In 1872, Ismail Pasha, the khedive of Egypt, was the first to adopt the European custom of positioning heroic statues on public display as a symbolic message of the continuing authority of the ruling
Following the death in 1216 BCE of the Egyptian Coptic patriarch Yuhanna ibn Abi Ghalib, a priest by the name of Daud ibn Yuhanna ibn Laqlaq petitioned the Muslim Ayyubid state authorities to be appoi
In Riyadh, against the events of the second Gulf War and Saddams invasion of Kuwait, we learn the story of Munirawith the gorgeous eyesand the unspeakable tragedy she suffers as her male nemesis wreak
Hani was out for an evening stroll near Cairo’s Tahrir Square when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. An informant had identified him, and he was thrown into the back of a police truck. There began
The royal mummies in the Cairo Museum are an important source of information about the lives of the ancient Egyptians. The remains of these pharaohs and queens can inform us about their age at death a
In this important and timely publication, top international scholars present current research and developments about the art, archaeology, and history of the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World He
This book explores the long-term trends in the development of what was the first complex civilization in history, the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2650–2200 BC), the period that saw the construction of et
In this in-depth ethnography, Karin van Nieuwkerk takes the autobiographical narrative of Sayyid Henkish, a musician from a long family tradition of wedding performers in Cairo, as a lens through whic
Since 1945, the globalization of education and the professionalization of architects and engineers, as well as the conceptualization and production of space, can be seen as a product of battles of leg
Bringing together writings by Egyptians, Arabs, men and women, Muslims, Copts, and Jews, this rich selection maps out many of the changes in Cairo’s geopolitics and its urban fabric, while tracing spa
The Copts, adherents of the Egyptian Orthodox Church, today represent the largest Christian community in the Middle East, and their presiding bishops have been accorded the title of pope since the thi
When a prostitute and her ill-fated lover are killed in a gruesome double murder, seasoned investigator Detective Hanash is called in. The case draws him into Casablanca's slums, blighted by criminali
In one of the most remarkable artistic pilgrimages in history, the nineteenth century saw scores of Western artists heading to the Middle East. Inspired by the allure of the exotic Orient, they went i
Jerusalem has a special status as a city that is both terrestrial and celestial. The name includes a cognate for 'peace,' but the old stones of the city have witnessed epic bloodshed and destruction o
The ancient Axumite Kingdom, now a part of Ethiopia, was possibly the first nation in the world to convert to Christianity. In AD 340 King Ezana commissioned the construction of the imposing basilica
A collection of letters in a small painted box passed down through three generations of a London family is the starting point for a vivid account of a three-month journey up and down the Nile in a byg
Morocco is a country that has been much invaded, much traveled though, and much written about in many languages. Positioned at the entrance to Africa-or the entrance to Europe-it has seen deep cultura
When he first showed up at Captain Ali's run-down boxing club, Saed was mocked for his bourgeois accent then humiliated in the ring. After barely a year of training, he has been consumed by the world
Another hilarious adventure for children with Mr. Mummific, the mummy with attitude. Having described his death and long mummification process in his last book, How I Became a Mummy, he now tells the
In the Greco-Roman catacombs of Alexandria, uniquely decorated tombs from the time when religious boundaries blurred and syncretistic beliefs flourished have long been known. But it was only in 1993 t
Little is known about Egypt's Gypsies, called Dom by scholars, but variously referred to by Egyptians as Ghagar, Nawar, Halebi or Hanagra, depending on their location. Moreover, most Egyptians are obl
Salman Abu Sitta was just ten years old when the Nakba-the mass expulsion of Palestinians in 1948-happened, forcing him from his home near Beersheba. Like many Palestinians of his generation, this tra
In 1980, Syrian filmmaker Mohammad Malas traveled to Lebanon to film a documentary about the country's Palestinian refugee camps, during which time he kept a diary of his impressions. The Dream: A Dia
In a compact, easy-to-use format, this new book offers a convenient guide to grammar for any student of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the version of Arabic mostly commonly used in journalism, formal w
Few works about the Middle East have exerted such wide and long-lasting influence as Edward William Lane's An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. First published in 1836, this
Despite the prominence of ancient temples in the landscape of Egypt, books about them are surprisingly rare; this new and essential publication from a prominent Czech scholar answers the need for a st
Galal Amin once again turns his attention to the shaping of Egyptian society and the Egyptian state in the half-century and more that has elapsed since the Nasserite revolution, this time focusing on
One night in the year 411/1021, the powerful ruler of the Fatimid empire, al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, rode out of the southern gates of Cairo and was never seen again. Was the caliph murdered, or could he
"With over 300 full-color photographs, this is the first fully illustrated book devoted to Christian houses of worship in Egypt. The text incorporates the latest research to complement the broad geogr
