This website hosts many examples of poetry from the jahiliyyah period to the present in an attempt to create a comprehensive diwan of Arabic poetry. Some poems have an audio component. Users can browse poetry by time period, by audio file, by author's name, or by custom search. The website is also in English and there are many poems that have been translated into English, although some poems that are on the website in English are not on the website in Arabic and vice versa. Users can submit poetry to the website via a submission system.

In this course, the student will study the emergence of the major civilizations of the ancient world, beginning with the Paleolithic Era (about 2.5 million years ago) and finishing with the end of the Middle Ages in fifteenth century A.D. The student will pay special attention to how societies evolved across this expanse of time - from fragmented and primitive agricultural communities to more advanced and consolidated civilizations. By the end of the course, the student will possess a thorough understanding of important overarching social, political, religious, and economic themes in the ancient world, ranging from the emergence of Confucian philosophy in Asia to the fall of imperial Rome. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Identify and define the world's earliest civilizations, including the Neolithic Revolution, and describe how it shaped the development of these early civilizations; Identify, describe, and compare/contrast the first advanced civilizations in the world - Mesopotamia and Egypt; Identify and describe the emergence of the earliest civilizations in Asia: the Harappan and Aryan societies on the Indian subcontinent and the Shang and Zhou societies in China; Identify and describe the emergence of new philosophies - Daoism and Confucianism - during the Warring States period in China. Identify and describe the subsequent rise of the Qin and Han dynasties; Identify and describe the different periods that characterized ancient Greece - Archaic Greece (or the Greek Dark Ages), classical Greece, and the Hellenistic era; Identify and describe the characteristics of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and Imperial Rome; Analyze the emergence of the Mauryan and Gupta empires during the 'classical age' in India; Identify and analyze the Buddhist and Vedic (Hindu) faiths; Identify and describe the rise of civilizations in the Americas, particularly in Meso and South America; Analyze and describe the rise of Islam in the Middle East; Identify and describe the emergence of the Arab caliphate, the Umayyad dynasty, and Abbasid dynasty; Identify and describe the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire; Identify and analyze key facets of medieval society in Western EuropeĺÎĺĚ_ĺÜthe Catholic Church, feudalism, and the rise of technology and commerce; Analyze and interpret primary-source documents that elucidate the exchanges and advancements made in civilizations across time and space. (History 101)

The collection of Arabic papyrus, parchment, and paper at the J. Willard Marriott Library is the largest in the U.S. It contains several parchment pieces, 770 Arabic papyrus documents, and over 1,300 Arabic paper documents. The collection was compiled by Professor Atiya and his wife who purchased the collection over several years, largely from dealers in Egypt, Beirut, and London. Most of the collection originated in Egypt and the vast majority of the material is from 700 AD to the start of Ottoman rule. The collection is not yet cataloged.

The Bedouins of ancient Arabia and Persia made poetry a conversational art form. Several poetic forms developed from the participatory nature of tribal poetry. Today in most Arabic cultures, you may still experience public storytelling and spontaneous poetry challenges in the streets. The art of turning a rhyme into sly verbal sparring is considered a mark of intelligence and a badge of honor. Students will learn about the origins and structure of Arabic Poetry.

This course serves as an introduction to the pre-modern Islamic artistic traditions of the Mediterranean, Near East, and Central and South Asia. It surveys core Islamic beliefs, the basic characteristics of Islamic art and architecture, and art and architecture created under each dynasty and ruling party. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: identify the core beliefs of Islam, the major characteristics of Islamic art, and the major forms of Islamic architecture; identify major pre-modern Islamic works of art and monuments from the Middle East, Northern Africa, Spain, and South Asia; explain how the core beliefs of Islam contributed to the basic characteristics of Islamic art and architecture and the secular art works and architecture of the Islamic world; identify the succeeding dynasties that ruled the Islamic world; explain the important role that the patronage of art and architecture had played in definitions of kingship. (Art History 303)

