家，好換取椰子油。一直到1886年英國維多莉亞女皇授予他們這幾座島嶼的永久所有權之後，他們才確定對這個自己所選定、充滿異國風情的家有了佔有權。

They styled themselves the "kings" of the Cocos.

他們稱自己為Cocos(可可斯)國王。

Remarkably, their rule lasted right up until 1978, when the last "king", also called John Clunies-Ross, was forced to sell the islands to Australia for £2.5m ($4.75m).

他們的統治僅止於1978年，格外引人注目地，這最後一屆的"國王"也叫做John Clunies-Ross，他被迫以兩千五百萬英磅將他們的島嶼賣給澳洲政府。

He had come under pressure from the Australian Government and its trades unions, as well as the United Nations, none of whom was too enamoured by his feudal regime.

他遭受了來自澳洲政府、工會以及美國的壓力，但是沒有一個為他的封地統治所吸引。

'A dagger in his belt'

The Clunies-Ross family lived in a grand colonial mansion which still stands to this day.

Clunies-Ross家族居住在一幢宏偉殖民時代的大廈，仍屹立至今。

To reach Oceania House, I took a ferry from West Island across the lagoon to Home Island, the only other inhabited scrap of land in the territory.

我從West Island (西島)搭乘渡輪跨越整個瀉湖來到Home Island(主島)，是整個領地上另一個唯一有住人的小地方，打算去參觀Oceania House。(※即Clunies-Ross家族居住的大廈)

Arriving was like suddenly stepping into south-east Asia.

抵達的那一刻，彷彿是來到了東南亞。

The island is home to 350 ethnic Malays, the descendants of the original plantation workers. Women wear headscarves, street names are in Malay and there are several mosques, all of which makes Oceania House all the more incongruous. It has the look and feel of a Scottish country estate.

這個島上住了350位馬來族人，全部都是當初來此地開墾栽種的勞工後裔。女人戴著頭巾，街道以馬來語命名，而且還建有幾座清真寺，這一切更加突顯Oceania House的不協調。這座樓宇有著蘇格蘭鄉村莊園的外觀和感覺。

Wandering through the overgrown gardens, I came across a stone Celtic cross inscribed with the names of the Clunies-Ross ancestors.

信步在過於枝繁葉茂的園林中，我不經意的瞧見一座石雕的塞爾特十字架，上面銘刻了Clunies-Ross歷代祖先的名字。

John Clunies-Ross used to stride around his tiny coral kingdom barefoot, a dagger tucked into his trouser belt.

John Clunies-Ross曾經常赤著腳大步走在他小小的珊瑚王國，褲腰間還藏著一把匕首。

He paid his Malay workers in Cocos rupees, a currency he minted himself and which could only be redeemed at the company store.

他用Cocos盧比來支付薪水給他的馬來勞工，這是一種他自己鑄造的貨幣，也只能在他開設的公司商店裡兌換。

Workers who wanted to leave the islands were told they could never return.

想離開這裡的員工則會被下令永遠不必再回來了。

Despite such strictures, opinion among the Malays today is divided as to whether the Clunies-Rosses were exploitative colonialists or benevolent father figures.

儘管是這樣的嚴苛，在當今馬來人的意見中還是分為兩派，Clunies-Rosse家族不是有如剝削的殖民主義者，就是都像父親一般慈愛。

Wages were low, but water, electricity and schooling were free.

勞工的工資很低廉，但是水、電和就學則是免費。

Sixty-seven-year-old Cree bin Haig worked as a boatman back in the old days: "Mr Clunies-Ross was a good man," he told me, throwing scraps to the chickens in his backyard.

67歲的Cree bin Haig是昔日的船工，他這樣告訴我: "Clunies-Ross是個好人"，說著還邊丟了一些吃剩的東西給養在他後院的雞。

"Although we have better houses and food now, the Australian Government doesn't let us shoot birds and hunt turtles like the family allowed us to."

"雖然我們現在吃住都比過去來得好，但是澳洲政府不准我們獵鳥、烏龜，在過去這個家族是允許我們這麼做的。"

After being forced to sell his beloved islands, John Clunies-Ross eventually went bankrupt through a failed shipping line.

被迫賣掉自己鐘愛的島嶼後，John Clunies-Ross 最終卻因為一間失敗的海運公司而宣告破產。

Now approaching 80, he lives in suburban obscurity in Perth, in Western Australia. But his son, Johnny Clunies-Ross, still calls the islands home.

現在年邁的他已將近80歲，淡然的住在西澳Perth近郊的一個隱密的小地方。但是他的兒子Johnny Clunies-Ross仍舊把那些島視為家。

'Modest living'

Back on West Island, it did not take long for me to track him down.

回到West Island(西島)上，我沒多久就找到他。

He and his four siblings grew up amid the grandeur of Oceania House, but he now lives in a bungalow overlooking the airstrip.

他和他四個兄弟姊妹是在宏偉的Oceania House長大，但現在的他卻是住在一間可以俯瞰機場的小平房裡。

Parked outside was a battered jeep riddled with rust. In place of his father's immaculate white shirts and pressed trousers, he was in a faded T-shirt and shorts.

停在屋外的是一輛破舊的吉普車，上面佈滿了鐵鏽。不同於他父親潔白無瑕的襯衫與緊實的長褲，他穿著一件褪色的T-shirt和短褲。

Had his family's reign not come to an end, he would now be the sixth "king" of the Cocos. So, is he disappointed?

如果他的家族還繼續統治，那麼他就會是Cocos第六屆的國王。那麼，他是不是會感到很失望呢?

"I was upset at the time," he admitted with a shrug.

"我當時是很沮喪，" 他聳聳肩無奈的承認。

"I was 21 and I'd been brought up to do the job. But even in the old man's time, it had become anachronistic. It had to change."

"我當時只有21歲，我從小就是被教育來接這份工作。但是，就算在老爸那個時代，這也已經過時了。不改變是不行的。"

Where his forbears made a fortune from coconuts, Johnny is now forging a more modest living from another island resource, giant clams.

在他祖先以椰子致富的地方，Johnny現在用島上另一種資源─巨蚌，努力求取一個比較合理的生活。

He breeds them in tanks and sells them to the aquarium trade in Europe and the US.

他把巨蚌養在池塘裡，再賣到歐美的水族館。

It is an unusual line of work, but one which enables Johnny to remain on the islands his family has inhabited since 1827.

這是個特殊的職業，但卻可以讓Johnny留在這個他家族早在1827年就已定居的島上。

The man who would have been "king" seems content with his lot.

這個原本應當是"國王"的男人，現在看來似乎對自己的命運感到很滿足。

On my last evening I met him again in the islands' only watering hole, the Cocos Club.

