Author
George Azar
George Azar is author of Palestine: A Photographic Journey (University of California, 1991), co-author of Palestine: A Guide (Interlink, 2005) and director of the films Beirut Photographer (2012) and Gaza Fixer (2007). He lives in Beirut.
Articles by this author
Bibi Zogbé: The Flower Painter
Arts & Culture
Except for a rare self-portrait, Bibi Zogbé painted flowers—exuberant and confident, as well as modern and symbolic, her paintings reflect her life between her native Lebanon and three decades in Argentina.
Reviving the Art of Tunisian Glass
Arts & Culture
In the mid-1980s, Sadika Keskes fired up the first artisanal glass furnaces in Tunisia in 600 years. Since then she has revived a once-thriving heritage craft and, through her teaching, lit up imaginations among a new generation of artisans.
The Storyteller Who Listened
Arts & Culture
“I’ve tried to listen and understand,” said the late Anthony Shadid, the first Arab American correspondent to win a Pulitzer Prize in international reporting. How he did it was no secret formula: time; attention; sincerity—and lots of notes.
Amedi: Citadel of Culture
Arts & Culture
Perched on a table-topped, naturally defensive crag overlooking green valleys in Iraq’s rugged north, the town of Amedi is one of what were once nearly 200 historic citadels and one of the most intact. Experts at home and abroad are pitching in to meet the town’s newest challenge: preserving the history that remains and, at the same time, turning it into a much-needed economic engine.
Listening to the Land
Arts & Culture
Tuned to low-impact design, local materials and how people physically experience buildings, the Royal Academy for Conservation of Nature in northern Jordan rises from an abandoned limestone quarry to exemplify the ethic it teaches.
Kufiya Nouveau
Arts & Culture
Once a traditional Arab headdress of white cotton sewn with traditional patterns in black or red, the kufiya is being pulled by designers onto the streets and runways of global fashion.
Hike Palestine
With the wide wanderings of Abraham more than 4,000 years ago, 21 linked stages of rural pathways and back roads now make up the 330-kilometer Masar Ibrahim al-Khalil, or “Trail of Abraham the Friend.”
Beirut Sounds Like This
An alchemy of creativity and adversity, the Lebanese capital’s indie/alt music scene feels ripe for global gold. Find some of our starter tracks on page 22 to listen to while reading and decide for yourself.
Now Playing: Jordan, Credit: Nadine Toukan
Arts & Culture
A decade ago, Nadine Toukan led Jordan’s Royal Film Commission and founded a workshop that launched a generation of Arab and especially Jordanian filmmakers. Often credited on screen as a producer, she likes to think of herself as “a connector.”
现在播放：约旦 制作人：娜汀·杜坎 (Now Playing: Jordan Credit: Nadine Toukan) - Jordan Chinese
十年前，约旦皇家电影委员会的负责人娜汀·杜坎成立了一个工作坊，之后这里成为整整一代阿拉伯电影人，特别是约旦电影制作人的发源地。她经常以电影制作人的身份出现在荧屏上，但她更 愿意将自己看作是一个“连接点”。
Em cartaz Jordânia Crédito: Nadine Toukan - Jordan Portuguese
Há uma década, Nadine Toukan liderou a Comissão Real de Cinema da Jordânia e fundou uma oficina que lançou toda uma geração de cineastas árabes e especialmente jordanianos. Frequentemente mencionada nos créditos da grande tela como produtora, ela gosta de pensar em si mesma como “uma conectora”.
En cartelera: Jordania Crédito: Nadine Toukan - Jordan Spanish
Hace diez años, Nadine Toukan dirigió la Comisión de Cine Real de Jordania y fundó un taller que lanzó una generación de cineastas árabes y, en especial, jordanos. Con frecuencia recibe el crédito como productora, pero a ella le gusta considerarse “una conectora”.
현재 상영: 요르단 크레디트: Nadine Toukan (Now Playing: Jordan Credit: Nadine Toukan) - Jordan Korean
십 년 전, Nadine Toukan은 요르단 왕립영상위원회를 이끌었고 아랍, 특히 요르단의 영화 제작자들을 진출시킨 워크샵을 설립했다. 프로듀서로서 스크린에 자주 크레디트되는 그녀는 스스로를 “연결자”라고 생각하는 것을 좋아한다.
Capital of Baklava
Food
In a city where baklava chefs train for 10 years, you know dessert- making is being taken seriously. Add competition from 500 other baklava specialists, and you can only be in Gaziantep, Turkey.