Category Archives: Middle East

The Unicorn and the Ark: A Talmudic Story

Posted on 04/04/2015 by dianabuja

As we are the time of Passover for 2015, I have updated the following entry that features a popular topic – the unicorn. Legends of the unicorn are numerous, spreading from China and India, across the Middle East and into Europe, and extending back into … Continue reading →

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Posted in Bestiary, History-Ancient, Jewish Holiday, Medieval, Middle East | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Day President Sadat was Assassinated & What Followed

Posted on 16/10/2014 by dianabuja

Reposting with readers’ suggestions: What may be the ultimate demise of ex-president  Mubarak, his sons, and others – with all of their attendant intrigues – takes me back some 30 years to the assassination of President Sadat, which I want to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Egypt-Recent, Middle East, Red Sea Hills, Research & Development | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

School Begins – here in Burundi, as it did in the Ancient Middle East

Posted on 16/09/2014 by dianabuja

Yesterday school began throughout the country; many bright and shiny faces trooping of to their respective schools. In the ancient Near East, too, school was an important avenue to achieve money and, perhaps,  fame.  Below are a few items from … Continue reading →

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Posted in Education, Middle East, Sumeria | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sir Burton’s Recipe for Love, from 1001 Nights

Posted on 08/02/2013 by dianabuja

A Story about Love and Friendship for Valentine’s Day: First published 5 March 2011; revised 8 Feb. 2003 Prior to Richard Burton’s years of exploits in Africa, while stationed in India, he learned Arabic and studied widely both religious and … Continue reading →

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Posted in Arabic, Arabic poetry, European explorers, Food, Middle East, Recipes, Richard Burton, Social Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

‘Recipes’ for Treating the Eyes: The Papyrus Ebers & My Opthalmic Shingles

Posted on 01/08/2012 by dianabuja

Revised 19-07-2012 Wajet eye.  Source:  Wiki. It has now been two years since my encounter with opthalmic shingles, and while the searing pain has lessened, it is still very much with me.  Earlier this year a doctor from the States was here and … Continue reading →

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Posted in Egypt-Ancient, Health, History, Living here, Living there, Middle East, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Looking back at Syria: 19th Century Explorations

Posted on 21/06/2012 by dianabuja

In 1809 John Lewis Burckhardt set out from England, with the blessings of the Africa Association,  to explore hinterlands of the Middle East, and ultimately to travel by camel caravan from Cairo to West Africa, in order to discover the … Continue reading →

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Posted in John Lewis Burckhardt, Middle East, Syria | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Case for Cats in Islam and A Medieval Cat Poem from Cairo

Posted on 31/05/2012 by dianabuja

Cats were – and still are – well appreciated in the Middle East and, as discussed further on, are favorably described in the Qur’an and Hadith.   A charming poem written by Abu ‘Amir al-Fadl ibn Isma’il al-Tamimi al-Jurjani (d. 458/1065) exalts his cat. The … Continue reading →

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Posted in Arabic poetry, Cats, Egypt - Medieval, Middle East | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments