PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

• The Near East Today
  • General Cultural Notes
  • The Arabic Language
  • Cinema
  • Food and Drink
  • Holidays, Festivals, and Moulids
  • Other Cultural Notes
    • Egypt
    • Morocco
  • Reviews of Books & Videos
• Music from the Middle East & North Africa (separate page)

• History of the Near East
• Articles
• Book Reviews
• The Ancient Near East
• Articles
• Book Reviews

• Misirlou Folk Dance: Folklore or Fakelore?. By Panayiota Bakis Mohieddin.
• The Secret of Zaghareet. By Priscilla Adum. What is the secret to producing good zaghareet? Read this to find out!
• Romani, Domari, and Lom People: What Belly Dancers Who Want to do 'Gypsy' Dance Need to Know. By Kristin Raeesi. A starting point for learning about the differing groups who are referred to by "the G word".
• Romany ("Gypsy") Discussion Bingo. The misguided stereotypes, erasure of very real people with very real histories, fake claims to being one of them, and just plain fantasy that Romany, Domari, and Lom people deal with every day.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: This sketch of Shagaret el Dor was scanned from a 1966 Lebanese book titled Saladin: The Story of the Conflict Between East and West During the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries AD.

Articles

• Learn the Arabic Alphabet! By Arabella.
• So You Want to Learn Arabic? How to get started!
• Learning Arabic: My Journey, Part 1. Shira's blog.
• Learning Arabic: My Journey, Part 2. Shira's blog.
• Learning Arabic: My Journey, Part 3. Shira's blog.
• The Liver in Egyptian Song and Language. Understanding references in song lyrics.
• Badia Masabni: Fish of the Month. By George Sawa.
• Christmas Songs in Arabic

Resources for Learning Arabic

• Review of Pimsleur's Egyptian Arabic Audio CD Set.
• Review of Habibi You Are My What?

• Finding Middle Eastern Movies on Home Video.
• The First Egyptian "Talky". By Priscilla Adum.
• Aziza Amer: Producer of the First Egyptian Feature-Length Film. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
• 1940 Newspaper Story About the Gala Opening of Cinema Opera. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
• Leblebici Hor-Hor Aga, One of the First Operas Made in Turkey. By Panayiota Bakis Mohieddin. Composed by an Armenian born in Turkey. Placed online November 9, 2020.

Movie Posters and Ads

• 1935 Flyer Promoting Shagaret el Dor. Translated by Priscilla Adum. Biopic about Shagaret el Dor, the final Queen to rule Egypt in her own right.
• 1936 Newspaper Ad for Khafir el-Darak (The Night Watchman). Translated by Priscilla Adum. This movie featured Taheya Carioca's first raqs sharqi performance on the silver screen.
• 1936 Ad Announcing the Premiere of Malikat al-Masareh (Queen of Theaters). Produced by Badia Masabni.
• 1936 Flyer Promoting Badia Masabni's Movie, Malikat al-Masareh (Queen of Theaters). Translated by Priscilla Adum. The movie produced by Badia Masabni to launch her cinematic career.

Actors, Actresses, Producers

• Abdel Halim Hafez' Songs in the Movies. By Shira. List of all all movies featuring Abdel Halim Hafez singing, and the songs appearing in each. Placed online December 28, 2020.
• Aziza Amer: Producer of the First Egyptian Feature-Length Film. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
• Hind Rostum Interviewed in 2010 by Mahmoud Sa3ad. By Priscilla Adum. She talks about show business and her family.
• Hind Rostom's Death. News story about Hind Rostom's death in August 2011. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
• Kamal al-Shennawi's Death. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
• Rushdy Abaza: The Don Juan of Egyptian Cinema. Translated by Priscilla Adum.
• The Comic and the Villain: Ismail Yassin and Mahmoud el Meligy. By Priscilla Adum.
• Egypt's Golden Era Stars Comment on Liquor. Features Taheya Carioca, Naima Akef, Ragaa Abdou, Raqia Ibrahim, and Faten Hamama. Probably 1950's.

• The Wedding Scene at Cairo's Agricultural Museum. Musicians, camels, the bride, and more!
• Every Nubian Home Has a Crocodile! Photos of preserved crocodiles displayed in Nubian homes in the Aswan, Egypt area, with a bit of information about the tradition.
• The Sebou in Egypt: Welcoming a Baby into the Family. Description of an old Egyptian tradition.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: This diorama at the Agricultural Museum in Cairo depicts what a rural wedding in Egypt would have looked like in the 1950's. This photo was taken in 2016. Shortly after the photo was taken, the museum was closed for renovation. As of 2019, I don't know whether the museum has reopened, or whether the diorama is still there. I hope so because I really liked the view it gave into rural Egyptian history. Photo copyright 2016 by Shira, all rights reserved.

Lebanon

• Recipe for Awaymet (Lebanese Fritters). By Priscilla Adum.
• What Is a Saj? By Priscilla Adum. Includes both English and Spanish.

Egypt

• Selling Dates During Ramadan. By Priscilla Adum. Includes both English and Spanish.
• Selling Dates During Ramadan: 2013. Names of celebrities given to dates being sold during Ramadan show who is popular, who is out of favor. This update came 2 years after the above article was written.
• Beverages to Enjoy in Egypt. Herbal teas, fruit juices, beer, and more. On Shira's travel blog at roaming-jewel.com.

Although some of these are celebrated worldwide, the articles in this section are particularly based on how they are observed in Egypt. That's largely because I know Egypt better than I know other places where these celebrations may also occur.