This course introduces the history of the Middle East and Southwest Asia from the pre-Islamic period to the end of World War I. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: discuss the history of East Asia from the pre-Islamic period through the beginning of the 20th century; analyze the interactions between ancient civilizations of the Middle East and Southwest Asia in the pre-Islamic period; identify the origins of Islam, and assess the political and cultural impact of the Muslim faith on the peoples of the Middle East and the Mediterranean Basin; identify the origins of the Umayyad and Abbasid Empires, and assess how these dynasties reshaped political and economic life throughout the Middle East and Southwest Asia; describe and assess the social and cultural impact of Islam on the peoples of the Middle East and the Mediterranean Basin; identify external threats to the Muslim world during the Middle Ages, and analyze how Muslim leaders responded to these threats; identify the origins of the Ottoman Empire, and assess how the Ottomans established political and economic control over the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East; analyze the political, economic, and military interactions between the Ottoman Empire and the nations of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries; explain how European imperialism destabilized the Middle East and Southwest Asia in the 19th and early 20th centuries and allowed European nations to establish political control over many Middle Eastern nations; analyze the political impact of World War I on the peoples and nations of the Middle East; analyze and interpret primary source documents from the pre-Islamic period through the beginning of the 20th century using historical research methods. This free course may be completed online at any time. (History 231)

Saaid Al Fawaed or 'Grasp the Benefits' is an Islamic library that contains many books related to the explanation of the Holy Qur'an, the Prophet Muhammad, and more. A special section has been created on this website for the Arabic language. Here, the user can find grammar books, how-to-read books, dictionaries, and more. The site and its contents are entirely in Arabic.

This art history video discussion examines the "Mihrab" (prayer niche), 1354--55 (A.H. 755), just after the Ilkhanid period, Isfahan, Iran, polychrome glazed tiles, 135-1/16 x 113-11/16 inches / 343.1 x 288.7 cm (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).

This course will introduce the student to the history of the Middle East from the rise of Islam to the twenty-first century. The course will emphasize the encounters and exchanges between the Islamic world and the West. By the end of the course, the student will understand how Islam became a sophisticated and far-reaching civilization and how conflicts with the West shaped the development of the Middle East from the medieval period to the present day. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: identify and describe the nature of pre-Islamic society, culture, and religion. They will also be able to describe the subsequent rise of the prophet Muhammad and his monotheistic religion, Islam; identify and describe the elements of Islamic law, religious texts and practices, and belief systems; identify and describe the rise of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties in the Middle East. Students will also be able to compare and contrast the two empires; identify and describe the emergence of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain. Students will also be able to analyze the conflicts between Muslims and Christians on the Iberian Peninsula; identify and describe the Crusades. They will be able to describe both Muslim and Christian perceptions of the holy wars; identify and describe the impact of the Mongol invasions on the Middle East; compare and contrast the Ottoman and Safavid empires; analyze the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of European imperialism/domination of the Middle East in the 1800s; identify and describe how and why European powers garnered increased spheres of influence after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the end of World War I; analyze and describe the rise of resistance and independence movements in the Middle East; identify and describe the rise of Islamic nationalism and the emergence of violent anti-Western sentiment; analyze (and synthesize) the relationship between the Middle East and the West between the 600s and the present day; analyze and interpret primary source documents that elucidate the exchanges and conflicts between the Islamic world and the West over time. (History 351)

In this packet we look at works that span nearly a thousand yearsäóîfrom shortly after the foundation of Islam in the seventh century to the seventeenth century when the last two great Islamic empiresäóîthe Ottoman and the Safavidäóîhad reached their peak. Although the definition of Islamic art usually includes work made in Mughal India, it is beyond the scope of this packet. The works we will look at here come from as far west as Spain and as far east as Afghanistan.

A fusion of linguistic, religious, and ethnic groups with rich diverse roots and intersecting histories make up South Africa. However, the literature on most of the smaller groups tends to be thin and uneven, and often tends to relegate them to the margins of the country's major narratives. This innovative study introduces readers to a fascinating world of linguistic, religious, and cultural politics in the South African port city of Durban, from around 1950, the world of the Arabic Study Circle. This Association was led by a group of largely middle class Indian Muslim Gujurati-speaking men who were passionate about breaking out of the narrow confines of their origins and connecting to a larger changing world of learning rooted in Arabic and an Islamic modernity. They were gentlemen who believed in the transformative powers of reading and conversation. They exemplify the broader process common among educated, but disadvantaged, people in apartheid South Africa, and across the decolonised world in search for meaning community and authenticity.

