The Levant means ‘where the sun rises’: the eastern Mediterranean Levant is a geographical word, free from associations with race or religion. It is defined not by frontiers but by the sea.
Author: Philip Mansel
Was Salonica a Levantine City?
The conference reflected on the Levantine identity, as captured throughout history, art, architecture, music and cuisine, as well as the history of cosmopolitanism and commerce that enabled this vibrant culture to thrive. Panelists who share Levantine heritage examined its influence on their careers and lives as well as gave testimony to the uniqueness of the Levantine identity.
The program was followed by an evening concert performance with the original composition, Levantine Symphony N°1, by Ibrahim Maalouf.
The New Levant Initiative was honored to present distinguished trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf in the world premiere of his impassioned composition, Levantine Symphony N°1.
NLI is proud to support projects and institutions that bring about initiatives, tools, and experiences to further educate the public about Levantine arts, culture, and history.
NLI supports the Humanities Research Center (HRC) at Rice University and their sustainable, multi-tiered, and data-driven Levant Carta initiative. The Levant Carta is dedicated to the production of a cartographic platform that will bring together scholarly networks and enable the production of temporally accurate and illustrated maps of Levantine cities. For this initiative, the HRC will interconnect a series of activities, meant to act as bridges across disciplines, schools, and universities both in the US and abroad.
July 3, 2019 Sam Brennan / ALM
“The expression of power and of sacred practice into the physical and mercurial form of these glorious temples [in Baalbek] … is too big and too heavy to be human,” Vali Mahlouji, curator of the iconoclastic exhibition “Baalbek: Archives of an Eternity,” told Al-Monitor. “As grand as [Baalbek’s temples] are, they suppress 7,000 years before it […]
June 28, 2019 Giuseppe Mancini / ALM
Most residents would jump for joy if a parking lot and a hideous office building at the historical heart of their city were slated to be replaced by a cultural center designed by a celebrated architect. They would be even happier if private donors had agreed to pick up the tab to the tune of some $150 million, sparing the pocketbooks of the […]
June 27, 2019 Naima Morrelli / Middle East Eye
Syrian comic book writer Hamid Sulaiman says that there are two questions that he is always asked and that he still has a hard time answering. The first is what he does for a living. Usually he goes with “graphic novelist” or “painter”. The second is where he lives. “I have two homes,” he says, “and I […]
June 26, 2019 Mohamed el-Shamaa / Arab News
With more than 100,000 antiquities from India, China, Iran, Arabia, Syria, Egypt, North Africa and Andalusia, the Museum of Islamic Art in Egypt is the largest institution of its kind in world. The museum, located in the Bab Al-Khalk area in the heart of Cairo, is also the largest educational institute in the world in […]
June 26, 2019 Associated Press
Professional kitchens are normally considered a man’s domain. But necessity compelled these women to break gender norms – something they do with gusto. Soma Khalil makes a mean kebab. “It is never shameful for a woman to work outside. I work here as a kebab chef and we are able to work here for 12 […]
June 23, 2019 Samar Kadi / Arab Weekly
The giant “eternal mural” of Lebanese diva Sabah that decorates a once-bland building in Beirut’s crowded Hamra neighbourhood is among many expressions of street art that has developed in recent years from being tagging by militias during Lebanon’s civil war to a recognised and appreciated art. Graffiti related to war and politics filled public spaces […]