Culture

Cover of Fawzi Boubia's "West-Oestlicher Divan" published by PalmArtPress (source: publisher)

Fawzi Boubia's "Mein West-Oestlicher Diwan"

A tale of disappointed love

German-Moroccan philosopher and writer Fawzi Boubia has long acted as a mediator between East and West, building cultural bridges in multiple publications. His strongly autobiographical novel "Mein West-Oestlicher Diwan" takes a merciless look at Germany's political and cultural trends, while celebrating its cultural and intellectual past. By Volker KaminskiMore

Islam for the 21st century? Look no further than GoetheGoethe anniversary: Orient and OccidentFuad Rifka: At home in German thought
Language areas of the brain in native speakers of German and Arabic (source: MPI CBS/DW)

Language and language acquisition

How the brain processes German and Arabic

Language develops in different areas of the brain. Researchers have been able to show that the way these are linked varies according to the respective native language – knowledge that could prove useful. By Katrin EwertMore

The demise of Modern Standard Arabic: Tongue-tied ArabsArabic in Latin script: Lost in ArabicMoroccan school curricula: French, Arabic, Moroccan, Amazigh?
Tuwaiq Palace Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (image: Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib)

“Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture”

Inspiring cities of the future

“Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture” at Germany's Vitra Design Museum provides valuable food for thought about the ways architecture can deal with climate change. Numerous examples from Arab countries illustrate how they have been defying the heat for thousands of years. By Joseph CroitoruMore

Mohamed Elshahed's "Cairo Since 1900": In pursuit of other modernismsSaudi Arabia's urban development: The Crown Prince's bulldozersQantara photo essay: Saudi Arabia seen from above
Mural by Rumi in a cultural centre in Mazar-i Sharif, Afghanistan (image: Marian Brehmer)

750th anniversary of Rumi’s death – Part 1

Seeking the essence of life

Seven-and-a-half centuries after the death of Muslim mystic poet Rumi, his verse has lost nothing of its profundity and transformative power. By Marian BrehmerMore

Marking the anniversary of Rumi's death in Konya: From traditional to lifestyle SufismGod's love for all: Sufism is not just MuslimThe hidden treasures of Sufism: In the footsteps of Rumi
The four core musicians of Taraf Syriana – Omar Abour Afach, violin; Noemy Braun, cello; Naeem Shawar, qanun; and Sergiu Popa, accordion (source: www.tarafsyriana.com/)

Romani-Syrian band Taraf Syriana

Poignant cross-pollination

The idea that Romani musicians have anything in common with their counterparts from Syria may seem far-fetched. Yet, listening to Taraf Syriana's debut album, it seems natural the two musical worlds blend effortlessly together. By Richard MarcusMore

Maya Youssef′s ″Syrian Dreams″: Hope still springsTurkish Romani musician ″Balik″ Ayhan Kucukboyaci: ″We Roma are more than just entertainers″Qantara dossier: Musical worlds
Osman Kavala (photo: Kerem Uzel/dpa/picture-alliance)

Turkish activist Osman Kavala

"We have a strong political opposition"

The Turkish human rights activist Osman Kavala has been imprisoned in Turkey since 2017. Erdoğan's government considers him an enemy of the state. In this interview, Kavala tells Linda Vierecke why he still has hope in spite of it all.More

Osman Kavala and Turkey's travesty of justice: Exploiting the fog of warInterview with jailed Turkish human rights activist Osman Kavala: "Nonsensical accusations"Turkey: the Osman Kavala case: A crucial test for EU–Turkey relations
A huge painting by Sudanese artist Amna Elhassan featuring a woman, bird and a tree (image: Schirn Kunsthalle)

Sudanese artists speak out

"It's not our war"

Sudan has become a battleground. But it is not the war of the people who live there, say exiled Sudanese writers Stella Gitano and Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin. By Stefan DegeMore

Fighting for power in Sudan: Burhan and Dagalo – greed-driven egotistsSudan anti-putsch protests: "We have to keep fighting""The Messiah of Darfur": A peacemaker in times of war
Lebanese stand-up comedian Shaden Fakih during her stage show in Beirut at the end of February 2022 (image: https://www.facebook.com/Shadyonshka)

Freedom of speech in Lebanon

Jail? Don't make me laugh!

