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Ma'alish!
Music
You will get on pretty intimate terms with this word if you come to Egypt. :) Literally it means ‘never
mind’ but it can mean ‘it’s not my fault!’ and ‘forget it lady, you’re not
getting me to do that,’ and ‘today? is that even a word?’ and 'deal with it,' depending on the immediate context. It's one of those one-size-fits-all-disasters type of thingies. The best response is to smile, embrace the situation as an exercise in zen calm, and then go pour yourself a stiff one :)
in which the Arabs have a super rich tradition - both in terms of traditional and popular/alternative. Just a random and teeny tiny selection of indie alternative presented here
Moga
Also Massar Egbari (Mandatory Detour) and Mashrou' Leila (Project Leila) - two alternative bands from Egypt and Lebanon respectively.
Mashrabiya
- a
type of latticework oriel window, which allows people inside the house to look
out without being seen – a device for privacy in the women’s
quarters. The latticework screens are
made up of thousands of small pieces of turned wood slotted into each other without
any nails. The skill required is immense, the results are invariably exquisite.
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| Painting of Mashrabiya window by Dia Aziz Dia, a well-known Saudi artist. There are many mashrabiyas in Old Jeddah. |
Mashrabiya
windows have been a special feature of Arab urban architecture, from medieval ages
to the 20th century, particularly in the Hejaz, Iraq, Egypt and the
Levant. The earliest appearance of mashrabiya windows can be dated to the 12th
century in Basra.
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View of courtyard and upper stories of Beit al Suheimy,
old Cairo. Mashrabiya windows present on upper floors only. |
The
name mashrabiya comes from the Arabic root word sh-r-b, which means to
drink. Originally these beautiful
screens were built to create a shaded nook where terracotta water pitchers
could stand. The latticework meant that air could circulate freely around the
pots and the combined effect of the shade and draught cooled the terracotta
pitchers of water. Later they were widely used for windows as
well.
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| A place to cool drinking water. Mashrabiya screens illustrating original use and etymology of term. Beit al-Kritliya, Cairo. |
Normally,
mashrabiya windows are built first floor up, the ground floor windows being
open wooden grills, like this
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Window on ground floor. Old Cairo merchant
residence.
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| Mashrabiya from a Mashrabiya. Wikala al Ghuri,
first floor. Cairo.
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| Calligraphy and decorative panels worked into a Mashrabiya window. Beit al Suheimy, Cairo. |
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| Detail of Mashrabiya panel. Beit al Suheimy, an old merchant residence from the Ottoman era. Cairo. |
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| Tightly worked Mashrabiya panel used for privacy in the women's quarters. Beit al Suheimy. Cairo. |
There
are several 18th/19th century residences in Cairo where
these beautiful old handcrafted windows have been restored and can be viewed by
the public. Here's a clip from an old James Bond film shot in one of them, Beit
al-Kritliya (the Cretan lady’s house), where the mashrabiyas are also stars!
Sadly
there are other houses, where the windows are falling to pieces. In Cairo, and elsewhere.
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| Derelict Mashrabiya windows. Mohammed Ali Street, Cairo. |
Nowadays,
mashrabiyas are no longer used for their original purposes - modern style windows in glass or wood have replaced these
handcrafted beauties. However, the work
has been revived and is in demand as part of furniture, partitions, picture/mirror frames,
even as wall-art on their own.
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Artisan working on furniture with small inserts
of mashrabiya. Khan el Khalili. Cairo.
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Do you know of any other well-known films shot in the Middle East? What impression did the setting leave on you? Do you think films have any influence on how our travel wishlist develops?
