“‘Antiquarianism’ is the term of art used to describe the investigation of the European past through its material remains before art history and archaeology emerged in the nineteenth century as the disciplines devoted to its study.”

This symposium is on the study of how the Islamic world studied the past.

Titles of ~30-45 minute talks include: -The Wisdom in Ruins: Veneration of the Material Past in the Medieval Islamic World —The Notion of Ruins in the Medieval Islamic World -Appreciating, Collecting, and the Meaning of Ancient Objects in the Early and Middle Islamic Period -Negotiating Cultural Continuity in Early Islam: The Future of Ancient Knowledge –The Near Past, the Distant Past, and the Political Legitimacy of the Fatimids and Buyids -Antiquarianism and Encyclopedism in the Fourteenth Century -Artefacts as Evidence in Muslim Historical-Legal Scholarship -Philology, Forgery, and Superstition: The Fierce Debate over the Shrine of Sayyida Zaynab in Early Twentieth-Century Egypt

(“Bard Graduate Center is devoted to the study of decorative arts, design history, and material culture through research, advanced degrees, exhibitions, publications, and events.”)

“In 17th-century England, talking about Islam was a way of criticising the powers that be. When an introduction to the first translation of the Quran described a ‘leader of a band of fugitives’, was it aimed at the Prophet or Oliver Cromwell?”

Link

The important take away from this is the denegrating tone toward Islam in the 17th century.

This article was published in Fredericksburg’s local newspaper, the Free Lance Star, a bit over a week ago. Poorer neighborhoods and archaeological sites in the over 2000-year-old Egyptian city of Alexandria are being threatened by floodwaters and rising sea levels.

https://www.fredericksburg.com/news/national/rising-seas-threaten-egypt-s-fabled-port-city-of-alexandria/article_d1b279c1-cd8b-57c8-83fd-0cbffcf2f108.html

Here’s the link.

This article from the Washington post goes in depth about how people in Afghanistan are expecting violence to break out. This is do to the falling out of talks between the Trump administration and the Taliban. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghans-brace-for-fresh-violence-after-us-taliban-talks-halt/2019/09/09/9e686c82-d2c4-11e9-8924-1db7dac797fb_story.html?noredirect=on

If you ever wondered how the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq affected archaeology in the region, this Atlantic article talks about how easy ancient Mesopotamian artifacts have ended up online on the black market. For example, you can find a terracotta fragment bearing a god on a chariot for $225 on Live Auctioneers and even more shocking, they are being sold out of London.

Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/03/iraq-war-archeology-invasion/555200/

There sure is–brand new and complete with seasonal exhibits and everything.

Here’s the info from their “visit us” page on their website:

Open Thursday – Saturday, 12pm-6pm.

General admission – $5/person. Purchase at the door. Donations are welcome.

*Tours for 5+ people can be arranged outside normal weekly hours when booked at least two weeks in advance by emailing info@mpp-dc.org.

Located at 1900 18th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009, on the corner of 18th and T street.

The Islamic Society of the Washington Area is hosting an international bazaar in a few weeks:

I found this on their Facebook page, and now you know as much about it as I do.

Fantastic research topic. Here’s a teaser of the article (and topic):

“Only a gang of experienced burglars would be abroad at such an hour [3 am] equipped with a tortoise.”

Mike Dash, Smithsonian.com

Truly, it sounds too ridiculous to be true. And there’s the rabbit hole.

This webpage from Ted.com lists a handful of Ted Talks for educating non-Muslims about Islam today.

I’ve learned that if I want to know about a religion, I should ask its members about it. These talks let us hear from diverse Muslims.