Every year since 1999, Time magazine has announced its TIME 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world. 2020 is no different. As in years past, Arabs prominently appear next to their colleagues from all over the world on the list that is divided into different sections that include “Pioneers,” “Artists,” “Leaders,” “Icons” and “Titans”. As a result, past lists have...
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Quick! When you think of the traveling to the Middle East, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? I’m quite sure it’s not lush forests or oceans blue; rather the first thing you thought of was the desert, right? You’re not alone in that because when people think about going on vacation, they don’t think about deserts, but they imagine a cabin in the...
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It’s no secret that when you’re learning a language, you’re also learning a culture. This means if you’re learning Arabic, you’re also learning about Arab culture, so why don’t you use the culture of Arab TV to learn to speak Arabic better? We’ve talked before about the amazing Egyptian film industry and how watching films in Arabic can help you better learn Arabic language skills, but...
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A capital is the seat of a nation. Moreover, it often also serves as the chief finance, people, cultural, or academic center of a country. In fact, they so closely relate to their countries that the news will quite often use the name of the city instead of the name of the capital’s country. For example, "deals made between Amman and Cairo" refer to "deals made between Jordan and...
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The 22 Arabic speaking countries of the Middle East and North Africa have a bountiful past that goes all the way back to the beginning of human civilization. The language they speak also has a rich history all its own that dates back centuries. Today, the region is home to over 315 million native Arabic speakers and the language recently moved into the fourth position...
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Many people have called Morocco home for hundreds of years and you’ll notice this in their local culture. Along with the native Berbers, the country has hosted a diversity of cultures including Phoenicians, Arabs, Sub-Saharan Africans, Romans and Spaniards. Most people who live there today, however, identify as Berber or Arab or a mix of the two. Modern Standard Arabic and the Amazigh languages including Tashelheit...
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To fully appreciate the Arab people and their culture, you need to also understand the Arabic language as both are fundamentally connected to each other. Just as Arab culture is very rich and complex, so Arabic is also a very rich language with a history as complex as the history of the Arabic speaking countries that use the language. Today’s article will explore the history...
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Despite the fact that their country is known for having somewhat of a conservative culture, Saudi Arabian kids still know how to have fun and often still play traditional games that their parents and grandparents played before them. Here are some of the most common ones: The Hunter This great outdoor game is a combination of hide and seek and freeze tag where a player is chosen...
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Despite its name, Islamic art is not the art of a specific religion, nor is it art of a specific time, place, nor of a single medium. What it is, however, is art that covers a period of some 1400 years – art that comes from many lands and peoples, and art that includes architecture, calligraphy, painting, glass, ceramics, and textiles, among others. Islamic art doesn’t...
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The history of ceramics in Islamic art is unmatched by any of its contemporaries. When the rest of the world was making unglazed pottery, Islamic potters were developing a tin-opacified glazing some of which can be found on the blue-painted ware of Basra, Iraq, that dates as far back as 700 AD. Additionally, 9th century Iraqi Islamic potters also contributed to the creation of stonepaste ceramics,...
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