On the Wehr dictionary
This is a fascinating history of a Jewish scholar who worked on the Wehr Arabic dictionary. https://qantara.de/en/article/islamic-history-scholar-sabine-schmidtke-holocaust-reshaped-knowledge-prod…
Author: tabsir
Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
This post has been published in Informed Comment. On Sunday, May 17, a conservative religious group known as Freedom 250 is inviting you to a prayer vigil at…
Lexicon of Fish and Marine Species
This is a new open book publication of terms in Arabic and contemporary South Arabian languages for fish and marine animals. https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0538
A Visit to Yemen in 1884: Part 2
In a previous post I mentioned the visit to Yemen in 1891 by an Italian traveler after a journey that took him through Tunis and Egypt. His name…
A Visit to Yemen in 1884: Part 1
Most scholars who have read about the many travelers to Yemen in the past are well aware of the Italian Renzo Manzoni, whose 1884 El Yemen records his…
If Only Abraham Had Known
A fable, dedicated to Mark Twain and all who really understand what it means to suffer Abraham was sitting just inside his tent flap near the oaks of…
Persia Once More
“The world is very troubled, and while peace is supposed to have been secured, active and murderous warfare is going on in at least a quarter of the…
New Middle East, Same Old Story
There are far too many wars, not-wars and rumors of wars today. My commentary on the war-torn-apart Middle East was published today on Juan Cole’s Informed Comment site:…
Pigeons over Damacus
The Undimmed Passion of Damascus’ Pigeon Fanciers The centuries-old tradition survived wartime’s rooftop snipers, but is struggling to inspire the young Alex Martin AstleyAlex Martin Astley…
Palestine in 2019
Over the years many popular magazines have published articles by visitors to Palestine. In a 1919 issue of the periodical The Century there was an article by Joseph…
Cleopatra had a Jazz Band
There are quite a few songs from the early 20th century Vaudeville Days that feature the Middle East. Did you know that Cleopatra had a jazz band? Feel…
Lament for Yemen
Yemen,your body lies crushedbeneath the rubble that was the homewhere you were bornyour blood floods the landwhere sorghum supplied every needyour breath is a raging wind,a gasp in…
1700 Books on Palestine
To access these books, click here.
The Ignorance of the Jahiliyya
This is an excellent Youtube talk by Ahmad al-Jallad on the evidence from the rock inscriptions and graffiti from the Arabian Peninsula. Also check out his excellent book…
Mamluk Studies Conference
For details, click here.
Podcast on Gulf Almanac Lore
My podcast with Ahmed AlMaazmi and Tamara Fernando is posted online on the New Books Network.
Jere Bacharach
On April 9 the Middle East historian Jere Bacharach, emeritus professor at the University of Washington, passed away. He was an amazing individual, great scholar and friend. He…
17th Century Judaeo-Persian Manuscript
This is a beautifully illustrated text, a copy of a text first written in the 14th century. You can examine it at https://smarthistory.org/the-ardashirnama-judeo-persian-manuscript/?fbclid=IwAR2H…
Book Launch on Almanac Lore of the Arab gulf
I will be giving a book launch on my recent book on Gulf almanac lore via Zoom for the Qatar National Library on February 22, 2023. Details about…
Anti-Evolution in Turkey
This article is worth reading. An entire country bans the teaching of a scientific fact. Read it here.
A History of Food Production in Yemen
In October, 2022, I participated in the Food Sovereignty Workshop at Ohio State University and discussed the issue of sustainable agriculture and water resource use to improve the…
IAS Talk on Arabs before Islam
For more information and to register, click here.