Al Fusaic

Join Helana Reyad and her featured guest, Mona Miari, as they talk about women in the Tarab tradition, the commercialization of Tarab, and grapple with the question “Have you recently made art without thinking how it would look on your social media?”

Join Helana Reyad and her featured guest, Mona Miari, as they talk about women in the Tarab tradition, the commercialization of Tarab, and grapple with the question “Have you recently made art without thinking how it would look on your social media?”

The Bavand Dynasty ruled in the northern territories of Tabaristan and Mazandaran between the Sasanian Empire and Safavid Empire in what is now Iran from 661 to 1349 CE, the second longest dynasty of Iran. Legend states that the dynasty was founded by Bav as he rebuked attempts to bring Islam to the Zoroastrian region. After relations with Persia had normalized, the dynasty was ultimately converted to Islam in 842. The dynasty had three separate lines holding power both independently and as vassals to stronger regional powers. The dynasty ended with the assassination of Hasan II by his brother-in-law Afrasiyab’s son. Thank you to Alex Doyle for this fabulous article.

The Saffarid dynasty (Persian: صفاریان‎) was a Persian Sunni military dynasty from Sistan that ruled over parts of Greater Iran between 861 and 1003. The Saffarids were the first dynasty to seize power by force in the Islamic heartlands and spring from the bands of volunteer warriors for faith (mutatawwi'a), whose mission was to fight infidels and heretics. Its capital was located in Zaranj (a city now in southwestern Afghanistan) and the Amir, Ya’qub bin Laith as-Saffar was a former coppersmith from Sistan, who was succeeded in power by his brother, Amr bin Laith. Both rulers followed a heavily expansionist style. Thank you to Andra Curutiu for this fascinating article.

Today we have tea...but no Arabi…

Join Coretta and Andi as they catch up on summer, talk about travel and culture, and recap season 2 of Shay wa Arabi! *warning* this episode brings the laughs as conversations between friends often do!

The Hammadid Dynasty, a subsect of the Zirid Empire, was an ancient civilization that occupied what is now present-day Algeria. Similar to the Zirid, the Hammadid were part of the Ṣanhājah Amazigh and followed Shi’a Islam until their independence in 1048. Skilled both architecturally and agriculturally, the Hammadid empire survived even their predecessors, escaping initial attempts by the Fatimid Caliphate to reconquer them. During their reign, the Hammadids were active traders, operating out of Bejaïa and ushering Algeria into an age of commercial prosperity, similar to, if not eclipsing the Zirid’s. The Hammadid Dynasty existed for nearly 150 years. Thank you to Cullan Quitmeyer for this fascinating article.

The city of Carchemish was situated in northern Syria, and it has been the point of encounter and conjunction of many important empires such as the Hittites, Assyrians, and Mitanni. In the 18th century, BCE Carchemish was already recognized as an independent city, and it played an essential role in ancient Near Eastern history. Carchemish was of great interest among empires for being an important trade and military crossing, for its political importance, and for its remarkable architecture. The decisive Battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE is one of the most crucial occurrences that affected the city and the entire region.

Located in Northern Syria, much of what we know about the Yamhad civilization has been discovered in neighboring strongholds of the time. Alalakh and Mari are ancient cities that held close political ties with Yamhad’s capital, Halab (also known as Aleppo). They shared the heritage of ethnic Amorites, a Western Semitic ethnic group, but the Yamhad Kingdom gained superiority in the late 3rd millennium under the rule of Yarim-Lim I through trade, treaties, and politically advantageous marriages. Alliances among the cities allowed the Yamhad civilization to practice diplomacy over warfare, and their bountiful agricultural resources developed vastly extensive international trade networks. Thank you to Jane Fitzpatrick for this fascinating article.

Join us as we chat with the amazing Grace Landsberg and learn about her educational platform (www.yallaarabee.com), the intentional way that she is shaping her future and how the Arabic language is becoming the umbrella under which she views her future.

We are so excited to share our Fellows with you and provide a space for them to showcase their passion for the region, personal projects, and collaboration! Welcome to our Fellow Spotlight Series!

Join us as we learn about how our resident Urartu Kingdom specialist details how he became interested in the SWANA region, how the Al Fusaic Fellowship has helped him share his voice, and where he’s JET-setting off to next!

We are so excited to share our Fellows with you and provide a space for them to showcase their passion for the region, personal projects, and collaboration! Welcome to our Fellow Spotlight Series!