在這裡的最後一個夜晚，我又遇到他，在這個島上唯一的一間酒吧裡，the Cocos俱樂部。

He was still in shorts and a T-shirt, drinking a beer, chatting with friends.

他仍舊是一身的T-shirt和短褲，和他的朋友一邊喝啤酒一邊閒聊。

An ordinary bloke, with an extraordinary past, in one of the most beautiful and unspoilt places in the world.

一個平凡的小夥子，有著不平凡的過去，生活在這世上最美的、還未遭到破壞的一個人間淨土。

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6730047.stm
Published: 2007/06/07 16:26:52 GMT
© BBC MMVII

New loyalties give Baghdad reprieve

New loyalties give Baghdad reprieve
By Hugh Sykes
BBC News, Baghdad

The US and UK governments have recently announced they will be reducing troop numbers in Iraq. But even after this withdrawal, thousands will remain in the country, and for some Iraqis the new alliances which are springing up are proving controversial.

美國及英國政府最近已宣布要減少伊拉克的駐軍。但即使在撤軍之後，駐留在伊拉克的軍隊仍逾數千人，對一些伊拉克人來說，突然出現的新聯盟才是件受爭議的事。

A scene from a bright sunny Baghdad day - just after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 - remains in my mind as vivid as a film.

就在2003年Saddam Hussein政府垮台後，巴格達一個晴朗和煦的日子裡，一個場景，鮮明得宛如電影情節般印在我腦海中。

A heavily armed US tank commander and his crew stand warily behind a roll of razor wire in the centre of Baghdad, while the crowd on the other side of the wire violently attack a lone Iraqi soldier who is trying to walk through the throng with his hands held high, holding two small pieces of white cloth.

在巴格達的市中心，全副武裝的美國坦克指揮官和他的隊員警戒地站在一圈圈蛇護型刮刀刺絲網的後方，站在刮刀刺絲網外的群眾正粗暴的攻擊一名落單的伊拉克士兵，他高舉著雙手分別握著一小塊白布試圖穿越人群。

Men in the crowd jump on him, knock off his helmet, and beat him to the ground, kicking and punching.

群眾裡有些人跳到他身上，打落他的頭盔，把他打倒在地上拳腳相向。

One of the American soldiers pulls the razor wire aside to create a small gap, grabs the surrendering Iraqi soldier by the collar of his jacket and pulls him to safety. And clearest of all in that scene is the frozen expression of fear and confusion on the face of the American tank commander.

一位美國士兵把刮刀刺絲網拉到一邊騰出一小塊空隙，一把抓住這個投降士兵的夾克衣領，把他拖進安全的地方。在那場景中最清晰的莫過於美國坦克指揮官臉上凍結了的表情，滿是擔憂與困惑。

Troop 'surge'

Many months before the Iraq war had even begun, an American general, the Army Chief of Staff, Eric Shinseki, testified to a Senate committee in Washington.

伊拉克戰爭還沒開始的好幾個月以前，一位美國將軍，陸軍參謀長，Eric Shinseki(辛斯基)，在華盛頓向參議委員會作證。

He was asked how many troops would be required to secure Iraq after victory. His reply: "Something in the order of several hundred thousand."

當被問及戰勝之後需要多少軍隊來維持伊拉克的安全問題時，他答覆: "大約要幾十萬人"

The Deputy Secretary of State for Defence, Paul Wolfowitz, retorted that the general's estimate was "wildly off the mark".

當時的國防部副部長Paul Wolfowitz就反駁將軍的這個估計實在是"太離譜了"。

"It's hard to conceive," he went on, "that it would take more troops to provide stability in post-Saddam Iraq than it would take to conduct the war itself."

"這實在是太難以想像了，"他繼續說，"為了穩定後海珊時期(post-Saddam)的伊拉克，要動用比打一場戰爭來得更多的軍隊。"

General Shinseki lost his job.

Shinseki將軍丟了他的飯碗。

Since then, nearly 4,000 American troops have been killed, more than 10,000 have been severely wounded and at least 80,000 Iraqis have died.

從那時候起，將近四千名美軍陣亡，超過一萬人受重傷，並且至少有八萬名伊拉克人喪生。

President George W Bush, in his TV address last month, claimed that the extra 30,000 troops brought specially to Iraq for the so-called "surge" against car bombers and sectarian killers in Baghdad were beginning to achieve some success.

上個月，布希總統在他的電視演說中聲稱，特別增派到伊拉克的三萬名士兵，就是所謂預防巴格達汽車炸彈客與宗派殺手的增兵計劃有了一些初步的成效。

"Our troops are performing brilliantly," he said. "Ordinary life is beginning to return [to Baghdad]."

"我們的士兵表現出色，"他說。"日常生活正開始回歸巴格達。"

'Oppressive atmosphere'

It is true, but only to a very limited extent.

這是事實，但卻極為有限。

The president referred, for example, to markets that were shuttered a year ago, but which were now re-opening.

例如，總統論及一年多前歇業的各市場，現在又再度營業。

I went to one of those places, the so-called Thieves' Market, in part of the city centre where dozens of people have been killed by car and roadside bombs.

我到了一個叫做小偷市場的地方，位在市中心的一處，許多人在那裡命喪於汽車及路邊炸彈。

It is called the Thieves' Market because Baghdad citizens who have had their homes robbed would go there to see if their belongings were on sale.

被稱為小偷市場是由於巴格達市民家中如遇劫遭竊，他們必定會到此查看出售的贓物是否為他們所有。

And the section I visited was not shuttered.

我造訪的這一區不曾歇業。

Shops and stalls selling satellite dishes and decoders, watches, and pirate DVD films were open.

出售碟形衛星信號接收器(小耳朵)及解碼器、手錶、盜版DVD影片的商店及貨攤始終營業。

There was a friendly welcome. I was given a glass of steaming hot sugary tea.

那裡有著親切的款待。送到我手上的是一杯熱騰騰的甜茶。

But there was an oppressive atmosphere, and along the entire length of the street there was a high concrete blast wall between the pavement and the road.

但那裡卻有著一種壓迫的氣氛，高大的混凝土防爆牆沿著一整條街阻絕於人行道及馬路間。

There were more blast walls along most of the main street that we drove down to get to the Thieves' Market.

沿著我們驅車往小偷市場的這條大街上，大部份都築起了一道道的防爆牆。

Many parts of Baghdad have become concrete mazes.

巴格達許多地方都成了一座座混凝土製的迷宮。

New alliance

Car and truck bomb attacks on civilians have not stopped but the number has fallen significantly since the start of the surge and of the Baghdad security plan earlier this year.

