Borrowing culinary traits from its surrounding Arabic speaking countries, Palestinian food is a sumptuous assortment of vibrant and flavorful dishes that have an identity all their own. With each governate having its own specialties, as well at its own cooking secrets, Palestine is a medley of food that varies from summer to winter, from seaside to mountaintop, from village to city, from street to street, and sometimes even from house to house....
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Did you know that, along with the climate, local population occupations, and other customs and traditions, Palestine can be divided into three geographical areas when it comes to clothing traditions? Well, it’s true. You’ll find very little embroidery incorporated into the folk dress of the people living in the highland regions because the women there have very little time for sewing as they are busy helping farm the fields; on the...
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Ah, spring - that time of year when, as the famous poet Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote, “… a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” It’s true for young men all around the world, even in Arabic speaking countries, where finding love in spring means marriage in summer which, in turn, means it’s also time for friends, family and neighbors to polish up...
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When we talk about Iraqi food, it’s hard to know where to begin because Iraqi cuisine, like its art and culture, is the sum of its varied and rich past. Indeed, the culinary history of Iraq reflects the palates of successive ancient civilizations which include Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, ancient Persians, and Mesopotamian Arabs. Yet, from its delicious breads and tasty stews to its sweet layered cakes and to grilled kebabs, Iraqi cuisine has retained much in the way of its ancient Mesopotamian roots that...
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The history of Iraqi fashion is as diverse as the different cultures and influences which have passed through the country since its inception as an independent state in the late 1950s. Back then, most men and women in the country wore Western clothing to show their independent progressive stance both in the Arab world and around the globe, as well. However, within the last two decades, there have been groups of...
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Syria is a moderately large country that includes many different religious and ethnic groups including the Arabs, Assyrians, Kurds, Armenians, Circassians, and Turkmen who differ in cultural traditions. As a result, writing about the subject of traditional Syrian clothing can prove to be challenging because there is no one Syrian way to dress. It ranges from city to city and from region to region and different tribes and villages have their...
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If you ever have a chance to visit the Kingdom of Jordan, more than likely someone will invite you… wait. Let me rephrase that. If you don’t do anything else in this life, go to Jordan and eat mansaf. Put it on your bucket list, on your wish list, on your calendar – whatever you have to do! Just go to Jordan and eat mansaf! Look, you don’t have to eat...
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Have you been invited to an Arab wedding, but you’re not too sure about Arab wedding traditions? In any case, you want to arrive there early because you don’t want to miss the zaffa meaning, in Arab culture, the Arab wedding entrance - a musical pageant of bendir drums, bagpipes, horns, flaming swords and belly dancers. (Wait! Belling dancers AND flaming swords? Where’s my invite?)...
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A lot of Arabic articles focus on how to learn to read Arabic better or learn to speak Arabic better, but its few and far between that you’ll find articles to help you with your listening comprehension skills. This is mostly because, until recently, there haven’t been a whole lot of resources to practice your Arabic listening skills outside of Arabic audios on YouTube or...
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When most people hear the words “traditional Egyptian clothing”, they hearken back to the days of the Pharaohs and the linen wrap-around garments worn way back then. In actuality, however, the folk dress of modern Egypt could not be any more different than that of Ancient Egyptian clothing. For instance, since the 16th century, Egyptians have had a propensity to thoroughly cover nearly every part of...
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