On History
2023
title. Sanaa's Old City: A world heritage site threatened by war and neglect
published. Middle East Eye
quote. "The city, once the capital of Aksumite Yemen, was also a multifaith centre for centuries. The Jewish quarter, established around the 17th century in the western part of the Old City, recalls a time when Jews and Christians co-existed alongside Muslims in Sanaa."
2022
title. Goddess, priestess, queen: Six forgotten women who shaped ancient Mesopotamia
published. Middle East Eye
quote. "Besides these elite women, workers and enslaved women contributed to Mesopotamian society through labour, art, and passing down family traditions – voices we are only beginning to hear as we lean closer."
title. Atlas Lions’ Eyes Burn Brightly, but Their Future May Be Dark
published. Newlines Mag
quote. "The status quo will precipitate a tragic ending for an animal that has already suffered from centuries of foreign-led violence and colonial interests. The lion’s main predator has historically come from north of the Mediterranean Sea."
title. Il y a 200 ans, le Français Champollion déchiffrait les hiéroglyphes de l’Égypte pharaonique
published. Middle East Eye (FR)
quote. "Champollion est loin d’être le seul à s’intéresser à cette écriture et à vouloir être le premier à en révéler les secrets. D’autres savants s’y essayent, comme les érudits musulmans Ibn Wahshiyya au Xe siècle et Abu al-Qasim al-Iraqi al-Simawi au XIe siècle."
title. The Oracle of Siwa: How a remote oasis in Egypt drew history's most powerful men
published. Middle East Eye
quote. "If its old "Mountain of the Dead" could speak, it would relay dreamlike tales of foreigners who attempted to reach the oasis and failed, and, for those who did succeed, the short-lived nature of their stay."
title. Orientalism, exoticism, deception: The story of the Arabian Nights
published. Middle East Eye
quote. "And while storytelling remains a power connector and a bridge across cultures, the cultural success of Nights in the West can also be understood from the point of view of expanding colonial enterprises, particularly France and the UK during the 19th century."
2021
title. How Tunisia inspired Kandinsky and enabled expressionist art
published. Middle East Eye
quote. "And behind this chromatic liberation, somewhere, is the memory of Tunisia’s shores, its markets, towns and people and the distant drums of a darbuka reverberating in strokes, shapes and gradients, colliding in beauty beyond words and an un-representable truth."
title. From Osiris to Ammut: How Ancient Egyptian death rituals carry a timeless message
published. Middle East Eye
quote. "At first, images of jackals, owls and crocodiles may seem quite removed from the daily occurrence of modern life. Yet, myths speak about timelessness. They speak in a universal language and of values, and once deciphered they possess a self-evident and comforting truth that protects against human fear and suffering. The Book of the Dead reminds us of transience, the consuming and inevitable flow of nature, and that what matters for later is to live well in the present."
title. How Yemen’s Marib became the frontier for Roman expansionism
published. Middle East Eye
quote. "When Aelius Gallus, Roman prefect of Egypt, set his eyes on the land we now identify as Yemen, he imagined glory, triumph and significant career advancement."