汽車及卡車炸彈對平民的攻擊未曾停歇，但是在增兵及年初巴格達的安全計畫展開後，攻擊次數已經明顯減少許多。

Those explosions were nearly always the work of an unholy alliance of al-Qaeda in Iraq and former Saddam Hussein Baath Party loyalists who had lost their jobs and their entire livelihoods in the indiscriminate de-Baathification process that took place after the invasion.

爆炸案幾乎總是蓋達組織在伊拉克的邪惡聯盟，以及前Saddam Hussein復興黨的死忠者所為；這些死忠者在不分皂白的去復興黨的過程中失去他們的工作及生活。

But many of those Saddam loyalists who used to shoot and bomb Americans are now fighting alongside US troops against al Qaeda.

但是過去許多曾射殺並轟擊美國人的Saddam死忠者現在紛紛與美軍併肩對抗蓋達組織。

One of the sheikhs co-operating with the Americans, Abu Risha, was assassinated in an al-Qaeda bomb attack in September.

Abu Risha這位與美國人合作的教長在九月份一起蓋達組織策動的炸彈攻擊中遇襲身亡。

President Bush paid tribute to him as a brave man.

布希總統推崇他為一個勇敢的人。

American troops helped the Iraqi armed forces guard mourners at his funeral in Ramadi in Anbar province, the district west of Baghdad that was once routinely described as "the heartland of the insurgency".

美軍替伊拉克武裝護衛那些前來Anbar的Ramadi追悼者，這是在巴格達西區昔日慣常被描繪成暴動的中心。

This new alliance of Americans and Sunni Muslim sheikhs against al-Qaeda is trumpeted by the United States as a considerable success. But many Shia Muslims are wary of it.

由美國人與遜尼派穆斯林教長所組成對抗蓋達組織的新聯盟，被美國當作是極大的成功因而大肆吹捧。但卻為許多什葉派的穆斯林所戒慎。

To them, this looks like the Americans taking sides with their enemy, with the minority that ruled over them and oppressed them through the dark years of Saddam Hussein.

對他們而言，這就像美國在袒護他們的敵人，袒護那些在Saddam Hussein的黑暗歲月裡統治他們、壓迫他們的少數人。

And they will need to be convinced that this does not pave the way for another act of betrayal like 1991, after the Gulf War, when the first President George Bush urged Shia Muslims in Iraq to rise up against Saddam Hussein.

因此必須要使他們相信這並不是在為著另一起像1991年背叛的行為鋪路，波斯灣戰爭結束後， 當時的老布希總統慫恿伊拉克什葉派的穆斯林起來反抗Saddam Hussein。

And when they did, America did nothing to protect them from the slaughter that followed.

然後當他們照做了，在隨之而來的殺戮中，美國卻完全沒有盡到一點保護他們的責任。

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7030075.stm

Published: 2007/10/06 11:00:56 GMT
© BBC MMVII

Vatican archive yields Templar secrets

Vatican archive yields Templar secrets
By David Willey
BBC News, Rome

The Knights Templar, a military order of the Roman Catholic Church, are back in the news again, almost 700 years after they were suppressed by papal edict.

聖殿騎士團，為羅馬天主教會的軍事修會，被教皇勒令鎮壓的700年後，又重新躍上了新聞。

They were originally formed to protect Christians in the Holy Land during the early Crusades.

他們起初成立於十字軍東征的早期，其目的是要保護聖地的基督徒。

The Templars are the stuff of legend, and their exploits have provided the plots for many films and popular novels.

聖殿騎士像神話一般，他們的英勇輝煌事蹟為許多電影及暢銷小說提供了各式各樣的情節。

The Knights, who wore a distinctive white mantle decorated with a red cross, became very wealthy, owned property all over Europe and the Middle East, and started up a primitive international banking system.

身著綴有紅色十字紋飾特殊白袍的騎士，累積的財富越來越多，擁有的財產遍及整個歐洲與中東，並且建立了一套早期的跨國銀行系統。

They caused deep controversy, even in their own time. They helped to finance wars waged by several European monarchs.

即使在那個時代，他們也引起了極大的爭議。他們資助過幾個從事戰爭的歐洲君主。

Some believe the Templars were the custodians of the fabled Holy Grail.

還有些人相信聖殿騎士是傳說中的聖杯守護者。

Disentangling fact and fiction about them is difficult.

要把事實與想像從他們身上區分開來並不是那麼容易。

In France, a Grand Master of the Order and other knights were burned alive by order of King Philip IV, after the Order was accused of heresy, blasphemy and sexual misconduct.

在法國，修會被指控為異端、褻瀆上帝、淫亂等不當行為之後，國王菲力四世下令將修會的宗師及其他的騎士活活燒死。

Faithful reproduction

Now the Vatican has decided to shed some new light on this often obscure period of late medieval history.

現在，梵蒂岡決定將對中世紀晚期這段常是晦澀不明的歷史做些清楚的解釋。

To the delight not only of scholars but also of Templar buffs around the world, who have been captivated by Dan Brown's stories, they are publishing facsimile reproductions of the original account in Latin of the investigation and trial into the alleged misdeeds of the Knights Templar. It took place in Rome between 1307 and 1312.

他們將當時以拉丁文記述1307至1312年間發生在羅馬，對聖殿騎士團種種可疑罪行進行調查及審判的原稿複製品出版成冊。對此舉感到欣喜的不只有學者，還有著迷於丹布朗小說的全球聖殿騎士迷。

The document, known as the Chinon parchment, shows that Pope Clement V found the Templars not guilty of heresy, but guilty of other lesser infractions of Church law. Nonetheless he ordered the disbandment of the order.

從文獻，史稱的「奇農羊皮紙」，得知當時的教宗克雷芒五世裁定聖殿騎士並非異端而無罪，但卻判違背其他較小的天主教會戒律而有罪。他仍然下令解散騎士團。

The Vatican's Secret Archives, one of the world's great repositories of historical documents, is selling a limited edition of 800 numbered copies of the Chinon parchment.

教廷的機密檔案館，是世界上最重要的文史典藏館之一，目前正販售八百份奇農羊皮紙的複製品限量版。

It is printed on synthetic parchment, comes complete with a reproduction of the original papal wax seal, and is packaged in a soft leather case together with a scholarly commentary.

這是以人造羊皮紙印製，並附帶有一個教皇臘封章原樣的複製品，和學者的評論一同包裹在柔軟的皮套裡。

Each copy will cost just over 5,900 euros ($8,000; £3,925).

每一份要價約5,900歐元。

Lucky find

Rosy Fontana, spokesperson for Scrinium, the publishing and merchandising company handling the sale, says one copy will go to Pope Benedict XVI while most of the remaining 799 copies of this luxury limited edition have already been reserved by libraries and collectors around the world.

