I have read a lot about the glorious accomplishments of “the Arabs” or “the Muslims” in the distant past. Instead of focusing on some mythic golden age, this site includes any material culture that I find beautiful and noteworthy. So while some examples are historical, some are contemporary.
For some incredibly beautiful historic art and architecture photos and information on patterns, see here.
Photo by Radwa El Barouni, carving in Fes
Pottery
One of my favorite pieces of art is a blue and white lamp from the sixteenth century. For some contemporary ceramics that I think are well worth checking out, see the work of Myriam Mourabit (Rabat, Morocco).
Woodwork
One of the most distinctive kinds of woodwork in the Arab World is mashrabiyya, latticed screens traditionally fitted together without any adhesive or hardware. Historically, they developed as a strategy for comfort and privacy so that urban families could enjoy fresh air from the outdoors without exposing themselves to public scrutiny. For contemporary woodwork, I can recommend Nadim (Cairo, Egypt).
One of the most valued arts throughout the Islamic world is calligraphy. See here for the highlights from a contemporary calligraphy exhibition in Malaysia. This site has featured the work of Moataz Nasr of Cairo here.
Textiles
Preview: khyamiyya appliqué (Egypt), Tally Art (southern Egypt), embroidery in Palestine and Jordan…
I’m delighted to announce the publication of my new book, The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat al-Himma. This handy book contains carefully selected episodes from the longest extant Arabic epic, and the only one named for a woman. Below is a photo of the seven volumes that comprise the…
I’d like to provide here several draft syllabi for those of you interested in teaching and research of the following topics. I support an open-source approach to knowledge, and am happy to follow up on these resources in conversation if you have any comments or questions. Time Periods & Parameters of Arabic Literature In the…
YA Arabic Fantasy Fiction I recommend anything by Ahmed Salah Al Mahdi, a bright new talent in the Arab World. I’ve dedicated another post to his work here. Adult Arabic Fantasy Fiction ‘Warrior’ by Matt Leines Historical/Classical Selections: Science Fiction: Speculative fiction fans, tune in to these two Intralingo Spotlight interviews with author Dr. Monther…
In this post, I’m adding some new Arabic proverbs/sayings to the ones I posted years ago here. The post from 2016 is one of my most consistently popular posts, but it is high time we got some new ones! This round is more colloquial. The earlier post includes more quotations from literature. Enjoy! إن كان…
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…
Ready for some adventure tales? Join us in reading “101 Nights” (Miit layla wa-layla). Like its most famous cousin, “1001 Nights” (also called Arabian Nights), this medieval story collection also includes the frame tale of Shahrazad saving her life with her storytelling. However, our text is shorter, older, and likely has North African or Andalusian…