The Dovekeepers

Aziza remembers the story of her birth told by Shirah. Shirah was trained to be a kedeshah, a woman meant to serve holy priests, in Egypt. By the time Shirah grew up, the practice became unlawful and her mother sent Shirah to Jerusalem to live with kinsfolk.

Before Shirah left Alexandria, her mother, Nisa, gave her two golden amulets, one with the face of the sun and moon, and the other inscribed with a fish on it, for her protection. In Jerusalem, Shirah was accused of witchcraft and seducing a married man. Even when Shirah gave proof of her faith by drinking water in which a scroll with the holy name had been dipped, she was shunned. After Shirah gave birth to Aziza, the mother and baby were cast out into the wilderness in a cart.

It was here that the man who would become Nahara’s father found the duo. Sa’adallos, a fierce tribesman from Moab (contemporary southern Jordan) paid the cart driver gold coins in exchange for Shirah and her baby. He brought Shirah and Aziza to Moab, where Shirah was always considered a foreigner. One day when Shirah was alone, bandits attacked her.