The Middle East and North Africa Today

• 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.

• Learn the Arabic Alphabet! By Arabella.
• So You Want to Learn Arabic? How to get started!
• Learning Arabic: My Journey, Part 1. Shira blogs about her experience of studying Arabic.
• Learning Arabic: My Journey, Part 2. Shira blogs about her experience of studying Arabic.
• Learning Arabic: My Journey, Part 3. Shira blogs about her experience of studying Arabic.
• The Liver in Egyptian Song and Language. References in song lyrics.
• Badia Masabni: Fish of the Month. By George Sawa. Why dancers are often referred to as fish in Arabic.
• Christmas Songs in Arabic

Resources for Learning Arabic

• Review of Pimsleur's Egyptian Arabic Audio CD Set
• Review of Habibi You Are My What? Instructional video which teaches a few vocabulary words frequently found in Arabic music.

• 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.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: This photo was taken at Felfela restaurant in Cairo. It shows a glass of strawberry juice on the left, and a glass of mango juice on the right. Photo copyright 2017 by Shira, all rights reserved.

Here on This Web Site

• Birthdays in Egypt
• 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. How the Statue of Liberty is connected to Egyptian culture.
• 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.

On My Travel Blog

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

• Fellaha: The Peasant Woman in Egyptian Art. How public art in Egypt reflects the culture, with photos.
• Where to Celebrate the Musical Legacy of Oum Kalthoum in Cairo, Egypt. Museum, cafes, and statues.
• 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.
• Mazaher Ensemble: The Zar Musicians. The performers at Makan theater.
• Rango Band at El Dammah Theater. Nubian musicians performing with a rango (type of instrument).
• African Sunrises and Sunsets (Egypt, Morocco, and Senegal). Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Luxor, Alexandria.
• 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.