Rosy Fontana，負責處理銷售的出版經銷商「Scrinium」發言人說，其中一份將歸教宗本篤十六世，剩下的799份精美限量版已經被世界各地的圖書館及收藏家預購一空了。

Scrinium has already published two other digitally mastered and hand-finished collections of colour reproductions of precious documents from the Secret Archives.

Scrinium已出版另外兩款收藏品，數位精選及手工打造機密檔案館珍藏文獻的彩色複製品。

The Chinon parchment was recently rediscovered by Barbara Frale, a Vatican historian who works in the Secret Archives.

奇農羊皮紙是在不久前由任職於機密檔案館的教廷歷史學家Barbara Frale所發現。

She says she stumbled across the document in a box containing other papers five years ago, having been lost for centuries after it was wrongly catalogued.

她說自己在五年前偶然發現了這卷文獻，夾雜著其他的文件被放在同一個箱子裡，自從被歸類錯的幾世紀以來一直都找不著。

The document is half a metre (20 inches) wide by two metres long - the size of a small dining table.

這份文獻約有半尺(20英吋)寬、兩尺長，差不多是一個小餐桌的大小。

According to Ms Frale, one of the accusations against the Templars was that they practised blasphemous initiation rites such as spitting upon the cross.

據Frale女士說，聖殿騎士被控的其中一項罪名是他們實行一些褻瀆上帝的入會儀式，像是唾棄十字架。

They justified this, according to the document, by claiming this was part of a ritual of obedience in preparation for possible capture by Muslim armies.

根據文件記載，他們為自己辯護，聲稱此乃部份順服的儀式，為可能被穆斯林軍隊俘虜時所做的的準備。

King's secrets

Both the Vatican's Secret Archives, and its adjoining Library (at present closed to scholars while it undergoes restoration) are housed in Renaissance buildings not far from the Sistine Chapel.

教廷機密檔案館與毗鄰的圖書館(圖書館目前正整修中不開放學者使用)兩館都棲身於文藝復興時代、離西斯丁教堂不遠的建築當中。

Together, the two collections of books, manuscripts, and letters cover tens of kilometres of shelf space, much of it underground for security reasons and to protect the archive against fire.

兩館所典藏的書籍、手稿和信件所占的陳列空間加起來就有十幾公里，而且為了安全的考量絕大部份都是設置於地底，同時保護檔案免於祝融之災。

The official archives of the Holy See were systematically organised for the first time only in the 17th Century.

羅馬教廷的官方檔案第一次被有系統的編排只有在17世紀。

In the early days of the Church, popes did preserve manuscripts concerning their reign. But the fragility of papyrus documents used before the invention of paper, and the frequent changes of residence of popes before the 11th Century, means that most of the earliest Church archives have been lost.

早期的天主教會，教宗會保存在位期間所有相關的手稿。但在紙張發明之前，所使用的是容易損壞的紙莎草紙文獻，再加上十一世紀以前教宗的住所頻頻更換，換句話說，大部份最早期天主教會的檔案都早已亡佚。

Among other treasures from the Archive, sometimes shown to VIP visitors, are letters from King Henry VIII of England to Anne Boleyn, his future wife, stolen from London by a Vatican spy to provide evidence of the King's disloyalty to Rome. There is also correspondence between Lucrezia Borgia and her father Pope Alexander VI.

在檔案館的其他典藏中有時候是開放讓VIP級的訪客參觀，這裡面有英國國王亨利八世寫給他未來的妻子安妮博林的信件，被教廷派去的間諜從倫敦偷出來以證明國王對羅馬的不忠。另外還有Lucrezia Borgia與她父親教宗亞歷山大六世的信件。

There are no immediate plans for the publication of any of these unique documents.

目前並沒有將這些珍貴的文件出版的計劃。

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7044741.stm
Published: 2007/10/15 10:53:39 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Ancient world treasure unearthed

Ancient world treasure unearthed
By David Willey
BBC News, Rome

After seven hot summers of digging, an Italian archaeological team believe they have discovered one of the most important sites of the ancient world.

經過七個酷暑辛苦的挖掘之後，義大利考古隊相信他們已經找到了一處屬於古代世界中最重要的遺址之一。

Fanum Voltumnae, a shrine, marketplace and Etruscan political centre, was situated in the upper part of the Tiber river valley.

Fanum Voltumnae，是座神殿、市集，同時也是Etruscan的政治中心，地處台伯河谷的上游。

It lies at the foot of a huge outcrop of rock, upon which is perched the mediaeval city of Orvieto.

它座落在一個巨大裸露的岩石下方，岩石的上方則盤踞了一座中世紀古城Orvieto。

A walled sanctuary area, 5m-wide (16ft) Etruscan roads, an altar, and the foundations of many Roman buildings that have laid buried for two millennia have been discovered.

截至目前為止的發現有：一個由砌牆圍住的聖殿區、五英呎寬的Etruscan道路、一座祭壇以及埋藏了兩千年多幢羅馬建築的地基。

And as the dig closed for the 2007 season, with tarpaulins being pulled over ruins to protect them from the winter weather, Professor Simonetta Stopponi of Macerata University was upbeat about the site's significance.

2007這一季的挖掘工作業已告終，拉開來的防水布被覆蓋在廢墟上好阻絕冬季惡劣的天氣，這處遺址的重要性令Macerata大學的Simonetta Stopponi教授歡欣不已。

"I am confident that for the first time we have positively identified one of the most important lost sites of the ancient world," she told the BBC.

"這還是頭一次我對我們斷定自己已經發現了古代世界中最重要的遺址之一充滿信心，" 她這樣告訴BBC。

Rivalling Rome?

Fanum was already famous in antiquity as a religious shrine and a meeting place where the 12 members of the Etruscan League, a confederation of central Italian cities, used to gather every spring to elect their leader.

Fanum在古代就已經因為是個宗教聖地以及12個Etruscan聯盟成員的聚會場所而聞名於世，這個由義大利中部幾個城市所組成的聯盟，曾定期於每一年的春季聚集在此選出他們的領導人。

In the autumn of 398BC an extraordinary policy meeting was held in Fanum.

在西元前398年的秋天，在Fanum破例召開了一次政策會議。

A Roman army had been besieging the town of Veii, a wealthy member of the Etruscan League, which lay only 16km (10 miles) north of Rome.

被羅馬軍團圍攻的城市Veii是Etruscan聯盟裡最富有的成員，位於羅馬北方16公里處。

The citizens of Veii, exhausted by years of warfare, appealed for help and asked the other members of the league to join them in declaring war on Rome.

Veii城中那些被連年烽火弄得精疲力竭的人民，要求援助並且請求聯盟的其他成員加入對羅馬宣戰的行列。

The gods of the shrine of Fanum were duly consulted, but the vote went against collectively defending Veii.

