Bridging cultures
for 75 years
Your cultural connection
AramcoWorld inspires global connections that broaden the appreciation of diverse cultures. We believe in celebrating our shared experiences through engaging and educational stories and content.
Latest stories
Restoration Uncovers Beauty of Georgia’s Hidden Wooden Mosques
Arts
Until recently few outsiders knew the wooden mosques dotting the highlands of Georgia existed, leaving many of them to deteriorate. The rediscovery of the architectural gems has sparked a movement for their preservation.
Looking Closer: A Conversation With Food Historian Nawal Nasrallah
Arts
Al Sadu Weaves Stories of Culture and Identity
Arts
Across the Arabian Gulf, the traditional weaving craft records social heritage.
The Handy Secret of Ohrid Pearls
Arts
Artisans are preserving the elusive technique behind these pearls—handmade from a fish, not an oyster—in a town of Slavic, Byzantine and Ottomon influences.
Sculptor Marie Khouri’s Message of Connection in Arabic Calligraphy Exhibition
Arts
Vancouver-based artist Marie Khouri turns Arabic calligraphy into a 3D examination of love in Baheb, on view at the Arab World Institute in Paris.
Quick Summer Salad Recipe: Sea Beans With Fava Beans and Dill
Food
Orion Through a 3D-Printed Telescope
Arts
Grand Egyptian Museum: Take a Tour of the New Home for Egyptian Artifacts
Arts
When the Grand Egyptian Museum officially opens its doors, it will reveal treasures from the ancient Egyptians and their storied past.
History in Objects: 12th-Century Glass Flask an Islamic Golden Age Masterpiece
History
Arts
Golden Vessel From the Islamic Golden Age Reflects Cross-cultural Connections
Flavors
Flavors: Cracked Wheat and Tomato Kibbeh
- Food
- Food
Featured Videos
Safi’s Search for Sound
- Arts
Read "Egypt Drops the Beat" here.
Video by Rebecca Marshall
Weaving an oriental carpet tradition in Georgia
- Arts
In Georgia Borchalo rugs are making a tentative comeback amid growing recognition of the uniqueness of ethnic Azerbaijani weaving. There’s hope that this tradition can be saved. Video by Pearly Jacob and Robin Forestier-Walker
Arian Shehu's Vocal Appeal To Safeguard Albania’s Iso-Polyphony
- Arts
For centuries iso-polyphony, a style of folk singing, has chronicled Albanian life. The songs are part of a rich tradition, and Arian Shehu lives and breathes it. The music is vital to Albanian weddings, funerals, harvests, festivals and other social events. Indeed, a Ministry of Culture official dubs it “the autobiography of a nation,” a means for the preservation and transmission of different stories. Recently, crowds gathered for the National Folklore Festival in the “stone city” of Gjirokastër, demonstrating that interest in iso-polyphony remains high. The challenge is getting younger generations to engage. But some are taking up the call.
Learn more and discover the story "A Vocal Appeal to Safeguard Albania's Iso-Polyphony" here.
The Art of the Seal: How to Make a Cylinder Seal Impression
- Arts
- History
Video by David H. Wells
Compact in size yet complex in the scenes they depict, stone cylinders—many no larger than your thumb—were a popular medium for Mesopotamian artisans talented enough to reverse-carve semiprecious stones and produce unique, often mythological tableaux in astonishingly sensitive, naturalistic detail. Their craft gave each seal’s owner a personalized graphic signature for use with the most popular media channel of the third millennium BCE: damp clay. Seal impressions certified ownership, validated origins, attested to debts, secured against theft and more. Many seal cylinders were drilled so they could be strung and carried as amulets and status symbols—uses that may find echoes among today’s compact, personalized communication devices.
Newsletter
Sign up and discover even more!
.jpg?cx=0.5&cy=0.5)
Sign up for our weekly newsletter and you will receive the latest features, videos, events, reviews, teaching aids and digital-only content.
Author's Corner Q&A
- Arts
