Features & Perspectives
Long-form analysis on geopolitics, media framing, policy tradeoffs, and social impact.
Ottoman Imaret: How Endowed Kitchens Distributed Food
How Ottoman imarets stored, cooked and distributed meals, who they served, how waqf income paid the bills, and why the word changed meaning over time.
Why Djenné's Great Mosque Must Be Replastered
How earthen walls, projecting toron timbers and communal maintenance sustain Djenné's Great Mosque—and why renewal is part of the building, not its failure.
What Is a Khanqah? Sufi Lodge, Residence and Shrine
How khanqahs supported Sufi residence, teaching, ritual and hospitality, and why the term describes different institutions across Iran, Anatolia and Egypt.
US Muslim Civil-Rights Report 2026 and How to Read Complaint Data
A guide to reading Muslim civil-rights complaint reports in 2026, including CAIR reports, FBI hate-crime data and DOJ civil-rights context.
Ajami Manuscripts: African Languages in Arabic Script
How West African writers adapted Arabic letters to local languages, what Ajami manuscripts record and why the tradition cannot be reduced to imperfect Arabic.
Hisba and the Muhtasib: How Medieval Markets Were Regulated
What hisba manuals say about weights, measures, food, crafts and public conduct—and why the muhtasib was more than a simple market inspector.
Acequia Irrigation and Valencia’s Water Tribunal
How gravity-fed acequias distribute river water across Valencia’s huerta, how irrigators govern turns, and what the famous tribunal actually preserves.
Suq and Bazaar: How Markets Organized the Islamic City
How suqs grouped crafts, linked gates to central streets, managed storage and traffic, and changed from open stalls into covered commercial districts.
Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah as a Method of History
How Ibn Khaldun tested historical reports against social conditions, used asabiyyah to explain political change and warned readers about implausible numbers.
Qalam Reed Pen: Cutting a Nib for Arabic Calligraphy
How calligraphers season, shape and cut a qalam, why nib angle changes the stroke, and what manuscript evidence reveals about disciplined pen control.
How a Hammam Works: Cold, Warm and Hot Rooms
A practical history of the hammam: room sequence, underfloor heating, water, light, social use and the difference between public baths and palace baths.
Oman’s Aflaj: Gravity, Water Shares and Sundials
How Omani aflaj move water without pumps, how communities schedule shares, and why channels, wells, settlements and governance form one living system.