Culture

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
Pakistani-American author Mohsen Hamid (image: picture-alliance/dpa)

Mohsin Hamid's "The Last White Man"

The (familiar) stranger in the mirror

In his latest novel, award-winning Pakistani-British author Mohsin Hamid asks what would happen if a white man woke up one morning to find he was dark-skinned. A masterfully written Kafkaesque parable about everyday racism and discrimination. Volker Kaminski read the bookMore

Interview with Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid: "The markets have taken over the commons"Mohsin Hamid′s ″Exit West″: Through the black doorMohsin Hamid: The reluctant fundamentalist
Amsterdam-based band Altin Gun (image: Catharina Gerritsen)

Altin Gun's "Aṣk"

A strange and wonderful journey

In their latest release, Amsterdam-based Anatolian rock band Altin Gun reinterprets ten folk songs from Turkey for the 21st century, with spectacular results. Richard Marcus had a listenMore

"Anadolu Ejderi" by Gaye Su Akyol: Letting the dragon roar!Elektro Hafiz: A musical maverickCem Kaya on Turkish pop culture: As multi-faceted as Asia Minor
Frontman Rabih Lahoud (seond from right) and the members of Masaa (image: Andy Spyra)

Masaa's Rabih Lahoud in interview

"Arabic needs artistic support"

Three German jazz musicians and a German-Lebanese poet and singer: this is what gives Masaa its unique sound. In conversation with Stefan Franzen, vocalist Rabih Lahoud reflects on settling in Germany, his relationship with a changing Arabic language and music categorisationsMore

"Masaa": A fence turns to waterMasaa frontman Rabih Lahoud: Outspoken appealThe demise of Modern Standard Arabic: Tongue-tied ArabsArabic in Latin script: Lost in Arabic
Yemeni film "Al Murhaqoon", 'The Burdened' (source: Adenium Productions)

Berlinale's first Yemeni feature film

The taboo of abortion

"Al Murhaqoon" ("The Burdened") is the first Yemeni feature film ever to be shown at the Berlinale. Ahmed Shawky spoke to director Amr Gamal about the difficulties of making a film in Yemen and the taboo of abortionMore

Yemeni director Sara Ishaq: "Yemen is like a garden that was full of weeds"Women's rights in Yemen: Making the most of the space availableNobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkul Karman: "We need to bring back the Arab Spring!"Qantara dossier: Arab cinema
Online portal "Islamic Art", homepage, (source: National Museums in Berlin, Museum of Islamic Art)

Berlin Museum of Islamic Art

"Islamic Art” goes digital

The Berlin Museum of Islamic Art’s new online portal is the first digital platform in the German-speaking world to present Islamic cultures in an innovative and entertaining way. By Ceyda NurtschMore

No Europe without Islam: "Europe's history is rooted in migration"Europe's ''Judeo-Christian heritage'': The fiction that it always wasInterview with historian Michael Borgolte: "Islam was always part of Europe"
Baghdad Reading Festival on the Tigris (image: Birgit Svensson)

Iraq's art and literature scene

Culture boom in Baghdad

Frustrated with their politicians, young Iraqis are turning their backs on politics and throwing themselves into cultural life. Birgit Svensson reports from BaghdadMore

Protests in Iraq: The streets speak for themselves!Reform in Iraq: Muqtada al-Sadr must court the political eliteFrom Basra to Baghdad: Young Iraqis rise up for a life worth living
She risks her life in the hunt for the perpetrator: Zar Amir Ebrahimi in "Holy Spider" (image: Alamode Film)

Iranian film "Holy Spider"

Killing women in the name of Allah

Ali Abbasi’s film "Holy Spider" tells the true story of a serial killer in the Iranian pilgrimage city of Mashhad. The fact that it gets bogged down at the end does not make it any less interesting. By Andreas KilbMore

Women's voices: Iranian literature in times of uprising Iran protests: Jafar Panahi released following hunger strike"1001 Nights Apart": Dancing for freedom in Iran
The members of the Prussian Egyptian expedition atop the Pyramid of Cheops in October 1842 (image: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett)

Egypt expedition 1842

A Prussian tour to the land of the Pharaohs

One hundred and eighty years ago, the Prussian king sent a team of scientists to the Nile. The items they brought back were ground-breaking for the development of Egyptology, a science very much in its infancy at the time. An exhibition on Berlin’s Museum Island tells the storyMore

Hieroglyphs exhibition at the British Museum: Museums with guilt complexesThe West and the Middle East: Casting a long shadow – Napoleon's intervention in EgyptTreasures of the Ancient Middle East: Deciphering the first written languageQantara photo essay: Egypt's most famous revolutionary: Akhenaten
Pioneer of Indian slide guitar Debashish Bhattacharya (image: https://debashishbhattacharya.com)

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya's tribute

Ali Akbar Khan – sound of the soul

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya's latest release pays tribute to late virtuoso of the sarod, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. With both men having been instrumental in bridging the gap between classical Indian and European music, it is fitting Bhattacharya should put together this album. Richard Marcus had a listenMore

