Features & Perspectives
Long-form analysis on geopolitics, media framing, policy tradeoffs, and social impact.
What the Mahmal Was in the Cairo Hajj Caravan
A source-critical history of the mahmal’s frame, embroidered cover, Cairo and Damascus processions, relationship to the kiswah and surre, political meaning, 1926 rupture and surviving museum objects.
Al-Kindi and Frequency Analysis: How Repetition Breaks a Cipher
How al-Kindi explained letter-frequency analysis for substitution ciphers, why language statistics reveal patterns and where the method stops working.
Monsoon Navigation: The Seasonal Clock of Indian Ocean Trade
How reversing winds shaped sailing seasons, port stays and trade across the Indian Ocean—and why the monsoon was a variable system, not a simple timetable.
Ibn Yunus and the Hakemite Tables of Fatimid Cairo
How Ibn Yunus turned observations into extensive tables for astronomy and timekeeping, and why later anecdotes should not overshadow his numerical work.
How an Islamic Astrolabe Worked: Mater, Rete, Plates and Alidade
A visual guide to the planispheric astrolabe, its main parts, how altitude was measured and how astronomers used it for time and direction.
Al-Khujandi’s Giant Sextant at Rayy Explained
How a monumental meridian instrument measured the Sun’s altitude, what al-Khujandi sought at Rayy, and why scale alone did not guarantee accuracy.
Dhow Is Not One Boat: Sewn Hulls and Indian Ocean Vessel Types
Why dhow is an umbrella term, how sewn-plank hulls worked, what lateen sails could do and why regional vessel names must be tied to place and period.
The Ottoman Surre: Gifts Sent to Mecca and Medina
How purses, registers, textiles and public ceremony turned annual support for the Holy Cities into a carefully recorded act of Ottoman rule and devotion.
The Kamal: Measuring Latitude with a Board and Knotted Cord
How Indian Ocean navigators used a small board and calibrated cord to measure a star’s altitude, remember routes and estimate north–south position.
How Ottoman Succession Worked: Princes, Fratricide and Dynastic Seniority
A careful history of Ottoman succession from provincial prince-governors and fratricide to palace confinement and seniority after 1617.
Piri Reis and the Kitab-ı Bahriye: Mapping a Working Sea
How Piri Reis combined portolan-style charts, sailing directions and local observations in the Kitab-ı Bahriye, his practical Book on Navigation.
How Al-Battani Turned Decades of Observation into Better Astronomy
A source-critical account of al-Battani's work at Raqqa, his 57-chapter Zij, solar year and obliquity measurements, trigonometry, eclipses, manuscripts and Latin reception.