Tag: Culture

In this episode of "This Week in the Middle East," Dr. Tamar Eilam Gindin, a Middle East scholar and Iran expert, joins the show to discuss the meaning of new years in the region's cultures. The conversation moves from the myths of the ancient Near East, through the different calendars, to the political and social reality of present-day Iran.

In this episode of "This Week in the Middle East," Dr. Yaron Friedman joins for a conversation about the history and meanings of the keffiyeh. Dr. Friedman reviews the different types of keffiyehs, their origins, the symbols woven into them, and the transformations the head covering underwent until it changed from a status symbol to a charged national and political symbol.

This episode's guest is Dr. Dafna Sharf-Davidovich, a lecturer on the material culture of Islamic lands at the Open University of Israel and the Hebrew University. The conversation is about the architecture of mosques in Israel and around the world. It examines the stylistic, social, and political changes they reflect, from the new mosque in Abu Ghosh to contemporary trends in Muslim construction.

This episode's guest is Leon Schwartz, the owner of the Biratenu pub and other bars in Jerusalem, an alcohol expert, and a graduate of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. Schwartz paints a complex picture of Islam's relationship with alcohol, from the pre-Islamic period, through the development of the prohibition in the Quran and Hadith, to the diverse reality of alcohol consumption and production in Muslim countries today.

This episode's guest is Idit Sharoni, curator at the Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem. She talks about the museum's new exhibition, "Love Stories", which explores and presents tempestuous love stories from the medieval Middle East. The exhibition focuses on illustrated manuscripts and touches on themes like forbidden love, madness, and death.