Ramadan

• Selling Dates During Ramadan. By Priscilla Adum. Includes both English and Spanish.
• Selling Dates During Ramadan: 2013. Names of celebrities given to dates being sold during Ramadan show who is popular, who is out of favor. This update came 2 years after the above article was written.
• Samia Gamal Reminisces About the Ramadan Iftar She Held for Hollywood Friends. Samia Gamal lived in the United States for a few years in the 1950's, while married to Texan Shepard King. While in the U.S., she brought a bit of Egyptian culture to Hollywood.

Other Festivals

• Eid al-Adha. How the Islamic holiday known as the "festival of the sacrifice" is celebrated in Egypt.
• Sham el Nessim. How Egyptians welcome spring.
• Moulid al-Hussein in Cairo. An annual festival in Cairo that celebrates the birth date of the Prophet Mohamed's grandson Hussein.
• Moulid Abu al-Haggag – A Three-Day Party in Luxor, Egypt. A festival in Upper Egypt that celebrates a saint's birth date.
• Luxor, Egypt: A Parade with its Roots in Antiquity. References the Dora that serves as the finale for the Abu el-Haggag moulid. Photos, history, and observations.
• The Paniyiria: Greek Festivals. Insight into the historical and cultural story behind Greek paniyiria (festivals), both church-sponsored and secular.
• Tips for Performing Greek Line Dances. Advice for presenting Greek folk dances as a performance. Placed online October 22, 2020.

• Interview with Tahia Carioca & Samia Gamal. A transcript.
• An Egyptian Scarecrow. Photo and background information about scarecrows in Egypt.
• Death of a Criminal. Newpaper story about an outlaw in Upper Egypt who was notorious around 1905.
• Lady Liberty - What's in a Face? By Dahni.
• 1921 Permit to Open a Brothel in Upper Egypt. Name of the madame, size of establishment, street it was on, and more.
• About Assuit. By Trish St. John
• Google Doodles Honoring Egyptian Cultural Icons. Musicians, cinema, visual arts, dancers, and literary.
• Fellaha: The Peasant Woman in Egyptian Art. How public art in Egypt reflects the culture, with photos.
• African Sunrises and Sunsets (Egypt, Morocco, and Senegal). Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Luxor, Alexandria.
• Tannoura: The Whirling Dervishes of Egypt. Photos of the dervish show at Wikala al-Ghouri in Cairo, with some historical background.
• The Tarboosh Maker in Cairo, Egypt. A glimpse of the last family-owned business that makes the red caps known as fez or tarboosh.
• The Wedding Scene at Cairo's Agricultural Museum. Musicians, camels, the bride, and more!
• The Street of Tentmakers in Cairo. A historic street whose artisans keep the traditional textile art alive.
• On the Nile Near Aswan, Egypt. Photos of the scenery, and explanations of the landmarks.

These links will take you to posts in my travel blog about Morocco, which is on a different web site at www.roaming-jewel.com.

• Essaouira, Morocco: A Day Trip from Marrakech. On my roaming-jewel.com travel blog.
• Goats in Trees: A Tale of Argan Oil in Morocco. On my roaming-jewel.com travel blog.

• Index to Reviews of Videos. Includes documentaries, Middle Eastern movies, and more.
• Index to Reviews of Books. Both fiction and non-fiction.

• Scenes From Turkey: The Real Turkish "Belly" Dance. Photos of the Turkish folk dance named "göbek dansı", or "belly dance".
• Scenes From Turkey: Whirling Dervishes. Information about Turkish whirling dervishes of the Mevlâna order and photos.
• The Ottoman Empire in the 17th Century. Learn a little about the culture of Turkey's Ottoman empire during the 17th century.
• Shagaret el Dor: The Last Queen of Egypt. Learn about her 80-day reign in 1250 and why it ended.
• The Qiyan: the Singers, Poets, Dancers, and Courtesans of Medieval Iraq. By Miftin Al-Hadithi. The legendary women of the Caliph's court in Baghdad.

• The Rom: Walking In The Paths Of The Gypsies

• Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey

Ancient Religion, Art, and Culture

• Ancient Egyptian Art: An Introduction. Familiarize yourself with some of the well-known scenes from the tombs of ancient Egypt. Learn how to interpret what they are portraying.
• Goddesses Of Ancient Egypt. Several of the goddesses that were well-known to ancient Egypt, including two associated with dancing, Hathor and Bastet.
• Two-Dimensional Ancient Egyptian Art. View Pharaonic art work from the perspective of an art historian.
• Ancient Egypt: Which Goddess Is Which? How to know which goddess you're looking at.

On My Travel Blog at "Roaming Jewel"

• The Mystery of the Ostrich Egg at Aswan, Egypt. Are the pyramids much older than most archaeologists think? Link will take you to my travel blog at roaming-jewel.com.
• Dance Like an Egyptian! Temple art in Edfu, Egypt showing sacred dance. Link will take you to my travel blog at roaming-jewel.com.
• Exploring Nilometers in Egypt. Link will take you to my travel blog at roaming-jewel.com.
• Images of Birds in the Tombs at Saqqara, Egypt. Photos I took inside tombs that feature beautiful 4,000-year-old scenes of birds on their walls. On my travel blog web site.
• The Pyramids of Deir el-Medina (Workers' Village). Fascinating archaeological site near the Valley of the Kings.
• Honoring Motherhood in Ancient Egypt. Scenes on temple walls along the Nile cruise route.
• The Three Musicians and the Cat. Exploring the tomb of Nakht near Luxor.

• Inanna: Queen Of Heaven And Earth
• The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols And Sacred Objects

• What People Wore