他們對Fanum神殿的神提出正式的詢問，但投票的結果卻是反對共同捍衛Veii。

Two years later the town fell to Rome.

兩年之後這個城市被羅馬攻陷。

Beginning of the end

It was the beginning of the end for the Etruscan League, all of whose cities eventually fell to Roman invaders.

這種下了Etruscan聯盟走向敗亡的因子，最終，聯盟之下的所有城市全部被羅馬侵略者攻陷。

We know all this ancient history through the Roman historian Livy, who wrote his famous account of the origins of Rome towards the end of the 1st Century BC.

透過羅馬的歷史學家李維，我們才得知道這段古老的歷史。李維寫下了他著名的羅馬記述從羅馬起源一直到西元前一世紀的末了。

Livy mentions Fanum, and stresses its importance no less than five times.

Livy提及了Fanum，並且不下五次強調它的重要性。

But he failed to mention where Fanum was situated, and after the fall of Rome, all memory of its exact location was lost.

但是他卻沒能說出Fanum地處何處，而羅馬滅亡後，所有對這個城市確切地點的記憶也隨之被抹去。

The sacred zone is being systematically dug up by an enthusiastic team of young archaeologists wielding picks, shovels and trowels.

目前這個聖域正被一個由年輕考古學家所組成的熱情團隊，揮舞著十字鎬及大小鏟子進行有系統的挖掘。

They come from America, Mexico and Spain as well as from Italy.

考古學家們來自美國、墨西哥、西班牙和義大利。

For 2,000 years, from the 5th Century BC until the 15th Century AD, large numbers of people used to gather at Fanum every spring.

兩千年以來，從西元前五世紀一直到公元十五世紀，為數眾多的人曾經常於每年的春季聚集在Fanum。

In Etruscan times it was a place for the political leaders of central Italy to take stock of military and civil affairs, and to pray to their gods.

在Etruscan的時代，它是一個義大利中部各政治領袖用來做軍情、或民情的研判，以及向他們的神求告的地方。

Later, under the Romans, according to researchers, Fanum continued as the site of an important annual spring fair.

之後，在羅馬的統治下，根據研究顯示，Fanum依舊是一個重要的年度春季集市的場所。

Athletes took part in public games, and priests and politicians mingled with crowds of ordinary people who came to buy and sell livestock and agricultural products.

運動員參加公眾運動會，祭司與政治家也夾雜在一般平民中前來販售或添購牲口和農產品。

As recently as the 19th Century there was a cattle market held here. The area is still known locally as Campo della Fiera, or Fair Field.

19世紀的近代，這裡還曾有個牛隻交易市場。這個地區在當地還是大眾所認為的Campo della Fiera，也就是市集場。

Early foundations

A first Christian church was built on the site as early as the 4th Century. You can see part of its patterned stonework floor.

早在公元四世紀，這裡建起了第一座基督教堂。你可以看到它部份拼花石製地板。

The foundations of a later 12th Century church dedicated to Saint Peter have also been laid bare.

公元12世紀的晚期一座獻給聖彼得的教堂，殘存的地基同樣也裸露在外。

Following the Black Death, the 14th Century plague, and perhaps because of it, the church was abandoned and left to ruins.

公元14世紀的瘟疫黑死病過後，或許因為如此，整座教堂被棄置並任其毀壞。

Funds for the dig have come in part from an Italian bank, the Monte Dei Paschi of Siena, in part from the EU, and in part from the local regional government.

挖掘工作所需的資金部份來自義大利銀行Monte Dei Paschi of Siena、部份來自歐盟、部份則是來自當地地方政府。

Absolute certainty that this was the site of Fanum can only come with the discovery of written inscriptions dedicated to the Etruscan god Voltumna, the most important deity worshipped by the inhabitants of this part of Italy.

一旦發現了刻有獻給Etruscan主神Voltumna的銘文，就百分之百可以確定這個地點就是Fanum。Voltumna[1]是居住在義大利這一帶的居民所崇敬的主要神祇。

So far only votive objects such as small bronze statues, or pieces of painted terracotta roof tiles from the temples have been dug up, nothing written.

目前為止，出土的只有幾尊小青銅像或神殿屋頂部份上了顏色的赤陶瓷磚，沒有任何的文字。

But Professor Stoppani says she is 99% sure that the site has yet to give up the last remains of ancient Fanum.

但Stoppani教授說她99%肯定這個地方還留有古代Fanum的遺物仍未出土。

She plans to continue the dig next year.

她計劃著接續進行明年的挖掘工作。


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7028330.stm
Published: 2007/10/04 16:47:03 GMT
© BBC MMVII

[1]陰間或大地之神

Uncertain future for French farmers

Uncertain future for French farmers
By Emma Jane Kirby
BBC News, Cahors

When France takes over the European Union presidency next year, the EU is set to review the subsidies handed out by the Common Agricultural Policy. But as France is a major beneficiary, any changes French ministers accept will be watched closely by the country's farmers.

明年法國擔任歐盟的輪值主席後，歐盟就會開始認真的審視共同農業政策遞交的補助金。但由於法國是最大的受惠者，因此任何由法國部長同意下的變革都會受到法國農民仔細的關注。

There is no fast train or TGV down to Cahors, so the journey from Paris still takes a little more than five hours.

由於快車或高速鐵路都沒有行經卡奧爾，因此從巴黎南下到卡奧爾就需要五個多小時。

As the train gets closer to the Lot region, it slows up even further, as if shaking off the pressures of the big city and allowing itself to relax into the more comfortable pace of the countryside.

當列車逐漸接近洛特區，車速變得更加緩慢，彷彿是想擺脫城市的壓力似的，讓自己舒緩於較為安逸的鄉間步調。

Years ago, an elderly French friend of mine who lived in this area, told me that people down here had to move more slowly because their feet were rooted more deeply in the earth. Certainly, the farming community in the Lot is extremely close-knit, and their "attachement au terroir" - their love of the land - and the sense of belonging to it - is acute.

幾年前，我一位住在這區年長的法國朋友告訴我，來到這裡的人們必須放慢他們步伐，因為他們的腳被根植於更深的土地裡。確實，Lot區的農業社群是極其緊密結合的，而且他們"attachement au terroir"-對土地的熱愛以及歸屬感是強烈的。

When I visited him on his sheep farm, that was Alain Serres's first, excited question to me. "What do you think of the region? Do you like it?"

當我正在參觀Alain Serres的養羊場，他一開口就興奮的問我: "你認為這個地區怎樣? 你喜不喜歡? "

President Sarkozy has been speaking of the need to reform and modernise the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and Alain fears that if reform touches his sheep farm, he will be out of business.

