Lighting Up Egyptian Style
Egypt has long been a land of wonder for advertising. In the March 1919 periodical ‘The Century’ the very first ad is for a brand of cigarettes so…
Tag: Archaeology and Antiquities
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.
A Methodist in Palestine
In 1904 the proud D.D. Methodist Robert William van Schroik, at the age of 61, boarded a German steamer in New York for a 70-day trip to the…
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.
Yemen Film 1973
This exquisite film was produced in 1973 and filmed in 1972, thus representing Yemen half a century ago. It is now available on Youtube. The filmmakers were Karen…
Source for Arabic pdfs
Here is a very useful source for downloading pdfs of Arabic texts on a wide range of subjects. Check it out here: https://ebook.univeyes.com/disciplines
Where are the Himyarite Kings?
The war that has dragged on in Yemen for seven years has created a major humanitarian disaster. Yemen has experienced war and conflict before since the early days…
Mesopotamian Potluck
If you are bored with what you cook, give this rather ancient set of recipes a try. Read all about it on the MyMet website.
Lebanese Music at Baalbek
This is a beautifully filmed and played Youtube video of Lebanese music performed in the ruins of a temple in Lebanon.
Bulldozing Islamic Jeddah
mid-19th century view of Jeddah from Richard Burton’s travelogue The current de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, MBS, has promoted a major development scheme entitled Vision 2030. This…
Iranian Art Exhibition
The James Simon Galerie of the Staatliuche Museen zu Berlin has an ongoing exhibition on Iranian art. Click here for details.
Catching a Looter
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has conducted a major investigation into an antiquities dealer who bought looted materials from archaeological sites and museums. Read about it here…
With Pierre Loti in Persia
My friend, the historian G. Rex Smith, has recently translated into English a marvelous travel diary by the French military official and traveller Pierre Loti (1850-1923). It is…
Rethinking Egyptian Cosmology and the Grand Canyon
Desert View of the Grand Canyon (©el-Sayed el-Aswad, October, 2021) This article relates to a previous paper entitled “Egyptian Cosmology and the Grand Canyon” published by Tabsir on…
Al-Jallad on Pre-Islamic Arabian Inscriptions
One of the foremost scholars of the pre-Islamic languages and inscriptions of the Arabian Peninsula is Dr. Ahmad al-Jallad. Here is a Youtube video of a lecture he…
Online Books in Halle
At least 337 Books published in Germany on Islam and history of the Middle East are available to read online or download. Most are in German but a…
Stereoscopic Palestine
To access the article online, click here: https://www.palestine-studies.org/sites/default/files/jq-articles/Time%20Travelers%20in%20Palestine%20-%20Stereoscopic%20Journey.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2…
Recovering Iraqi Heritage
The site DNYUZ has an article on the restoration of stolen artifacts from Iraq being found and returned.
King Tut’s Tomb in Color
Nice site with photos of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922.
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…
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…