In June 2022, Lebanese comedian Shaden Fakih was court-martialled for allegedly humiliating the security forces. She talked to Lena Bopp about coming out on live television, sexism on the comedy scene and the changes in her countryMore

Lebanese writer Alawiya Sobh: I'm not afraid for myselfLebanese author Elias Khoury: Beirut's ruling class – "The stupidest mafia there is"Qantara dossier: Comedy
Director of the Istanbul Film Festival 2023 Kerem Ayan with director Ayse Polat (image: Stefan Weidner)

Istanbul's 42nd Film Festival

Between two quakes

Other high-profile film festivals would be hard pushed to match the intensity with which cinematic art collides with reality at the Istanbul Film Festival. Stefan Weidner attended for Qantara.deMore

Election run-up in Turkey: Who are Erdogan's allies?Turkey five years after the attempted coup: "Witch hunt" focuses on Turkish artists and intellectualsFatih Akin's film "In the Fade": Back in the saddle
Still from the film "Notes on Displacement" by Khaled Jarrar (source: Thessaloniki Film Festival)

Khaled Jarrar's documentary "Notes on Displacement"

Putting faces to the nameless

Many films exist about the dangerous escape routes people have been taking to reach Europe since 2015 to escape war, conflict and precarious living conditions. In this very personal documentary, Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar accompanies an old lady from Yarmouk, Syria, who was driven out of Nazareth as a child. By Rene WildangelMore

Afghan refugees in Portugal: Regenerating soil and soulGreece and the asylum-seekers: How do you solve a problem like Moria?Europe′s refugee deal with Turkey: The end of the road
Curator Linda Komaroff discusses the work "Be Colorful #2" by Iran-born artist Shadi Ghadirian at the press preview for the exhibition "Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond" (image: AFP/Robyn Beck)

"Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond"

LA art exhibition on Middle East women opens

An exhibition of work by 42 female artists on women in the Middle East has opened in California. Challenging stereotypes about the region, it depicts what curators say are the personal and universal stories of women in Islamic societies.More

Suspended Territories exhibition: Beyond the veilPortrait of Iranian artist Shirin Neshat: Imaginary OrientWomen in Iran: The daughters of Khomeini's silent revolution
Undated official portrait of Syrian President Hafez Assad, right foreground, with his wife, Anissa Makhloof, foreground left, and children. His children are, from left to right, Maher, Bashar, Bassel (who died in a car accident in 1994), Majd and Bushra. Assad died Saturday, June 10, 2000, at the age of 69. Syria's President Bashar Assad, beset by a popular upheaval that won't die, appears to be turning more and more to a tiny coterie of relatives, the backbone of a family dynasty that has kept Syria's 22 million people living in fear for decades (image: Syrian Ministry of Information/AP/dapd)

Ramadan series "Smile, General"

Dynasty of fear

"Smile, General", a TV series aired on Al-Araby 2, has transfixed the Middle East during this month of Ramadan. Despite its fictional nature, it is hard to imagine the show as anything other than the story of the Assad family in Syria. By Issam KayssiMore

Syria 10 years on: Assad’s Pyrrhic victory and the arrogance of power Assad & Baʹath party rule: About Syria, which is no moreEarthquake aid for Syria: Bashar al-Assad – pariah no more
Iranian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Golnar Shahyar (source: golnarshahyar.com

Golnar Shahyar's 'Tear Drop' and the Iran protests

"A revolution of culture and thought"