總統Sarkozy先生曾談及共同農業政策有改革及現代化的必要，這讓Alain擔心要是改革關係到他的養羊場，他將會面臨失業的問題。

He already supplements the income he earns from his 450 sheep with a bit of pig farming and wild boar hunting, but the cost of producing a lamb far outweighs the sale price, and much as he would like to be able to make his living from what he produces, it is EU handouts that keep him afloat.

除了從自己450頭羊所賺取的收入之外他還得靠養豬場和狩獵野豬來補貼，但是產一隻小羊的花費遠比出售價高多了，即使他非常希望能夠靠著他的產出維持生計，還是得靠歐盟的補助才能免於經濟上面的困難。

Alain tells me that he fears for the future of farming in the region. Once one of the most densely populated regions of France, now there are only six or seven people per square mile. Few farmers, Alain says, would be able to withstand the loss of agricultural subsidies. The Lot would become a wilderness.

Alain告訴我他為未來這個地區的農業感到憂心。法國這個昔日人口最密集的地區，現在平均一平方英哩只剩下六七個人。Alain說，幾乎沒有什麼農人能夠禁得起失去農業補助金。這樣下去Lot將是一片荒蕪。

Policy anger

In the bustling Cahors market place though, there are no signs of desertification.

儘管如此，在熙來攘往的卡奧爾市集，仍然沒有絲毫即將荒蕪的跡象。

The mushroom man who has driven overnight from Correzes after a long day picking fungi sits sleepily among his 14 sacks of giant ceps, occasionally shouting across to the grape man in Patois.

蘑菇商人從Correze開了一整夜的車來到這裡，挑了一整天的菌類後，他疲倦的跟他那14袋大牛肝菌坐在一起，偶爾朝著對街的葡萄商人喊叫。

The whole market is a dazzling display of primary colours. Scarlet tomatoes clash with sharp green apples, custard yellow courgettes battle against the deep purple of the cabbages.

整個市集令人眼花撩亂的呈現出各種不同的原色。鮮紅的蕃茄和亮綠的蘋果成了極為衝突的顏色、 奶油蛋黃色的西葫蘆和深紫色的捲心菜也爭奇鬥艷了起來。

And led by two protest goats, complete with jangling bells, a group of young locals marches through the square waving banners that demand access to the land they believe is rightfully theirs.

參加抗議並且繫著響鈴的兩隻的山羊，領著一支由當地年輕人組成的遊行隊伍揮舞著旗幟通過廣場，要求使用土地的權利，他們相信這是他們正當擁有的。

Leading the demo is Aud Penney, a small but tough young woman who is tense with suppressed anger. "The CAP is ruining our chance to buy or rent land," she tells me.

領導示威的Aud Penney，是一位個子矮小但剛強的年輕女人，她緊繃的神情參和了經過抑制的憤怒。"共同農業政策毀了我們購買或租賃土地的希望"她告訴我。

"Any farmer who gets subsidies won't sell. "

"任何接受補助的農民誰也不會出售。"

"We know one farmer who's old enough to retire but he gets more cash in handouts than he gets from his pension so it's not in his interest to give up the land to us."

"我們知道有個農民年紀大到應該要退休了，但是他領取的補助比養老金還多，讓出土地給我們當然一點也不符合他的利益。"

France gets a fifth of all EU agriculture subsidies but 80% of them are harvested by just 20% of French farmers, the massive industrial grain and cereal producers.

法國擁有歐盟五分之一的農業補助金，其中80%的補助是分給佔法國20%的農民，這種大規模產業化的穀類及玉米片製造商。

It does not leave much for the smaller farmers like Alain Serres. And that is why many French farmers do want to see the CAP reformed so that the booty is shared out more evenly.

像Alain Serres這樣的小農幾乎什麼也沒分到。所以這也是為什麼法國農民希望看到共同農業政策落實改革，好使獲得的補助金能更平均的分配。

'Monstrous system'

As he herded sheep through the market square, Pierre Reiveillac of the left-wing union the Confederation Paysanne says there will be a revolt if the CAP is not reformed properly next year.

加入Confederation Paysanne「農事協會」這個左派工會的Pierre Reiveillac，正一邊趕著他的羊通過市集廣場一邊說著，如果明年共同農業政策沒有徹底的改革，屆時大家就會群起反抗。

I asked him if he worried that the urbanite new president - Nicolas Sarkozy - did not understand farmers the way the former President Jacques Chirac had.

我問他是否擔心新上任的總統Nicolas Sarkozy這個都市人不像前總統Jacques Chirac一樣了解農民。

He threw back his head and laughed: "Chirac knew how to scratch a cow's bottom and how to pat a goat and that's all!

他仰頭大笑說: "Chirac知道怎麼去搔搔牛的屁股、拍拍山羊，只是這樣而已! "

"It's his fault that we have this monstrous system where all our subsidies go to industrial agriculture. "

"我們今天會有這麼巨大怪異的系統把我們所有的補助金流向產業化的農業全是他的錯。"

"He's driven people away from farming... and since Sarkozy's a businessman and grain is a big business for France, can you see him let go of such a profitable scheme?"

"他已經把人們從農場上趕走了...再者因為Sarkozy是個生意人而穀類正是法國一筆大宗的生意，你想他會對這麼有利可圖的結構就此放手嗎? "

Equal share

Before I left Cahors, I slipped into its 11th Century cathedral to have a look at the medieval frescoes and to listen to the organist who was practising for Mass.

在離開卡奧爾前，我悄悄的走進一間在11世紀所建築的大教堂，想看看中世紀的壁畫並聽聽管風琴手為彌撒所做的練習。

The huge font where locals bless themselves has doubled as a bird bath courtesy of a hole in the roof and the holy water is full of feathers and bird droppings.

由於屋頂上方有個洞，當地人受洗用的聖水盆同時也成了鳥的浴缸，聖水裡滿是鳥的羽毛與排泄物。

Sitting on the stone steps of the nave, quite audible over the huge sound of the organ, I could hear Aud Penney's goats bleating in the market place and the voice of the mushroom man shouting out the price of his ceps.

坐在大廳中殿的石階上可以清楚的聆聽磅礴的管風琴聲，我卻好像聽見Aud Penney's的羊在市集咩咩的叫聲，還有蘑菇商人為他的牛肝菌嚷嚷喊價的聲音在耳邊低迴。

A reform of CAP, ensuring a more even distribution of subsidies, could help this farming community remain strong.

共同農業政策的改革，只要能保證補助金能更平均的分配，就能幫助這個農業社群更加茁壯。

But if subsidies are lost altogether or are directed again towards the big cereal producers, then I wonder what sounds I would hear on these steps 20 years from now, because I doubt very much it will be the sound of sheep or farmers.

