The Nightingale’s Prayer: One of the Best Egyptian Films Ever Made
The Nightingale’s Prayer – or Do’aa el Karawan – is an icon of Egyptian Cinema’s Golden age. Mayra Nassef writes about its strong female characters and its pioneering feminist themes that address gender inequality and cultures of shame.
Daftar Digest
We select the best from the Arab world each month, and put it in your inbox.
Curated Recommendations
Every time a guest joins us on one of our podcast series, they leave us with breadcrumbs to further explore some of the topics that they covered in the episode. Browse through some of the best recommendations for films, books, and music from the Arab world.
Staff Pick: Podcast Episode
Sonja Mejcher-Atassi
We did a deep dive into this episode of our This Is Not a Watermelon podcast with the author of "An Impossible Friendship: Group Portrait, Jerusalem Before and After 1948," professor Sonja Mejcher-Atassi.
Tsawwar
Tsawwar is a visual series enclosed monthly in our Daftar Digest and explores the stories behind a photograph taken in the region or by an Arab photographer.
Beit Hammad: The History of a Family Home in Nablus
Mohammed Hammad writes about his family home in Nablus — Beit Hammad — sharing its history and its present.
Sidi Hamet: The Noble Sahrawi Who Catalyzed Slavery Abolition in 19th Century America
Erragab Eljanhaoui writes about Captain James Riley and Sidi Hamet, and his role in catalysing the end of slavery in 19th century America. Image via SFGate
Arabic Cover of International Hits
Our mixtape this month was compiled by record store owner Mohamad Rifaï (aka Rifo) who's behind The Lick Records in Beirut, and features some of his favorite Arabic interpretations of international hits that even your grandad might know.
The Travels of Ibn Battuta
A look at the life and travels of legendary wanderer Ibn Batutta. With an introduction to our afikra lesson plans!
The History and Cultural Legacy of Arak
According to Ramzi Gosn, a bottle of arak requires 5 kilograms of grapes, 180 grams of aniseed, 13 hours of labor, 11 months of aging, and an afternoon to drink. In this blog, we dive into the history & cultural legacy of this much-loved drink.
8 English Words You Didn’t Know Came From Arabic
Inspired by our recent conversation with Fadi Boukaram, we’ve put together a list of English words that you’d never guess come from Arabic.
QUARTERTONES MIXAPE“I want to represent some of the music of today that will be the past archive of tomorrow." DJ, producer and composer Jihed Khmiri (aka Pan-J) compiled an all-Tunisian mixtape for us this month.
Write for Daftar Journal
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Lesson Plans for Teachers
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