Raised in Iran, Golnar Shahyar studied in Canada and has lived in Vienna since 2008. The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist combines jazz, song-writing and Persian roots with strong lyrics. She talks to Stefan Franzen about her debut solo album "Tear Drop" and the Woman, Life, Freedom movementMore

How feminist are the protests in Iran? The struggle for self-determination Liraz Charhi’s "Roya": An Israeli-Iranian act of rebellionKioomars Musayyebi's "A voice keeps calling me": The nights speak to meMusic and power in Iran: An instrument of propaganda and control
Lebanese writer Alawiya Sobh (image: IMAGO/Ex-Press)

Lebanese writer Alawiya Sobh

I'm not afraid for myself

In her latest novel, Lebanese writer Alawiya Sobhwrites about the failure of the Arab Spring and how religious bigotry and patriarchal structures are impacting people's health. Interview by Lena BoppMore

Interview with Alawiyya Sobh: Telling stories to surviveIman Humaidan-Junis: "B as in Beirut"Raschid al-Daif: Writing to combat memory loss
People visit the Qishla building following iftar in Baghdad, Iraq (image: Murtadha Al-Sudani/AA/picture alliance)

Middle East

Why are Ramadan TV specials so controversial?

Every year, new TV series are released during the Muslim religious holiday. And every year, some cause controversy, upsetting clerics, governments or activists. Media analysts in the Middle East say they know why. Cathrin Schaer reportsMore

Egypt's Ramadan series "El-Ekhteyar 3": At Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's expenseRamadan: Tunisia TV series sparks polygamy rowA match for Bollywood – the rise of Turkey's dizis
"Girl in a Cemetery" (detail) by Raoof Haghighi c/o A Gallery, London, UK

Art and the Iran protests

"Painting is like breathing for me"

Iranian artist Raoof Haghighi's latest exhibition, including works in support of the women of Iran, presents an intriguing range of styles and media. From stark, striking pencil sketches to lush portraits in oils, the art show from 7-16 April promises to be visually, intellectually and emotionally stimulating. Interview by Richard MarcusMore

Iranian artist Farzaneh Khademian's "Peephole": Women living "life without a life"Portrait of the Egyptian artist Soad Abdelrasoul: Creating her own universeGraffiti artist Shamsia Hassani: Giving voice to Afghanistan's oppressedPortrait of the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat: Imaginary Orient
Montaha of the Melbourne Victory Afghan Women's Team (right) celebrates with team mates during the Victoria Women's State League 4 West competition match against rival team Melton Phoenix (image: Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

FIFA and Afghanistan

The national women's football team that isn't

Afghanistan's former international women's team continue to play football together – in Australian exile. The sport's global governing body, FIFA, has so far denied them recognition as the Afghan national team. By Stefan NestlerMore

Women′s rights in Iran: "Now it's the men's turn"Women’s football in Morocco: Jump-starting women's football in the Arab worldQantara photo essay: Faith united at Sisterhood FC!
Members of the Iranian film industry demonstrate during the 2022 Berlinale (image: Reuters)

Iran protests

Iranian women filmmakers fight oppression

Well-educated and politically aware, they are the epitome of the empowered woman. Instead, Iranian women filmmakers have been fighting violence and oppression for decades. By Julia HitzMore

How feminist are the protests in Iran? The struggle for self-determinationIranian film "Holy Spider": Killing women in the name of Allah Sexual violence: #MeToo revelations rock Iranian film industry
Karachi street scene, Pakistan (image: Imago/Xinhua)

"Sufi Hotel" by Juergen Frembgen

Karachi's hidden underbelly

Juergen Wasim Frembgen's new book "Sufi Hotel" is a milieu study of Karachi's underworld that shines a light on a totally unfamiliar side of Pakistan. Marian Brehmer read it for Qantara.deMore

Islam in Pakistan: The land of the SufisPakistan turns 75: Islamabad has serious issues Pakistan's troubled province: Balochistan – tradition versus globalisation
Mural of Mahsa Amini in Dublin (image: Niall Carson/PA Wore/empics/picture-alliance)