但是倘若補助金全數失去或者再次流向幾個主要的玉米片製造商，那我很懷疑二十年後的今天，坐在相同石階上的我又會聽到什麼呢? 肯定不會是羊群和農人們的聲音。

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7027386.stm

14:09:17 GMT© BBC MMVII

Modernity threatens Iran's 'museum city'

Modernity threatens Iran's 'museum city'

By Frances Harrison
BBC News, Isfahan

In the 17th Century the central Iranian city of Isfahan was the capital of Safavid Persia - a place of dazzling wealth, with pleasure palaces, ornate gardens and mosques with the most exquisite tile work.

伊朗中部的城市伊斯法罕在17世紀時曾是波斯薩法維王朝的首都 – 一座由使人心悅的皇宮、裝飾華麗的花園與鑲嵌精美瓷磚工藝的清真寺建構而出的財富之都

The city was a centre to which poets, philosophers and artists flocked from all over the world.

這個城市曾聚集了來自世界各地的詩人、哲學家和藝術家。

Today only a few intrepid tourists make it to Isfahan if they can get a visa.

可是當今就只有取得簽證、勇氣可嘉的遊客到得了伊斯法罕。

And the Naqshe Jahan Square, where the King of Persia once watched polo games, now has traffic running through one end, even though it is a Unesco World Heritage site.

波斯國王曾在此佇足觀賞馬球的 Naqshe Jahan 廣場[1]，儘管被聯合國教科文組織列為世界遺產，廣場的一端還是被車水馬龍的交通所行經。

"It's been destroyed, really, really destroyed; what remains are tiny, tiny pieces of a puzzle. That just gives us a glimpse of the whole," explains journalist Hassan Zuhoori of the Cultural Heritage News Agency in Tehran.

"這裡已經被完完全全的破壞了；剩下的只是微乎其微的幾小塊拼圖罷了。那只夠讓我們模模糊糊的去感覺，" 德黑蘭文化遺產通訊社的記者Hassan Zuhoori解釋道。

The "museum city" of Isfahan is rapidly disappearing in the name of modernity and progress.

伊斯法罕這個宛如博物館的城市在現代化及發展的名義下，正快速的消逝中。

"You can't say Isfahan is in danger because we've already passed that point; I don't think there's much left to destroy," says Mr Zuhoori.

"你不能說伊斯法罕這個城市岌岌可危，因為我們已經沒辦法回頭；而且也沒多少東西可以破壞了，" Mr Zuhoori說。

Construction boom

Today Isfahan is Iran's second biggest city.

伊斯法罕是當今伊朗的第二大城。

Migration into Isfahan is high and land prices are sky rocketing. Fast profits can be made in construction.

移入伊斯法罕的人數眾多，土地的價格一飛沖天。能迅速獲利的就屬建築業。

Everywhere 400-year-old buildings are being destroyed to make way for new roads or ugly shopping centres.

隨處可見400年屋齡的老房子逃不過被拆毀的命運，被迫騰出空間做為新設的道路或者難看的購物中心。

The local council, which refused to talk to us for this story, has no budget from the central government; it has to make its money from selling construction licences.

拒絕為我們這篇報導做說明的政務委員會，由於沒辦法取得中央政府的預算，只得靠販賣建築執照來補貼這些錢。

On the banks of the Zayandehrud River buildings are not supposed to exceed the tree level but if the construction companies pay a hefty penalty to the local council they can build higher.

在Zayandehrud River河畔的建築物原本不應該超過樹木的高度，然而倘若建商願意支付高額的罰金給政務委員會，他們就能這麼做。

The most well-known example of the city authorities spoiling the skyline of Isfahan is Jahan Nama, a shopping and cultural centre.

由城市當局親自糟蹋伊斯法罕美麗的天際線，這樣的案例中，最著名的就屬Jahan Nama這個購物與文化中心。

So seriously did the construction damage the view from the city's main Naqshe Jahan square that Unesco insisted the top floors be removed.

也正因為這棟建築物將城市最重要的Naqshe Jahan廣場的景觀給破壞殆盡，聯合國教科文組織才不得不堅持最高的幾層樓一定要全部拆除。

Not all have been destroyed. The back part of the building is still too high.

拆除工作也不是很徹底。這棟建築的後半部仍就嫌高了點。

But what many cannot understand is why there was no attempt to build in a more traditional style here.

而眾人所無法理解的是，為何當初在建造時不試著採取較具傳統的風格。

"The municipality doesn't think at all about the problems that worry us," says Dr Parvis Najavand who was culture minister just after the revolution.

"市政當局壓根都沒想過這個問題，這才是令我們真正憂心的事，" 在革命後曾擔任文化部長的Parvis Najavand博士說。

He believes Iran's National Heritage Organisation has been so weakened that the municipality no longer listens to what it has to say and it has no power to implement its conservation rules.

他深信伊朗國家遺產組織長久已來一直處於弱勢，根本沒有權力去執行這個遺產保護法，因此市政當局對於他們的發言早就充耳不聞。

Nuclear development

Dr Najavand is also upset that Iran decided to build one of its most important nuclear sites just seven kilometres (four miles) outside Isfahan.

Najavand博士對伊朗政府決定將國家最重要的核電廠設在伊斯法罕城外七公里處同樣憂心忡忡。

"No expert will let you construct a nuclear city so close to a city that is internationally known for its heritage," he says, worrying what will happen to the city's monuments if one day the US launches air strikes on the uranium conversion plant.

"沒有一個專家會同意將核城建在一個以文化遺產揚名國際的城市旁邊，" 他一面說一面擔心著萬一哪天美國對鈾轉化場進行空襲時，城市裡有那麼多重要古蹟，後果將不堪設想。

Then there is Isfahan's controversial metro construction.

除此之外，還有伊斯法罕被受爭議的地鐵工程。

"Speed, security and efficiency" is its motto, but the line runs under one of the most historic streets of Isfahan - Chahar Bagh.

"快捷, 安全與效率"是它所標榜的，但是地鐵的路線正巧就是在Chahar Bagh其中一條街道的下方，Chahar Bagh[2]是伊斯法罕最具歷史意義的街道。

Heritage experts in Isfahan, who were too fearful to speak on camera, told us six train stops are being built under these gardens that date back more than 100 years.

伊斯法罕的文化遺產專家不願意面對鏡頭，但告訴我們有六個地鐵站是建在這幾個超過百年的花園下方。

Already many of the trees have been ripped up.

許多樹木早已被移開。

Once the train tracks run underground, conservationists fear the vibrations from the trains running in both directions will cause irrevocable damage to buildings along the street.

一旦地鐵開始營運，環保人士擔心雙向地鐵列車所產生的震動將對沿街的建築造成無可挽回的損害。

Buildings like the Chaharbagh madrassah - according to some, the most beautiful religious school in Iran.

