Whistling arrows – the weapon of the Turkic armies
The whistling arrows, which, according to legend, were invented by the founder of the Hun Empire, Mete Khan, were used in the armies of the Turkic Muslim states. It turned out…
The actions and decisions of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had a huge impact on both his era and subsequent periods, writes Adnan Demirjan. Umar ibn al-Khattab became…
Nation states often create their own history of myths. Saudi Arabia is no exception, writes Yusuf Sami Kamadan. It is believed that the concept of “nation state” emerged after the French…
In the Middle Ages, the dinar was an international currency, writes Khalil Sahillioglu for İslam Ansiklopedisi. The word “dinar” comes from the name of the Roman silver coin dēnārius. In pre-Islamic…
What is the inspiration behind the color of the Sri Lanka Red Mosque?
If you ask the locals how to find the Jami Ul Alfar Mosque, you will most likely meet with bewilderment. But if you ask a question about the Red Mosque (Rathu…
A walk down the main street in Hamtramck, Michigan, feels like a tour around the world. A Polish sausage store and an Eastern European bakery sit alongside a Yemeni department…
‘Minarets in the Mountains’: A journey into Muslim Europe
Author Tharik Hussain discusses how his travels to the Balkans shed light on issues like identity and belonging, the roots of Islamophobia, and the European fear of the ‘Turks’. The…
How three corsair brothers kept the Mediterranean at bay
In the 15th-16th centuries, three corsair brothers from the Ottoman Empire dominated the Mediterranean Sea, one of whom became the prototype for numerous legends and literary works of European authors….
Al-Azhar – a religious institution in the political arena
Al-Azhar, being both a religious and a political symbol, has been one of the most influential institutions not only in Egypt, but in the entire Middle East since its inception,…
Hundreds of years of cultural exchange between China and the Islamic world
Cultural exchange between China and the Islamic world has been going on for centuries. The Great Silk Road facilitated the exchange of not only goods, but also religions and ideas. The…
