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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
Sadu Textile Tradition Weaves Stories of Culture and Identity
Arts
Across the Arabian Gulf, the traditional weaving craft records social heritage.
Family Secret: The Mystery of North Macedonia’s 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.
Meet Sculptor Marie Khouri, Who Turns Arabic Calligraphy Into 3D Art
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.
Recipe for Fennel and Potato Biryani
Food
Biryani is a whole and very elaborate genre of rice dishes, not be confused with pulao or pilaf.
Orion Through a 3D-Printed Telescope
Arts
Trace Moruga Hill Rice's Cultural Path to Trinidad
Food
Moruga hill rice is a nutritious dry-land red rice grown in Trinidad whose history dates to Merikin settlers.
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.
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.
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Author's Corner Q&A
- Arts