像Chaharbagh madrassah這樣的建築，對某些人來說是伊朗最美麗的神學院。

The fear is the tile work will literally fall off the walls when it is shaken on a daily basis.

最怕的就是每天產生的震動一定會讓精美的瓷磚工藝從鑲嵌的牆上脫落下來。

And conservation experts say today's craftsmen simply cannot reproduce the same quality and colour of tiles.

古蹟維護的專家認為現今的工匠完全沒辦法再現與過去有著相同品質與色澤的瓷磚。

And when the government is doing it - why should individuals be different?

既然政府都帶頭這樣做了 – 大家又何必唱反調呢?

"Today everyone wants to build... They want to be able to drive their car right up to their house, they want parking spaces, they want to use today's modern facilities," explains Mr Zuhoori.

"現在大家都想建設...誰都想把車子開進家門口、有自己的停車位、使用現在最新的設施, " Mr Zuhoori這樣解釋道。

"They think they need to update their houses to have progress."

"他們認為自己有必要把他們的房子改建好跟上時代。"

'Weak officials'

Everywhere old houses are being knocked down and modern apartment blocks are going up in their place.

隨處可見老房子被拆毀，取而代之的是現代化的公寓大樓。

"The main culprit is the government and the national heritage organisation," says Fazlollah Faiz, a local shopkeeper inside the Naqshe Jahan Square.

"政府和國家遺產組織就是整件事的原兇，" Naqshe Jahan廣場旁的商店老板Fazlollah Faiz說。

"If an ordinary man has a historic house and wants to knock it down and build a 10-storey building, it's only because he's forced to do that to survive economically," he explains, arguing that the authorities should buy the old houses from their owners so they can build for their children elsewhere.

"如果一個平凡的老百姓把自己一棟有歷史的房子拆掉，建一棟十層樓的大樓，這只會是因為他有經濟上的問題，迫於無耐才這麼做，" 他這樣解釋，並且還認為當局應該把老房子從屋主那裡買過來，好讓這些人到別處去為他們的子女蓋房子。

"Unfortunately our officials are weak," Mr Faiz concludes.

"不幸的是我們的官員都很軟弱，” Mr Faiz說著說著就逕自下了結論。

Soon there will be very few of the old Safavid houses left in Isfahan.

很快的，伊斯法罕薩法維式的古老建築將所剩無幾。

All that will remain are the main monuments - the palaces and mosques.

留下來的就只有宮殿和清真寺幾個主要的古蹟了。

But even they are not being well cared for.

然而就連主要的古蹟也沒好好的維護。

Chehel Soton is the pleasure palace of Shah Abbas - its name means 40 columns but in fact there are only 20 - the rest are reflected in the water pool.

Chehel Suton是一座令人喜愛的宮殿，是阿拔斯一世所修建的，它的名字是四十根圓柱的意思，但實際上映入眼簾的就只有二十柱，因為其餘的都在水池的倒影中。

Although there is some restoration of the paintings inside going on, the roof of the veranda shows obvious signs of damp and decay.

雖然針對宮殿彩繪的修復工作是在進行，但是陽臺上方的屋頂卻有明顯受潮朽壞的痕跡。

One Isfahani said he had seen with his own eyes water dripping through the exquisite 400-year-old roof.

一位阿斯法罕人說他還親眼看見水從已有400年歷史的精美屋頂上滴落下來。

There is scaffolding clearly holding up parts of the pavilion in the Ali Qapu palace in the Naqshe Jahan square as well as assisting the work of local contractors who have been brought in for conservation work.

Naqshe Jahan廣場上的Ali Qapu宮殿搭起了棚架，無疑托住了部份的頂篷，同時也好讓當地的承包商進行古蹟修繕工程。

'Rotting wood'

Local shopkeepers ask why it has taken so long to get round to preserving the Ali Qapu palace.

只不過是抽個時間來維護Ali Qapu宮殿而已，怎麼要拖拖拉拉這麼久才來做? 當地的商店老板們心裡都有同樣的疑問。

"Actually I have seen for myself that its columns have termites and the wood is rotting," says a man selling souvenirs in the square

在廣場上販賣紀念品的男人說: "我真的親眼看到白蟻在柱子裡爬來爬去，整個木頭都爛掉了，"

"These are monuments that date back hundreds of years; they are an asset for our city."

"這些都是幾百年的古蹟；這可都是我們城裡的資產"

And it is not as if the Islamic buildings are any better cared for than the king's palaces.

就連伊斯蘭的建築也沒能得到比國王的宮殿更妥善的維護。

The Friday Mosque has damp that experts from the National Heritage Organisation told reporters came from a leak in the sewerage system underground.

國家遺產組織的專家告訴記者，星期五清真寺因為地下污水系統產生裂縫而受潮。

While the Imam's Mosque in the Naqshe Jahan Square also has damp, according to local people.

照當地人所說的，Naqshe Jahan廣場上伊瑪目的清真寺也是這樣。

"If they want to destroy it, fine. They should just bring in a bulldozer. But if they want to keep these buildings they should do something immediately," says the souvenir seller.

"如果他們想把它毀了，那也好。他們就乾脆直接把推土機開過來。但是如果他們想要保存這些建築，就應該馬上有所行動，" 販售紀念品的小販這樣說。

The 21st Century has not been kind to this city whose glory Iranians say was once equal to half the world.

21世紀並未善待這座城市，它昔日的繁華昌盛被伊朗人比做半個世界[3]。

And the worry is it is not just Isfahan.

令人擔憂的是這並不單單只發生在伊斯法罕。

"As a person who has spent most of my life trying to preserve Iran's national heritage, training students, writing books and articles, I can say not only in Isfahan but in Iran generally I believe destruction is underway," says Dr Najavand.

"像我這樣窮極一生都在努力保存伊朗的國家遺產、培訓學生、寫書寫文章，我敢說不只是伊斯法罕而是整個伊朗，我想破壞正在進行中，" Najavand博士說。

"When facing the Iranian people no generation can be as shameful as ours," he concludes.

"沒有一代會像我們這樣在面對我們的同胞時充滿了愧色，" 他斬釘截鐵的說。

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6251041.stm
Published: 2007/01/12 08:42:25 GMT
© BBC MMVII

[1]就是伊瑪目廣場
[2]Chahar Bagh分做四等分的花園中央有噴泉或水池的中庭。上古的波斯人認為，世界以十字形劃分成四部分，中心點是一生命清泉。兩河流域的狩獵園分為四區，中央矗立一幢建築物。回教文明承襲此一傳統。
[3]「伊斯法罕半天下」或「伊斯法罕半世界」。伊斯法罕除了因為絲綢之路的開通成了東西方貿易集散地，它的名勝古蹟盛多，光是清真寺就有兩百多座。