#arabic art

[zegalba]

Layla Al-Attar, Iraqi artist and painter, killed by a U.S. missile attack on Baghdad in 1993, as ordered by Bill Clinton.

[x-heesy]

𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚃𝚊𝚔𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝, 𝚌.670 𝙱𝙲 🇪🇬

[shaikhraheen]

SAYING "I LOVE YOU"

IT QUITE OVERRATED AND BROING .

Lafzon mein simati Hui Mohabbat Kaun samajh Paya Hai Aaj Tak.

Meri aankhon mein likhi hui sabse khubsurat gazal Tum Ho

[kawaiixchaotic]

i have been crying about this for days. the arabic language is so beautiful. i am both thankful to this artist for sharing this gorgeous song with us, and torn to pieces thinking about how much pain she must be in watching her home get destroyed and her people suffer.

she mentions sending peace on an olive branch. edit: "olive" means zaytun (زيتون) watch out for this word if you read/see/hear Palestinian art, the cultural context will help you understand the message more. besides the olive branch being a well known symbol for peace (it's even on the United States dollar AND the United States Seal) there is a rich historical and cultural context behind this lyric. for those who don't know, Palestine has been known for its olive trees for millennia. some of the oldest living olive trees in the entire world are in Palestine (although i really don't know if they are still standing at this moment). olives are well-loved and crucial to Palestinian cuisine, as well as being a major source of income, since many Palestinians are olive farmers and have been for generations. a symbol for peace, harmony, friendship, resilience, and perserverance, the olive tree represents Palestinian spirit, and olive leaf patterns are also featured on the Palestinian keffiyeh.

there is another lyric where she says "in the land of peace, peace is dead." one english transliteration of this arabic phrase is "fi 'ard alsalam mat alsalam" with 'ard (أرض) meaning land/earth, al-salam or more commonly salam (سلام) meaning peace, and mat (مات) being a conjugation from the word mawt (موت) meaning death. (I'm not sure in which tense, arabic has so many tenses and I don't want to spread misinformation, my knowledge of the arabic language is like 1st grade level and mostly from osmosis due to growing up Muslim and having early exposure to the language through the Quran and basic classes at Islamic school, and I'm not even a practicing Muslim anymore, so pls feel free to correct my mistakes) lyrically, it was this phrase that stuck out to me the most, because of the emphasis placed on "peace" through its repetition. in the land of peace, peace is dead; Palestine is The Holy Land in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. peace was the foundation of the land, not just peace meaning lack of war but peace as in spiritual peace, the kind of peace that fills your heart with love for this world and the people in it. now that this peace is being actively destroyed, Palestine is losing itself. Elyanna (the singer) is saying that her home is being gutted from the inside out, until it's unrecognizable, until it lacks the one thing that MADE Palestine; peace. It is heartbreaking.

The reason I am sharing this song and breaking down this lyric is because I want to re-humanize the Arabic language and Arab culture. It has been demonized for far too long, and it was/is on PURPOSE. IDF soldiers bombing Al-Shifa hospital and claiming (lying) that they found a list of Hamas guards and hostages (that were never in the hospital) when it was a CALENDAR and the only names of "Hamas guards" listed were fucking Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, is exactly what I mean when I say that the world has been so successfully brainwashed against MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) that even the Arabic language itself, written or spoken, is perceived as inherently violent and threatening.

I hope this post has contributed in helping you unlearn the racism and anti-Arab/anti-Middle Eastern propoganda you have been taught.

From the river to the sea, Palestine 🇵🇸 will be free.

🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #WorldGiraffeDay:

Giraffe from a 15th c. Syrian illuminated manuscript of Kitāb al-ḥayawān (Book of the Animals) by the 9th c. naturalist Al-Ǧāḥiẓ/Jahiz. Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Ms. Arab. B 54, f. 36

[juniper-girl]

The Dove’s Lost Necklace طوق الحمامة المفقود (Nacer Khemir, 1991)

[waterlubes]

The 1001 Nights - Kay Nielsen

[hussamalqudah]

[lionofchaeronea]

A mad dog bites a man. Miniature (gouache, ink, and gold on paper) from an Arabic translation of Dioscorides' Materia Medica, with calligraphy by Abdallah ibn al-Fadl; written in 1224. Now in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

[matantamado]

Colors in the light: blue

[elbosta]

the mother earth, painting by Layla Al Attar on an oil canvas in 1980

"the art of Layla Al Attar was suggestive of alienation and deep sadness, which made her take nature as a subject for salvation." – Adel Kamel

During the fifties and sixties of the 20th century, the Arab world was still enveloped with conservative and traditional attitudes, which were undeniably ruled by the prejudgement for the women who were trying to abandon the dominating morals of their time. This was mainly done within literature and plastic art, to 'challenge the deep-seated traditions seeking to present their intellectual views and vision.' This movement led to a group of Iraqi artists breaking free from the conservative mould imposed by their societies and came to produce intricate artworks as a representation of the 'turmoil of their time.' With this, it has allowed their work to transcend time, gifting hope and courage for the lives of men and women to this day, granting generations the knowledge and wisdom to help re-establish the position and power of women in their still heavily conservative communities. As well as this, their works are a striking source of nostalgia for all civillians, feeling their defiance through their artwork which shall be long remembered.

[der-gorgonaut]

// muschel //

web instagram

by Georg Nickolaus

[yasyassie]

Don't know if anyone will see or care about this but I just wanted to share with the world my deep love for the masterpiece that is the album Ahmad Al Arabi It has been a part of me since my childhood and now that I've grown up I realise just how great it is and I want to share it with the world. I don't think any other music and lyrics together make me feel like this one does. Ahmad Al Arabi is an orchestral album so it's a cohesive storyline, both when it comes to the music and to the lyrics. I recommend listening to it together since it's basically listening to a concert. Even if you do not understand a word of arabic (although there are many translations online), I believe that music like this trascends all languages and you can feel it in your soul any way. Darwish's poetry is a way to engage with Palestinian resistance through art, so I wanted to start posting about the songs on this album, sharing the words and the music. I hope that someone out there will try and listen to it, maybe discover new artists, or maybe remember childhood memories like me. I may or may not have chosen to start with this one because my name is Yasmine...

اذهب عميقا اذهب عميقا في دمي واذهب عميقا في الطحين لنصاب بالوطن البسيط وباحتمال الياسمين

محمود درويش

Go deep into my blood, Go deep into the bread, So that we will have A simple homeland And a dream of jasmine yet to come...

A poet by Palestinian poet, Mahmood Darwish (1941-2008)

Translation by Umfalastin

Music by Lebanese musician, oud player and composer Marcel Khalife

[famy-x]

أريد حلا I Want a Solution Directed by Said Marzouk 1975 Egypt

[viagginterstellari]

Mihrab - National Museum, Muscat, 2019

[juniper-girl]

The Dove’s Lost Necklace طوق الحمامة المفقود (Nacer Khemir, 1991)