Poetry has long stood at the heart of Arabic culture. For its earliest speakers, it was the primary means of recording belief systems, oral history and philosophy. Originating on the Arabian Peninsula more than 1,500 years ago—well before the rise of Islam—Arabic poetry has since become a global art form.
Read MoreLong before cookbooks, before sugar or tomatoes or even the idea of a “dessert course,” the people of ancient Mesopotamia were cooking with remarkable sophistication. Between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers—often called the cradle of civilization—food was not merely sustenance. It was ritual, identity and an offering to the gods.
Read More