This resource provides a variety of information and activities that teachers may like to use with their students to explore the Islamic Middle East collections at the V&A. It can be used to support learning in Maths and Art. Included in this resource are sections on:

Principles of Islamic art and design
Pre-visit activities
Activities to do in the museum
Activities to do back at school
Islamic art explores the geometric systems that depend upon the regular division of the circle and the study of Islamic art increases appreciation and understanding of geometry. The use of these geometric systems creates a harmony among Islamic decorative arts and architecture, which is consistent with the Islamic belief that all creation is harmoniously interrelated.

Approaching an abstract subject in a concrete way provides a means of extending maths into other curriculum areas. The context of the Museum expands and enriches students' appreciation of the application of geometry in a cultural context and develops the sense of different cultural identities. Students have the opportunity to become familiar with the relationship between geometry and design and this can give confidence to students who have never seen themselves as 'good at art'.

This kit covers stereotyping of Arab people, the Arab/Israeli conflict, the war in Iraq and militant Muslim movements. Students will learn core information and vocabulary about the historical and contemporary Middle East issues that challenge stereotypical, simplistic and uninformed thinking, and political and ethical issues involving the role of media in constructing knowledge, evaluating historical truths, and objectivity and subjectivity in journalism.

This course will introduce the student to the history of the nations and peoples of the Middle East and Southwest Asia from 1919 to the present. The course covers the major political, economic, and social changes that took place throughout the region during this 100-year period. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Identify and explain major political, social and economic trends, events, and people in history of the Middle East and Southwest Asia from the beginning of the 20th century to the present; Explain how the countries of the region have overcome significant social, economic, and political problems as they have grown from weak former colonies into modern nation-states; Identify and explain the emergence of nationalist movements following World War I, European political and economic imperialism during the first half of the 20th century, the creation of the nation of Israel, regional economic development, and the impact of secular and religious trends on Middle Eastern society and culture during the second half of the 20th century; Identify and explain the important economic, political, and social developments in the Middle East and Southwest Asia during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; Analyze and interpret primary source documents from the 20th and 21st centuries that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes. (History 232)

Poets' Gate is a website that contains examples of Arabic poetry ranging from the jahiliyyah period to the present day in an attempt to create a comprehensive diwan (or compilation) of Arabic poetry. Poems are divided according to the time periods and poets. The site also provides biographic information about the poets and a full list of their poems.

This seminar discusses the revolution in Egypt and the Middle East, specifically: 1) Events in Egypt and how they relate to politics in Africa and South Africa, 2) Events that led to the revolt in Egypt, 3) Egypt and political communication, as well as personal reflections by Dr. Ibrahim Saleh, 4) Role of islam and politics of the Muslim Brotherhood.

This course will introduce the student to the history of Central Eurasia and the Silk Road from 4500 B.C.E to the nineteenth century. The student will learn about the culture of the nomadic peoples of Central Eurasia as well as the development of the Silk Road. By the end of the course, the student will understand how the Silk Road influenced the development of nomadic societies in Central Eurasia as well as powerful empires in China, the Middle East, and Europe. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: identify and describe the emergence of early nomadic cultures in Central Eurasia; identify and describe the rise of silk production in China; identify and describe the various routes of the Silk Road; identify and describe the reasons for China's opening of the Silk Road in the second century; identify and describe Han China's political and commercial relationships with nomadic tribes in Central Eurasia; identify and describe the impact of the Hellenistic World and the Roman Empire on the Silk Road; describe and analyze the 'golden age' of the Silk Road; identify and describe the impact of the Mongol Empire on Silk Road cultures; identify and describe the transmission of art, religion, and technology via the Silk Road; analyze and describe the arrival of European traders and explorers seeking a 'new' silk route in the 1400s; identify and describe the 'Great Game' rivalry between China, Britain, and Russia in Central Eurasia in the nineteenth century; analyze and interpret primary source documents that elucidate political, economic, and cultural exchange along the Silk Road. (History 341)

Story and Tale is a web site that contains around two hundred fifty short stories. The stories are divided into seven categories: old stories, love stories, comical stories, Islamic stories, social stories, purposeful/moral stories, and intellectual stories. Most of the stories are suitable for children and adolescents.

This website provides information on hundreds of Arabic books and documents, from 1,001 nights to the Qur'an to many other medieval Arabic scripts and texts. 1,001 nights includes an audio component. Users can search the site for a particular author or document, or they can search by category. The site is all in Arabic.