The Tarazi Coat of Arms
The illustrated coat of arms was partially created in 1974 by a heraldic artist based upon information provided by our father, Mr. William Hafiz Dawood Tarazi. William provided the Tarazi surname and its association with Heraldry. Waleed William Tarazi discovered the partially completed project in 2018. To honor his father and preserve the family noble history and heritage, Waleed took it upon myself to finalize the project his father William (RIP) started previously.
Heraldry, is a discipline relating to the design, display, and study of armorial bearings, study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Waleed's discovery led him to believe of the keen interest in Heraldry. This is especially true among people/families who have a great measure of family pride and who resent attempts in our society to reduce each individual to a series of numbers stored somewhere in a computer (if any)!
In our matter-of-fact day and age, a "Coat of Arms" is one of the rare devices remaining that can provide an incentive to preserve our heritage. I trust that you will agree that it is much more than a wall decoration .
In the language of the ancient heralds, the arms are described (quartered) as follows: -1st: The letter "T" in English & Arabic-2nd: The Star of Bethlehem, Jesus' birth place, at the center of the star the symbol of the Alpha and Omega -3rd: A sun in splendor with a human face at the center -4th: The Jerusalem cross
The Tarazi COA is divided into quarters: - 1st: Gold background and a black initial "T" - 2nd and 3rd: Red background, a gold and silver star as well as a gold rayed sun with a human face - 4th: Gold background with 5 red Jerusalem crosses
A black shield perimeter with a purple ribbon containing the family name - Tarazi. The shield has two swords with crusaders heads and helmets. The era of 1098 AD - 1400 AD brought the crusaders (mostly Italians and French) to liberate the Holy Land of Jerusalem and surrounding areas from the Muslim takeover. This topic will be addressed in more detail in Waleed's memoire as he continues to dig deeper into the Tarazi family roots.
The sun and star symbolize glory, splendor and high authority. The heraldic colors of gold, silver, yellow, purple, black and red were preserved to represent fortitude and creative powers. Jerusalem Cross:The Jerusalem Cross, also known as "five-fold cross" or cross-and-crosslets," is a heraldic cross and Christian cross variant consisting of a large cross potent surrounded by four smaller Greek cross; one in each quadrant. It was used as the emblem and coat of arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the 1280's. The symbolism of the five-fold cross is variously given as the five wounds of Christ. This symbolism was first recorded in the context of the consecration of the St. Brelade's church under the patronage of Robert of Normandy (before 1035); the crosses are incised in the church's altar stone. This emblem was used by the Christian rulers, or the "Kingdom of Jerusalem, during early 1200 AD; about the same time the cross of Jerusalem in gold on a silver field appears as the coat of arms of the kingdom of Jerusalem in early armorials such as the camden roll. Jerusalem was so holy, it was above ordinary rules. The gold and silver were connected also to Psalm 68:14, which mentions a "dove covered in silver and her feathers with yellow gold."
In the late medieval heraldry the crusader's cross (Jerusalem Cross) was used by various crusader states. The crusader flag was adopted as the flag of Georgia in 2004. Carlo Maggi, a Venetian nobleman who visited Jerusalem and was made a knight of theoriser of the Holy Sepulchre, in the early 1570's, included the Jerusalem cross in his coat of arms. Furthermore, there is a historical tradition that Peter the Great flew a flag with a variant of the Jerusalem Cross in his campaign in the White Sea in 1693. A banner with a variation of the Jerusalem cross was used in May 1821 in the Greek War of Independence. The Papal order of the Holy Sepulchre uses the Jerusalem Cross as its emblem. It is also used by the custodian of the holy land, head of the Franciscan friars who serve at the holy christian sites in Jerusalem.
Star of Bethlehem:In Bethlehem, at the place where it commemorates the exact birthplace of Jesus (Yeshua) in the church of the nativity, a 14-point star is placed. It is called a Star of Bethlehem. Are you wondering why it is a 14-point star? Like why 14? Well, I (Waleed Tarazi) was born on August 14. It is true, but I'm just kidding!
Reason #1: Jesus/Yeshua's genealogy. The reason behind using 14 as a number is because Jesus/Yeshua was a Jew. You heard me say that my boss was a jewish carpenter! We know who he was, as his genealogy can be traced back to Abraham as it is recorded in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 1; please check it out. It's 14 generations from Abraham (from UR in modern day Iraq) to David. Then 14 generations from Solomon to Hechoniah. And 14 generations from Shealtiel to Yeshua/Jesus.
Reason #2: David's name. The 22 alphabets in Hebrew have numerical #s. It's like playing poker. We can translate A as 1, J as 11, Q as 12, and K as 13. So, David's name in Hebrew is 771 (D-V-D)... NOTE: The 771 looks like the Hebrew symbols. They are not #s.• D (7) has a value of 4• V (1) has a value of 6• So, 2 D (7) and 1• We get 4 + 6 + 4 = 14• We got 14 again!
