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.
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!
House of Wisdom: Inventions in the Islamic Golden Age
Highlighting some of the scholars and their inventions from the House of Wisdom in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age.
Music & Pearl Diving in the Arabian Gulf
The Pearl Industry and its music are an integral part of the Gulf’s cultural heritage. A brief look at its history and an introduction to our free-to-use lesson plan on this topic.
Four Iconic Women Artists From the Arab World
Introducing four key women artists from the Arab World as featured in the Moving Biographies podcast series “On Women By Women in Art”.
Al-Shawkani’s Legacy
An introduction to Al-Shawkani, a prominent and influential figure in the history of Islamic jurisprudence.
Quartertones Mixtape: September '23
A playlist of all the songs we’ve been loving in September. Featuring artists from across the region and the diaspora, all through the decades.
Stitching Identities: Palestinian Tatreez as Resistance
A short introduction to Palestinian tatreez and its symbolism as a tool of resistance, relating to the lesson plan we developed in collaboration with University of Chicago’s CMES.
Arab Artists and Modern Art Books You’ll Want to Know About
Highlights from our conversation with Dr Ridha Moumni and Sultan Al-Qassemi about “Kawkaba: Highlights from the Barjeel Foundation” on all the best artists and art books that you’ll want to know about.
The Arab-American National Museum
A look at the crucial work that Dearborn’s Arab-American National Museum does in preserving and showcasing the history of Arab-America.
Quartertones Mixtape: August '23
A playlist of all the songs we’ve been loving in August. Featuring artists from across the region and the diaspora, all through the decades.
Salads of the Arab World From Iraq to Algeria
A journey through the best salads the Arab world has to offer. From Fattoush and Tabbouleh to Moroccan Carrot salad and Jajik.
Between Two Worlds: The Mahjar Literary Movement
An introduction to the Mahjar Literary Movement and the contents of our lesson plan developed in collaboration with the University of Chicago CMES.
Michelle Keserwany’s Film Recommendations
We asked Michelle Keserwany to name the films that changed the way she thinks, that inspired her, and that make her nostalgic.
Quartertones Mixtape: July '23
A playlist of all the songs we’ve been loving in July. Featuring artists from across the region and the diaspora, all through the decades.
Films To Help You Get Informed About What’s Happening in Palestine
We’ve put together a list of Palestinian films from across the decades and some directors too. We want this to be a growing resource, so if you have any additions make sure to send them our way!
10 Graphic Novels From & About The Middle East
10 graphic novels from and about the Arab world that you should definitely know about.
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.
Quartertones Mixtape: June '23
A playlist of all the songs we’ve been loving in June. Featuring artists from across the region and the diaspora, all through the decades.
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
Are you itching to write about an Arab cultural figure? Are you knowledgeable about books, films, or music from and about the Arab world? Want to interview a figure from the media, arts or academia? Is there a famous street, ancient city, culturally loaded landmark or monument you’d like to write about?
Lesson Plans for Teachers
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