Folkarts

Image of Bayad playing his oud Music Some of my favorite contemporary Moroccan artists: Nass El Ghiwane – see Brownbook post Oum – see Brownbook post Nabyla Maan See here for a concert of psalms sung in Arabic, performed by Lebanese Catholic nun Sister Marie Keyrouz. Poetry and Oral Compositions The oldest extant example of Arabic literature is poetry, composed and performed orally. Here is a 9th century poem in English translation.

A beautiful image for today: by Moataz Nasr in Cairo, from here.

Here are some sources that I can recommend that relate to Jews in the Arab World: Medieval Middle East Norman Stillman’s source book is excellent, especially for those seeking an overview of the earliest records regarding Jews and the spread of Arabic culture (from the 7th to 19th century). It gives access to primary sources in English translation, and is very balanced in its representation of societies. Shlomo Dov Goitein’s work is magnificent in adding to historical scholarship on the Mediterranean.

This is a list of recommendations for people (especially Americans) who want to educate themselves about the history and politics of Israel-Palestine. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which raised controversy for his description of the situation as apartheid. Classic Fateful Triangle by Noam Chomsky. It can be dense due to so much detail, but if you want lots of facts, this one’s for you. For a summary, see A Synopsis of the Israel/Palestine Conflict.

Introduction This is one of my favorite pieces of art. Those of us who are partial to the color combination blue and white may already know of Dutch Delftware or English willow pattern dishes. Both are seventeenth and eighteenth century European porcelain designs inspired by Chinese pinyin, literally ‘blue flowers’ wares, dating from the fourteenth century. Chinese porcelain also inspired pottery styles in the Islamic world, especially in Iznik (in the Ottoman Empire, today Turkey).

Bonjour! As you may know, I’m helping lead a discussion on GoodReads about The Time of White Horses by Ibrahim Nasrallah. Then my husband recently introduced me to the music of Nolwenn Leroy, a French singer inspired by Breton and Celtic culture. I enjoyed this song so much, that I ended up translating it (video also embedded below). It’s a 15th century song from Brittany, in northwest France. The mare of Michao

Paintings by English book illustrator Arthur Rackham Films by Japanese artist Hayao Miyazaki Fantasy novels and short stories around the world Illustrations by American book designer Thomas Canty Arabic folk hero Antar. Film on YouTube here (in Arabic). Margari Aziza wrote about her discovery of Antar. Egyptian feminist working group, Women & Memory Forum, published a collection of re-tellings and re-imaginings of folktales and old Arabic stories Statues depicting Shahrazad and other characters of الف ليلة ولية / One Thousand and One Nights by ‘Sculptor of Baghdad’ Mohammed Ghani Hikmat