Hanbali Resource
This is a useful source with pdfs of books from and about the Hanbali school. including a number by Ibn al-Jawzi.
Author: tabsir
Varisco on the Baghdadi Ratl
On Thursday, July 8 , 2021 (4 pm Berlin time, 10 am New York time) I will be giving an online presentation on my search for the metric…
Baghdad and Iraq in 1901
The British traveler Sir Edgar Collins Boehm was one of many travelers up the Persian Gulf and elsewhere more than a century ago. His narrative is rather meager,…
Traditional Seafaring in the Gulf
The online event “Under the Sails – Maritime Conversation on Trade and Seafaring. Perspectives from Iran and Kuwait” held on May 26, 2021 is now available to view…
Baghdad Postcards #2
Here are several early 20th century postcards showing life in and around Baghdad.
Baghdad Postcards #1
Baghdad was featured in a number of early 20th century postcards. Several of these were printed by A.a.K Naman… Here are images of two of Baghdad’s mosques.
Iran Exhibition in London
There is a new exhibit on Iran at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London through 12 September. If you cannot make it to the exhibition, there is…
Yemen in 1917
The British Government issued an official handbook on Yemen in 1917. This has recently been uploaded to the Qatar Digital Library. One of the sections gives a general…
Persian Kamancheh Music
This new recording by Misagh Joolaee is sad but enthralling at the same time. Read about it and listen on the Qantara Website.
A Jewel of a Book by Marjorie Ransom
AIYS member and long-time supporter Marjorie Ransom published her beautifully illustrated and diligently researched book on Yemeni silverwork in 2014 . This is a must for anyone interested…
The Shrine of Nabi Hud
One of the most impressive architectural sites in Yemen is off the beaten track in the Hadramawt, about 90 miles north of al-Mukalla. This is the shrine of…
Excavating Egyptology
The New York Review of Books has an interesting review of three recent books on the archaeology and filmic versions of ancient Egypt.
Damascus Heritage
For an impressive website devoted to the heritage of Damascus, check out “Damascus Heritage.” There are several Youtube videos accessible from the website. I especially like the im…
Maraqten on the Qur’an in light of Pre-Islamic Inscriptions
Dr. Muhammad Maraqten, the distinguished archaeologist and specialist on ancient pre-Islamic languages of the Arabian Peninsula, delivered a lecture almost a year ago on our knowledge of the…
Images from the 19th century “Bible World”
There were many books written by Christian missionaries and clergy during the 19th century. While the text itself has long since been outdated, the engravings are still fascinating…
Apostasy and the Prophet
There is an excellent discussion of the origins and extent of apostasy laws in Islamic contexts by Dr. Ahmet Kuru, Porteous Professor of Political Science at San Diego…
Handbook of Yemen (1917)
In 1917 the British government issued a handbook on Yemen with details on the geography. local tribes and important individuals. It is especially useful for discussion of travel…
Parading with the Pharaohs
Yesterday there was an extravaganza parade in Cairo parading the embalmed remains of 22 ancient Egyptian pharaohs to their new “eternal” resting place in the National Museum of…
Picturing the “Enemy”
My friend Karim Ben Khelifa, an award-winning photographic journalist who I met over a decade ago, has produced an extraordinary film (“The Enemy”) on his experience as a…
Googling Ibn Majid
One of the most famous Arab navigators is the Omani Ahmad b. Majid, who flourished in the latter half of the 15th century. If you google his name…
Oldest Beer Site
Check out this report in The Guardian on what may be the oldest site for producing beer in the world. Of course it was discovered by archaeologists…
The Daughters of Kobani
I recently finished reading a fascinating and well-informed account of the role of female Kurdish fighters during the last decade in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS)…
Amish Camels
The image above, a drawing from the 1850s, epitomizes how the camel has been imagined for everyone in America, the West and just about everywhere outside the area…
Pythagorus in Egypt
The Greek mathematician Pythagorus, considered the founder of mathematics, left his home in Samos for Egypt in 535 BCE. A decade later he was captured and taken prisoner…