Shah Jahan Mosque Postcard, 1925
Thatta, Sindh, Pakistan
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History
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Sails furled, flag drooping at her rounded stern, she rode the tide in from the sea. She was a strange ship, indeed, by all accounts, a frightening ship, a ship of mystery. Whether she was a trader, privateer, or man-of-war no one knows. Through her bulwarks black-mouthed cannon yawned. The flag she flew was Dutch; her crew a motley. Her port of call, an English settlement, Jamestown in the colony of Virginia. She came, she traded, and shortly afterwards was gone. Probably no ship in modern history has carried a more portentous freight. Her cargo? Twenty slaves.
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Ibn al-Shatir’s model for the appearances of Mercury, showing the multiplication of epicycles in a Ptolemaic enterprise. 14th century CE.
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Not only is The Musalman written by hand—at a time when printed newspapers are dying like sick lepers—it’s produced by a team of only four scribes. And it’s not just handwritten—it’s transcribed in calligraphy. These people work. Hard.
The Musalman has been operating in India since 1927, and has never had an employee quit—the only reason they leave the paper is because they’re dead. That is what you might call dedication—four Urdu calligraphers in an 800 square foot room, cranking out newspapers for very little pay. Do not expect an iPad edition.
via Gizmodo
Respect.
(Source: inthenoosphere)
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I have never wanted to visit the United States. It just doesn’t factor into my plans when I think of where I want to go. But since I watched this documentary, anytime the notion of a vacation comes up, I want to blurt out ‘Philly! Phill! I want to go to Philadelphia!”.
This movie is extremely important. You should watch it and then you will know why you should go to Philadelphia before an amazing piece/landmark of history is gobbled up by corporatism and greed forever.
Read my review here
(Source: thesmithian)
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Less than 400 miles from Alexandria (Egypt) stands one of the most enduring testaments to Muslim-Christian harmony on earth: St. Catherine’s Monastery. Nestled at the foot of Mt. Sinai, St. Catherine’s holds an unparalleled collection of early Christian art and a treasure trove of ancient manuscripts. Its relics have survived unmolested for centuries, a unique distinction among Christian monuments. The monastery is known around the world for its rare assortment of Christian icons, but perhaps its most interesting artifact is a copy of a charter, written in Arabic and dating from the 7th century CE. This charter, now displayed behind glass for all visitors to see, was dictated by the Prophet Muhammad after he was visited in 628 by a delegation from St. Catherine’s seeking protection.
In no uncertain terms, the Prophet vowed that Muslims would protect not only the Christians of Sinai, but all followers of Christ both “near and far” – and their places of worship – until the end of time. Any Muslim who failed to uphold this agreement, according to Muhammad, would “spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet.”
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the city of Baghdad in the years 150 to 300 AH (767 and 912 AD), as depicted in a map made in 1883
via wikimedia
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UNICEF´s photo of the year shows 9-year-old Ly, one of the children that Ed Kashi photographed for the story on the lasting genetic affects of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
His series Vietnam, Legacy of War helps us to understand and feel deeply the tragedy that war is.
(via abcsoupdot)
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“Gettysburg Address” by Adam Gault
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The Ka’ba is an iconic structure. Over one billion Muslims from around the globe turn towards it five times a day. Billions more have seen images and wonder at its significance. The magnificent covering beautifying this primordial building has captivated pilgrims for centuries. But few are aware of the history of the kiswah, the covering that clothes the Ka’ba, and how it is made. Sarah Joseph journeys to Makkah to observe the intricate skills used to weave the adornment for the House of God.
(Source: almaswithinalmas)
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Al Jazeera | The Riz Khan Show - Are we living in the end times
Is the world ignoring signs of the so-called “end times”? According to renowned philosopher Slavoj Zizek, who has been called the “most dangerous philosopher in the West”, the capitalist system is pushing us all towards an apocalyptic doomsday. He points to the faltering economy, global warming and deteriorating ethnic relations as evidence.
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America is a very sad place right now, which is what the Tea Party movement and the midterm elections are about. I could analyze the particulars, but then I would be no better than the whole 24-hour media machine - which, given that unemployment is at 9.6%, is lucky that no one has noticed that they don’t exactly do their job. If the news outlets were actually reporting, they would tell us the honest and awful truth: the United States is a post-industrial empire in decline, like England or Belgium or worse (is there worse?). There is no next. We are at next.