"Between Revolutions" by Vlad Petri

The power of freedom

Using never-before-seen archive footage from Iran and Romania, director Vlad Petri tells the story of two women in the revolutions in Romania and after the fall of the Shah in Iran. Rene Wildangel watched the film for Qantara.deMore

Iran protests 2022: Tehran fatally oblivious to social change"1001 Nights Apart": Dancing for freedom in IranHow feminist are the protests in Iran? The struggle for self-determination

Pages

Understanding Iran's protests through its literary legacy

1979: Iranian actress Maliheh Nikjoumand argues with two clergymen who want to enforce the compulsory veil (photo: ISNA)

The protests of 2022 are not new in the political landscape of Iran, and novels can help us place them in a larger historical context, writes Laetitia NanquetteMore

Seven extraordinary Arab female modernists

Iraqi artist and calligrapher Madiha Umar pictured in Egypt in the 1950s (source: en.vogue.me)

A staunch champion of Arab women artists, Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, founder of Barjeel Art Foundation, curates for Vogue Arabia the modernists who have left an indelible mark on the region and the worldMore

India: Netflix audiences jump on "Darlings"

Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma have won much praise for their performances in Darlings (source: Netflix)

Domestic violence is no laughing matter, but a dark comedy streaming on Netflix on the topic is wowing audiences in IndiaMore

Al Saqi, Europe’s largest Middle Eastern bookseller, to close

Al Saqi Books shopfront in Bayswater, London (photo: Al-Saqi Facebook)

London-based Al Saqi Books, Europe’s largest specialist bookseller for publications from the Middle East, has been forced to close because of the hike in prices of Arabic-language books and because Brexit has been "detrimental" to businessMore

How Arab and Moorish culinary innovation reinvented Portuguese cuisine

Cover of Leandro Carreira's "Portugal: The Cookbook" (published by Phaidon Press)

Arab and Moorish contribution to the Iberian Peninsula remains evident through architectural and academic advancement. But what about the cuisine? "Portugal: The Cookbook" details the vast extent of Arab culinary innovation in the country.More

Arab culture: Don’t call it belly dancing

Dance of the Almeh by Jean-Léon Gérôme (source: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Right now, there is a crisis in American belly dancing: highest on the list is the question of cultural appropriation and whether Americans – particularly white Americans – should perform this Middle Eastern dance form at all.More

Egypt's great River Nile!

Cover of Amandine Marshall's "Childhood in Ancient Egypt", translated by Colin Clement (published by AUCPress)

French Egyptologist Amandine Marshall has a wonderful way of telling kids the story of the Nile! She is the author of 'Childhood in Ancient Egypt'More

"Mali Magic": Ancient Mali's manuscripts available online

A page from the ancient Timbuktu manuscripts (photo: Elias Altmimi, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

A virtual gallery containing thousands of Mali's ancient documents has been launched. The gallery contains up to 40 thousand documents written in ancient Arabic that have been digitised and made available online.More

New York Times: What a tiny masterpiece reveals about power and beauty

Rosette bearing the names and titles of Shah Jahan; folio from the Shah Jahan album (photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Four centuries ago, mighty crosscurrents of religion and culture flowed into a new Indian art. It was courtly and refined, but also eye-poppingly luxuriant.More

Qantara dossier: Iranian cinema

Film scene from 'The Salesman' shows a veiled woman in a doorway (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/Cannes Film Festival))

Since the Islamic Revolution, film culture in Iran has changed: from state propaganda films of the Khomeini era to socially critical productions today. We illuminate the facets of Iranian cinema and its resonance in the West.More

Indie film "Warsha" tackles Arab gender taboo

Still from the short film "Warsha", directed by Lebanese-Canadian Dania Bdeir (source: imdb.com)

Lebanese director Dania Bdeir, who has just scooped up the Sundance Film Festival's award for best international short film, says she wants her short to "break the norms" on sexuality and gender in the Middle East.More