Hence, Yeshua/Jesus being a descendant of David, at the place where many believe is the birthplace, a special 14-point star of Bethlehem is placed. In The Tarazi Coat of Arams, the 14-point Jerusalem star is utilized, and at its core the Alpha and Omega symbol are defined which reflects God's Holy Words – "I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Rev 22:13."
My quest to preserve and honor our history and family lead to these facts which even made me prouder and hungrier for more knowledge. Our current family tree roots go back to the year 1755. The content of this document and our Coat of Arms leave no doubts in my mind of how we are deeply connected to our history in the Holy Land, Israel and Palestine. Abraham from UR (modern day Iraq) added extra joy and a greater sense of pride knowing that this is my birth country and that of my dear mother, Nimat/Grace and her familys' birth place.
A black shield perimeter with a purple ribbon containing the family name - Tarazi. The shield has two swords with crusaders heads and helmets. The era of 1098 AD - 1400 AD brought the crusaders (mostly Italians and French) to liberate the Holy Land of Jerusalem and surrounding areas from the Muslim takeover. This topic will be addressed in more detail in Waleed's memoire as he continues to dig deeper into the Tarazi family roots.
The sun and star symbolize glory, splendor and high authority. The heraldic colors of gold, silver, yellow, purple, black and red were preserved to represent fortitude and creative powers. Jerusalem Cross:The Jerusalem Cross, also known as "five-fold cross" or cross-and-crosslets," is a heraldic cross and Christian cross variant consisting of a large cross potent surrounded by four smaller Greek cross; one in each quadrant. It was used as the emblem and coat of arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the 1280's. The symbolism of the five-fold cross is variously given as the five wounds of Christ. This symbolism was first recorded in the context of the consecration of the St. Brelade's church under the patronage of Robert of Normandy (before 1035); the crosses are incised in the church's altar stone. This emblem was used by the Christian rulers, or the "Kingdom of Jerusalem, during early 1200 AD; about the same time the cross of Jerusalem in gold on a silver field appears as the coat of arms of the kingdom of Jerusalem in early armorials such as the camden roll. Jerusalem was so holy, it was above ordinary rules. The gold and silver were connected also to Psalm 68:14, which mentions a "dove covered in silver and her feathers with yellow gold."
In the late medieval heraldry the crusader's cross (Jerusalem Cross) was used by various crusader states. The crusader flag was adopted as the flag of Georgia in 2004. Carlo Maggi, a Venetian nobleman who visited Jerusalem and was made a knight of theoriser of the Holy Sepulchre, in the early 1570's, included the Jerusalem cross in his coat of arms. Furthermore, there is a historical tradition that Peter the Great flew a flag with a variant of the Jerusalem Cross in his campaign in the White Sea in 1693. A banner with a variation of the Jerusalem cross was used in May 1821 in the Greek War of Independence. The Papal order of the Holy Sepulchre uses the Jerusalem Cross as its emblem. It is also used by the custodian of the holy land, head of the Franciscan friars who serve at the holy christian sites in Jerusalem.
Star of Bethlehem:In Bethlehem, at the place where it commemorates the exact birthplace of Jesus (Yeshua) in the church of the nativity, a 14-point star is placed. It is called a Star of Bethlehem. Are you wondering why it is a 14-point star? Like why 14? Well, I (Waleed Tarazi) was born on August 14. It is true, but I'm just kidding!
Reason #1: Jesus/Yeshua's genealogy. The reason behind using 14 as a number is because Jesus/Yeshua was a Jew. You heard me say that my boss was a jewish carpenter! We know who he was, as his genealogy can be traced back to Abraham as it is recorded in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 1; please check it out. It's 14 generations from Abraham (from UR in modern day Iraq) to David. Then 14 generations from Solomon to Hechoniah. And 14 generations from Shealtiel to Yeshua/Jesus.
Reason #2: David's name. The 22 alphabets in Hebrew have numerical #s. It's like playing poker. We can translate A as 1, J as 11, Q as 12, and K as 13. So, David's name in Hebrew is 771 (D-V-D)... NOTE: The 771 looks like the Hebrew symbols. They are not #s.• D (7) has a value of 4• V (1) has a value of 6• So, 2 D (7) and 1• We get 4 + 6 + 4 = 14• We got 14 again!
Hence, Yeshua/Jesus being a descendant of David, at the place where many believe is the birthplace, a special 14-point star of Bethlehem is placed. In The Tarazi Coat of Arams, the 14-point Jerusalem star is utilized, and at its core the Alpha and Omega symbol are defined which reflects God's Holy Words – "I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Rev 22:13."
My quest to preserve and honor our history and family lead to these facts which even made me prouder and hungrier for more knowledge. Our current family tree roots go back to the year 1755. The content of this document and our Coat of Arms leave no doubts in my mind of how we are deeply connected to our history in the Holy Land, Israel and Palestine. Abraham from UR (modern day Iraq) added extra joy and a greater sense of pride knowing that this is my birth country and that of my dear mother, Nimat/Grace and her familys' birth place.