The Dosti Music Project′s ″Travelers″: Coming homeArooj Aftab's "Vulture Prince": Coping with pain in UrduHindol Deb's "Essence of duality": Beyond the exotic – for a new East-West dialogue
Palestinian Jamal Hemou, 58, is the last of his kind – he runs the only store in the West Bank city of Nablus repairing and selling vinyl records and players (image: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)

West Bank's last vinyl repairman

Vinyl lover preserves musical heritage

From Jamal Hemmou's ramshackle workshop in Nablus's Old City in the occupied West Bank, classic Arabic songs blare into the surrounding cobbled streets. For how much longer remains to be seen – neither of his sons is interested in taking over the businessMore

Muslims and Jews in the Maghreb: A whispered historyLebanese singer Fairuz: The "grande dame" of Arab music turns 85Reem Kelani: Palestinian bluesDina Hamza′s documentary film "Gaye El Zaman": A daughter's tribute
A cradle in the desert (image: Reuters/Murad Sezer)

Sabah Sanhouri's "Paradise"

The last resort

Sabah Sanhouri is a fresh, new literary voice from Sudan. Her novel "Paradise" revolves around an agency of the same name, an organisation that assists desperate people in ending their lives. By Volker KaminskiMore

Leila Aboulela's "Bird Summons": The arc of self-discoveryAbdelaziz Baraka Sakin’s "The Messiah of Darfur": A peacemaker in times of warTayeb Salih′s ″Season of Migration to the North″: A literary hall of mirrors
Still from "The Red Suitcase" by Cyrus Neshvad (source: ImdB)

Oscar-bound short

Lifting the veil on Iranian women rejecting male domination

Short movies nominated for an Oscar often don't get wide public attention. But when one is about an Iranian girl seeking freedom from male domination by taking off her veil, interest is sure to spikeMore

How feminist are the protests in Iran? The struggle for self-determinationAsef Bayat on the Iran protests: "A movement to reclaim life"Iran protests 2022: Tehran fatally oblivious to social change
ranian director Jafar Panahi has been in prison since July 2022 (image: Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Lehtikuva/picture alliance)

Iran protests

Iranian film director Jafar Panahi released following hunger strike

World-famous Iranian film director Jafar Panahi has been released from Tehran's notorious Evin prison after a hunger strike. By Stuart BraunMore

Cracks in Iran's regime? The Iranian elites' deafening silence Jafar Panahi's "Three Faces": Road movie against patriarchyGolden Bear for Jafar Panahi's film "Taxi": An incredible feeling of warmth and humanity
Protests in Frankfurt, Germany after the death of Mahsa Amini (image: dpa/picture-alliance)

Women's voices

Iranian literature in times of uprising

Young women are driving forward the protests against the Iranian regime, which have been going on for months. Literature provides clues as to why that should be, and why the current situation was unavoidable. By Gerrit WustmannMore

"Through the sad wood our corpses will hang": Flashback to a childhood in Tehran Iranian author Fariba Vafi: "Cliches have no place in writing"Iranian literature – the censor’s mindset
Retailer Salim Warda with a fake German licence plate (image: picture alliance/dpa | Johannes Schmitt-Tegg)

Cairo crazy about German licence plates

Egyptians favour the "D"

Giessen, Eichsfeld, Kusel, Berlin – cars bearing old German number plates are the latest trend on the streets of Cairo. Many Egyptians regard the discarded plates as chic. What counts is the small "D" on blue beneath the EU circle of stars. By Johannes SadekMore

Ziad Fahmy's "Street Sounds": Egypt, and the "great clamour" of urban lifeLove in Egypt: "Does love as it is here exist in Europe?"Mohamed Abla awarded Goethe Medal: Telling stories through art
Still from Sarvnaz Alambeigi's documentary "1001 Nights Apart" (source: YouTube)

"1001 Nights Apart"

Dancing for freedom in Iran

Ballet performances are prohibited in Iran. In her film "1001 Nights Apart", director Sarvnaz Alambeigi documents the history of dance in the Islamic Republic. By Fahimeh FarsaieMore

How feminist are the protests in Iran? The struggle for self-determination Iran protests 2022: Tehran fatally oblivious to social changeGerman-Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar: What it means to be Iranian these days
In a country that bears the scars of decades of conflict and has seen antiquities plundered, the House of Manuscripts' collection has managed to survive (image: Sabah ARAR/AFP)

Iraq’s cultural heritage

Iraqi conservators strive to preserve ancient manuscripts

Iraq bears the scars of decades of conflict and has seen its antiquities plundered, yet the House of Manuscripts' collection has managed to surviveMore

Reconstruction in Iraq: Mosul's Old City rises from rubble in IraqCultural heritage in Syria and Iraq: Casualties of warVirtual reality revives Iraq's war-ravaged heritage
Mehmet Celebi in the cemevi attached to his house (photo: Rainer Hermann)

Turkish music

Fighting for freedom with the lute, not the sword

The poetry of Pir Sultan once prompted uprisings in the Ottoman Empire. To this day, Alevis identify with him. Rainer Hermann visited Mehmet Celebi, a direct descendant of the medieval bard, who lives in the house Pir Sultan built in a tiny mountain village in TurkeyMore

Turkish incursion into northern Syria: You reap what you sowChallenging Turkish history from the ground up: "The stories of our families"Photo gallery: The last years of the Ottoman Empire

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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