Grenzeloos modernisme In het Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst in Amstelveen opent op 15 april 2022 de tentoonstelling “Het andere verhaal: Kunst uit het Marokkaans modernisme”. Gastcurator Abdelkader Benali vertelt over de tentoonstelling. Abdelkader Benali • April 14, 2022
Hidden Treasures in Leiden University Library: Illustrations in Arabic Publications, 1960–1980 Leiden University library holdings include a substantial collection of Arabic fiction. Some Arabic publications from the 1960s and ’70s are richly illustrated by renowned artists. Judith Naeff highlights these hidden treasures Judith Naeff • March 14, 2022
Longread: Citi Yousoff’s Spiritual Journey and the Arts of Divine Calligraphy and Graceful Indifference The loss of her daughter spurred Citi Yousoff onto a spiritual journey. It led her to study calligraphy with the renowned master Hasan Çelebi. Today she is one of the very few female calligraphers with an ijazah, a traditional licence. What drives her? And how does she view her position? David Kloos • April 02, 2021
Écriture Feminine in the Calligraphies of Pouran Jinchi In this short review, Delaram Hosseinioun analyses the calligraphies of the Persian artist Pouran Jinchi. She argues how Jinchi's art extends the écriture feminine or the notion of feminine voice defined by the French philosopher Helen Cixous. Delaram Hosseinioun • February 18, 2021
Middle Eastern Manuscripts in the Digital World Peter Webb discusses the shortcomings of studying printed editions of Arabic sources, and introduces a new Leiden initiative designed to help overcome the pitfalls: Mouse&Manuscript, a free online suite of lessons covering the essentials of how to read Middle Eastern manuscripts. Peter Webb • January 07, 2021
Mirroring the Other: The Feminist Narration of Islamic Glass Art in Works of Monir Farmanfarmaian Delaram Hosseinioun discusses the mirror art of dame Monir Farmanfarmaian, through the lens of Judith Butler’s theories on feminine Otherness, highlighting the influence of the fourteenth-century Shāh Chérāgh Mosque on Farmanfarmaian’s work. Delaram Hosseinioun • December 11, 2020
Playing the CyberSultan: Videogames and the Islamic Empire Video games like the "Crusader Kings" and "Civilization" franchises are laboratories for experiencing complex and nuanced historical imaginaries. But even the most well-researched tend to perpetuate certain stereotypes about Islam and the Middle East... Edmund Hayes • August 21, 2020
An Egyptologist’s Breakdown of “The Prince of Egypt” (1998) The 1998 animated film, never released in Egypt, was criticised for misrepresenting ancient Egypt. A closer look reveals that, in many ways, it is clearly inspired by Egyptian archaeology. Daniel Soliman • April 02, 2020 • 3 comments
“Knowledge is Richness beyond Wealth” (Elimu ni utajiri kuliko mali) An investigation into the private library of Mahmoud Mau inspires new research on Islamic intellectual history and the Swahili poetic production of coastal Kenya. Annachiara Raia • February 05, 2020
