Featured
A Reimagined Islamic Garden
Flavors
Flavors: Spicy Roasted Cauliflower (Zahra)
- Food
- Recipe
Ma’aleh is usually deep-fried cauliflower, served in a sandwich with raw vegetables and tarator.
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Sea Beans With Fava Beans and Dill
Food
This recipe serves up one of London-based food writer Sally Butcher's favorite lunches—a perfect mezze dish of beans.
A Reimagined Islamic Garden
Arts
The second Islamic Arts Biennale (Jan 24-May 25, 2025) in Jeddah explores multicultural expressions of faith, healing, regeneration and an appreciation of beauty.
Nakshi Kantha: Tradition and Identity in Every Stitch
Arts
History
A traditional form of quilting in Bangladesh in which women embroider family history, love and memory into the fabric is blanketing markets locally and beyond.
Arab Immigration and the French Art Scene
Arts
While France is rediscovering its relationship with Arab artists of the 20th century, the latest generation of French Arab contributors to the country’s world-class art scene is exploring their own sense of identity.
Cracked Wheat and Tomato Kibbeh Recipe
Food
Simply cooked line-caught fish with this beautiful tomato kibbeh. I don't know how you could top it.
A Life of Words: A Conversation With Zahran Alqasmi
Arts
For as long as poet and novelist Zahran Alqasmi can remember, his life in Mas, an Omani village about 170 kilometers south of the capital of Muscat, in the northern wilayat (province) of Dima Wattayeen, books permeated every part of his world. “I was raised in a family passionate about prose literature and poetry,” Alqasmi recalls.
Soaring Perspective on the Global Food Chain
Food
In his latest book, Feed the Planet, photographer George Steinmetz visits nearly every corner of the world to record diverse yet linked aspects of the global food chain—including aquaculture.
Centuries-Old Scent Oud Now Perfuming East and West
Science & Nature
Musky and sweet, oud wafted its way into the culture of the Arabian Gulf from South and East Asia. Now the resin that is processed into an essential oil is sweetening perfume and room fragrance in the West.
A Fasting Journey Through Ramadan
Arts
What’s it like as a non-Muslim to fast during Ramadan? Writer Scott Baldauf shares his journey through the holy month where he uncovers resilience, empathy and the powerful unity found in shared traditions.
Featured Videos
Sitar Sounds With Alif Laila
- Arts
What is a sitar? Where did it come from and what kind of sound does it make? With a lifetime of training from leading virtuosos, Alif Laila is one of a few women to achieve international recognition playing the mesmerizing instrument whose sound evokes the musical identity of the greater Indian subcontinent. She is as passionate about music as she is about encouraging other women. Hear her talk about the sitar and play its mesmerizing sounds.
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Weaving an oriental carpet tradition in Georgia
- Arts
In Georgia Borchalo rugs are making a tentative comeback amid growing recognition of the uniqueness of ethnic Azerbaijani weaving. There’s hope that this tradition can be saved. Video by Pearly Jacob and Robin Forestier-Walker
How To Use an Astrolabe
- History
- Science & Nature
How do you use an astrolabe? Writer Lee Lawrence takes you on an adventure as she takes on the greatest computer of its day–the astrolabe. The device helped astronomers, surveyors and navigators calculate height, tell time and aid in direction. But using them took a lot more than typing and swiping.
Read the story "Astrolabe Tech Made...Not So Easy" here.
Video by David H. Wells
Art of Islamic Patterns: A Moorish Star Part 2 - Pattern Expand and Color
- Arts
For our next journey into the art of Islamic patterns, we visit Marrakesh, Morocco, where we find a stunning carved stucco design on a wall in the Qasr al-Bahiyah. The design is framed within a niche topped by muqarnas, the characteristic stalactite-like forms that often articulate the transition from a wall to a dome, a vault or, as in this beautiful example, the upper span of an interior niche. Although woven strapwork and vegetal motifs embellish the star pattern, in this installment in this series we focus only on the underlying geometric scheme: a classic arrangement of 12-pointed stars with equilateral triangles between them.
Read the full story here.
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