Banipal Translation Prize 2021: Shortlist of 5

Saif Ghobash Banipal Translation Prize logo (source: arablit.org)

Organisers of the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation have announced this year’s shortlist. Three translators have made the shortlist for the first time in 2021: Sarah Enany (for Rasha Adly’s 'The Girl with the Braided Hair'), Sawad Hussain (for Shahla Ujayli’s 'A Bed for the King’s Daughter'), and Elisabeth Jaquette (for Dima Wannous’ 'The Frightened Ones').More

Young Senegalese author Mohamed Mbougar Sarr wins Prix Goncourt

Mohamed Mbougar, 2021 winner of France's prestigious Prix Goncourt for Literature (photo: Joel Saget/AFP)

A young Senegalese writer unknown to the general public was on Wednesday awarded the Prix Goncourt, France's leading literature prize, with a novel exploring the destiny of a cursed African author.More

Elias Khoury: "Lebanon has always rebelled against political repression"

Lebanese writer Elias Khoury (photo: imago/ZUMA Press)

What’s the difference between an assassination and an execution? This is the headache of a question facing Lebanese; it existed before Lokman Slim was killed, and it looks likely to preoccupy people for a long while to come. The question goes to the heart of the cultural scene and the intellectuals in Lebanon, Egypt and the Arab Levant.More

"Two Gods" studies the life of a Muslim casket maker

An intensely cinematic portrait of male friendship and mentorhood. In Newark, NJ a Muslim casket maker and ritual body washer brings two young men under his wing to teach them how to live better lives.More

Lughatuna: The Living Arabic Project

The Living Arabic Project logo (source: livingarabic.com)

The Living Arabic Project, created by Hossam Abouzahr, is home to the first online, multi-dialect Arabic dictionary – app or desktop version – that focuses on practical usage and can be searched in Arabic and English.More

New Lines Magazine: How the eggplant conquered Arab cuisine

(source: DW)

From feared culinary outcast to omnipresent ingredient, this misunderstood fruit has come a long way since the 9th century.More

Treats and tradition in Tehran's oldest, tiniest teahouse

Owner Kazem Mabhutian, 63, serves tea at the smallest and oldest teahouse tucked away in an alleyway of the Grand Bazaar in the Iranian capital Tehran on 20 September 2021 (photo: ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Tea is a mainstay of popular culture across the Middle East, from Morocco to Qatar. Tucked away in Tehran's Grand Bazaar is arguably the world's tiniest tea shop. The owner's signature brew – "the tea of kndness" – is just one of the many treats awaiting discoveryMore

"Iberian Moorings" compares Muslim and Jewish golden ages

Casa de Sefarad, Cordoba (photo: Zarateman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Known to Jews, Muslims, and Christians by three different names – Sefarad, al-Andalus, and Hispania, respectively – the Iberian Peninsula has been a centre of fertile intellectual, cultural and spiritual production for multiple religious traditions.More

New York Times: What a tiny masterpiece reveals about power and beauty

Rosette bearing the names and titles of Shah Jahan; folio from the Shah Jahan album (photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Four centuries ago, mighty crosscurrents of religion and culture flowed into a new Indian art. It was courtly and refined, but also eye-poppingly luxuriant.More

Eight Arab architects who shaped the world

New Gourna, Egypt, designed by Hassan Fathy (source: Mille)

For centuries, Arab and Islamic architecture has given birth to traditional styles and world heritage sites, which are studied across the world today for their level of detail and craftsmanship. It is a rich architectural heritage that has paved the way for modern Arab architects. We take a look at eight Arab architects who have shaped the region’s architectural scene over the past fifty years.More

BBC: How the Arab Spring changed cinema

Still from Tamer El Said's "In the Last Days of the City"

A decade after the revolutions, Joseph Fahim looks at how filmmakers reacted to the seismic events – and asks whether the real story of the uprisings is yet to be told.More