Al-Andalus: The Orient in the West
In 711 the Arabs (in the Iberian Peninsula, “Arab” and “Muslim” are synonyms) arrived in the western-most territory of Mediterranean Europe. Within a short time, after very few battles and some sieges that…
Pilgrimage and Prayer
Pilgrimage to Mecca, or hajj, plays an important role in Islam. The first two weeks of the Muslim calendar month, Dhu’l-Hijja, are devoted to it. In the modern world the hajj is organised…
Coins of Abd al-Malik
These two dinar coins sum up one of the greatest political and religious upheavals ever – the permanent transformation of the Middle East in the years following the death of the Prophet Muhammad….
From Cuneiform to Topkapi
In the Islamic world, where reading and literacy have always been highly prized for the access they provide to the word of God and the world of knowledge, books were objects of both…
Science and Islam – a BBC documentary
Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th…
Science in Islam – the forgotten brilliance
Islamic science was in its prime during the European Middle Ages, between the 9th and the 13th centuries, particularly in the brilliant period of the Abbasid caliphate from the 9th century to the…
Domestic Culture of Cities in the Middle East (16th to 19th century)
This article invites the reader to enter and enjoy wealthy urban homes in Turkey, Egypt and Iran between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. This was a period of flourishing traditional culture and also of…
Reading Masjid Wazir Khan
Wazir Khan’s Mosque, in the heart of the Walled City of Lahore, is one of the most thoroughly documented and discussed of our monuments. In 1887, Kipling (John Lockwood, father of Rudyard) discussed…
Taj Mahal – Refined Elegance
The Taj Mahal: Symbol of India, architectural jewel, and monument to a grand passion. We take a closer look at the Taj Mahal and revisit its history – why it was built and…
Bukhara – History and Architecture
Oasis city in the Republic of Uzbekistan, Central Asia. Bukhara is located in the valley of the Zeravshan river 200 km west of Samarkand. The city was first mentioned by its present name…
Cairo (Arabic: al-Qahira)
Capital of Egypt and one of the most prominent cities of the Islamic world. The English name for the city derives from the French, Le Caire, which in turn is derived from the…
Baghdad (Madinat al-Salam)
Baghdad was founded by the Abbasid caliph al- Mansur in 762. According to historical accounts al- Mansur built a round city with four gates and a palace and mosque at the centre. Leading…
