Islamic Museum of Cairo

The newly renovated Islamic Museum of Cairo is a great place to visit to learn about art history in Egypt and the Middle East. It seems while the museum itself has been nicely renovated, its website is consigned to ancient history, so ignore the online site and go in person yourself to witness a fabulous collection of beautifully displayed artifacts.

Source: http://www.islamicmuseum.gov.eg/museum.html

As I wandered through the museum on my last visit, I wrote down a series of vocabulary from the titles on the items on display, the following was my luxuriant list of scribbles:

- Astrolabs
- Sundials
- Arches
- Geometric patterns
- Wood assembled "tongue and groove"
- Mother-of-pearl
- Marble inlaid with colored stones
- Colored glass windows
- Carved marble
- Vegetal design
- Mortars
- Hexagonal kohl container
- Surgical instruments
- Medical instruments
- Perfume bottles and chemical liquids
- Bowls with talisman inscriptions
- Pages of manuscript "benefits of herbs"
- Balance
- Anatomical panel of circulatory system, digestive spine and rib cage
- Prescriptions for treatment
- Ottoman
- Mamluk
- Wide use of geometrical compositions more than 12 centuries
- 12 c. polygon an essential figure of elaborate geometric patterns replaced by a star
- Geometric decoration in Egypt at peak under Mamluk reign
- Star replaced by decentralized composition - creates depth
- Fascinates eye
- Riot and harmony of geometry to enhance elaborate architecture
- Fountain carved marble resembling fish scales
- Blue and white tiles
- Fragments of a frieze with arabesque scrollwork
- Marble inlaid with black paste
- Floral and animal design
- Fish decoration
- Public fountains (sabil) 19c carved and painted marble
- Ceramic lusterware
- Kufic inscription
- Fatamid Ayyubid
- Arabic script, fluid letters
- Boundless inspiration
- Calligraphy
- Rules of proportion
- Lamps from madrasa
- Mihrab
- Colored glass inset in stucco
- Turned latticework (mashrabiyya)
- Wood joined and turned
- Court carpet from Iran
- Wool silk, silver threads
- Prayer carpet
- Textiles
- Spindles
- Knot methods
- No. of knot in each square inch increases value of carpet and durability
- Brocade
- Damask tapestry
- Embroidered
- Rich glass making
- Cameo glass
- Iranian potters
- Resemble ceramic lace
- Rich painted enamels
- Shallow reliefs enhanced with gold
- Decoration with metallic oxides
- Long-necked bottles
- Poet Firdawsi (Iranian) The Book of Kings (The Shahnama)
- 13 c. Mongols promoted great artistic accomplishments in Iran
- Timurid empire / Tamerlane
- Buyids
- Samanids
- Ghaznavids
- Copper alloy jug inlaid with gold
- Candlesticks
- Mirrors with ring of lions
- Quranic inscriptions stand out in cobalt on a metallic luster background
- Turquoise ceramic
- Mongol Ilkhanid Dynasty
- Overglaze painting
- Lapis Lazuli
- Cobalt blue
- White red blue enamels
- Manuscript
- Compass
- Panels from cenotaphs
- Tubercle
- Saddle cloth cotton and silk brocade with metallic thread red and gold
- Fascination with numbers order and structure
- Candlestick with ducks
- Coins
- Salah al Din
- Glass vessels
- Gold dinars
- Panels decorated with birds
- Collection of gold jewellery
- Dishes with dance and music scenes
- Desert hare
- Gazelle
- Lion sphinx and hare

Astronomy

Astronomy has always played an important role in Egypt and the Arab world. Indeed, back in the day, the Arabs paved the way to many great advances in Physics, Algebra (Al-Jabr), Optics and Astronomy. The emphasis on charting the moon and the stars was partly traced back to precepts of Islam (see Astronomy and the Quran), which dictated precision in following accurate prayer times and directions, as well as timing for the beginning of Ramadan and the yearly Haj (pilgrimage) through astronomical calculations. In Islamic societies, including Egypt, to this day the sighting by eye of the new crescent moon marks the beginning and end of the holy month (read more on the recent work of Algerian astrophysicist Nidhal Guessoum).

Quran, Sura 6, verse 97:
"(God) is the One Who has set out for you the stars, that you may guide yourselves by them through the darkness of the land and of the sea. We have detailed the signs for people who know."

The Egyptian love affair with the stars goes back far earlier than the age of Islam however. The ancient Egyptians lived by the night sky, and some theories propose that the secret behind the location of the great pyramids lies in understanding a correlation between the location of the "immortal" stars as they were positioned 4,500 years ago with the Pyramids as they still stand today (also see Orion Correlation). The ancient fascination with the night sky is evident in visiting the tombs in the Valley of Kings, many of which have elaborate murals of the sky depicting the Ancient Egyptian cosmogony, with the 12 hour night journey of the sun into the netherworld wherein the Sun God Ra (God of the Living) and Osiris (God of the Dead) became one.

The Ramadan Cannons

Dating back to the Fatamid period in Egypt, cannons have been used to announce when it is time to break one's fast during Ramadan, as a way of sending a signal that everyone could hear and recognize. The tradition continues today, though I believe most people hear the cannon over the radio or television set than by their own ears.

Working out at the gym before breaking your fast during Ramadan

After fasting an entire day from sunrise to sunset, a workout just before eating is a great way to burn calories and get in shape, as well as stave off the holiday extra kilos.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fatafeat

Fatafeat is the Middle East's cooking channel, featuring shows from the Food Network, but also homegrown Arabian cooking from across the Arab world. The company also has a monthly magazine with beautiful photography and recipes, and is available both in Arabic and thankfully also in English.

Great place to learn new Ramadan recipes to impress the whole family, you can see the videos from here: Fatafeat Youtube Channel or pick up a copy of their magazine.

Ramadan Delights

Include dates, figs, apricots, nuts, tamarind drink, carob drink, coconut, prunes, etc. etc. See also Ramadan Goodie Bags and Khoshev and Yummy Drinks

Ramadan Goodie Bags

Often, people will give bags of food as donations or gifts during the month of Ramadan, to friends, family, employees, co-workers, the butcher and the baker and those we interact with on a daily basis, and most importantly giving charity to the poor.

Bags range from exquisite gift baskets to simple plastic bags filled with essential foodstuffs, typically a bottle of oil, rice, sugar, pasta, tomato paste, tea, and the ramadan delights dates, raisins, coconut, etc.