Mar 7th, 2013 at 11:00AM:
The country of Turkey has been getting a lot of bad press this year, due to the tragic disappearance and murder of American Sarai Sierra in Istanbul, and the suicide bombing at the U.S. Consulate in Turkish capital city Ankara, which was quickly linked to a Marxist group protesting the Turkish position on the war in Syria (a Turkish security guard was killed, no Americans were harmed). Both ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Arabic posts
Not Constantinople: 9 Misconceptions About Istanbul, Turkey
Mar 7th, 2013 at 11:00AM:
The country of Turkey has been getting a lot of bad press this year, due to the tragic disappearance and murder of American Sarai Sierra in Istanbul, and the suicide bombing at the U.S. Consulate in Turkish capital city Ankara, which was quickly linked to a Marxist group protesting the Turkish position on the war in Syria (a Turkish security guard was killed, no Americans were harmed). Both ...Crazy Video: Wild Arabic Dancing In Texas
Oct 5th, 2012 at 3:00PM:
Arab culture has an image problem. Most outsiders think they don't have any fun. As one acquaintance informed me, "Arabs are a dour lot."
He'd never actually hung out with any Arabs. Anyone who has can tell you that they do have a sense of fun, as this video shows. Uploader noxalicious tells us this was filmed in Cafe Layal in Houston, Texas. This guy gets so into the music that he ends up on ...
VIDEO: Everyone says I love you in 15 languages
Feb 17th, 2012 at 12:00PM:
In case you decided to save your Valentine's Day celebration for this weekend, you may want to show your Valentine how worldly and well-traveled you are and find a new way to say "I love you". Traveler and photographer Kien Lam, who previously brought us the amazing Speeding Around the World in Under 5 Minutes, has made a special romantic video to capture the essence of love around the globe. ...
BBC World Service receives millions to increase Arabic broadcasts, save Hindi broadcasts
Jun 22nd, 2011 at 11:30AM: The BBC World Service is getting a funding increase to the tune of £2.2 million ($3.6 million) per year over the next three years.
This comes after the government broadcaster's funds were slashed last year, forcing it to announce the cancellation of 5 of its 32 language broadcasts and reduced service on others.
The money will go to boost the Arabic language programs. An additional ...Ode to the expat newspaper
May 3rd, 2011 at 3:00PM: One of my favorite things about traveling, in addition to foreign supermarkets, oddball museums, and miniature toiletries, is the local English-language expat newspaper. When I'm home in New York, I tend to get all my news online, either directly from news websites through specific searches or curated from friends' links on social media (one of the best sources for news from US newspapers is ...Is Iraq really safe to visit?
Nov 23rd, 2010 at 12:00PM:
If you ever visit Iraq, it's probably best to tell your parents about the trip after you return. That's what my friend Jennifer Martin did, and she says it saved her parents from lots of (mostly) needless worry.
Jennifer has just returned from a week-long tour of Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous, surprisingly safe region of northern Iraq. (Venture further afield than Kurdistan and you're asking ...Preserving the literary treasures of Timbuktu
Dec 1st, 2009 at 2:30PM: Mali has been getting a bad rap lately with the kidnapping of a French aid worker and travel warnings about the dangers of terrorism, all thanks to Al-Qaeda's local band of nutcases. But like everywhere else there are more good people than bad in Mali and they've been working hard to preserve a unique literary heritage in the famous city of Timbuktu. Timbuktu is often thought of as a remote place, ...Arabic T-Shirt incident comes to a close with a $240,000 check
Jan 6th, 2009 at 12:30PM: It has been 3 years since we reported about Raed Jarrar. This US citizen passed through security at JFK in 2006, got a secondary security search, and was then apprehended at the gate by an airport cop and a JetBlue employee. See, Raed committed the "horrible" crime of wearing a T-Shirt with some Arabic words. The words on his shirt did not translate to "terrorist," nor did they warn people that he ...Photojournalist Offers Glimpses into the Muslim World
Oct 20th, 2008 at 3:00PM: Veteran photojournalist Alexandra Avakian has spent much of her twenty-plus year career working for prestigious magazines like Time and National Geographic and newspapers like The NY Times. Much of her work has been focused on the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Northern Africa. Stints in Iran, Somalia, Gaza and amongst American Muslims has given her ample opportunity to photograph the adherents ...Word for the Travel Wise (12/08/06)
Dec 8th, 2006 at 8:00PM: Here is an easy Arabic word for the day without all the coughing sounds people tend to add in when they think of learning the language. Today's word is an Arabic word used in Egypt: yom - day My Language Exchange is an excellent site in making friends across the globe while zoning in on the areas that give you the most trouble in your language of choice. While most services are free, contacting ...Word for the Travel Wise (11/06/06)
Nov 6th, 2006 at 8:00PM: It is said that Doha, Qatar is one of the dullest places on the entire planet Earth. There is little to do, little to see, and did I mention little to do already? According to LP you'll have a hard time finding anyone who thinks the place is an exciting desert oasis or diamond in the rough, but if you're flying into the country you'll learn it is also the only city with hotels and an airport. So ...Word for the Travel Wise (10/20/06)
Oct 20th, 2006 at 8:00PM: Ramadan ends in just a few days and to keep up with cultural understanding and terminology of things we see in the Muslim world I provide you with this word. It's an easy one and many of you probably already know it, but I'm sure there are a few stragglers out there not hip to the vocab. Today's word is an Arabic word used in Egypt: hegab - woman's headscarf My Language Exchange is an excellent ...Photo of the Day (9/25/06)
Sep 25th, 2006 at 2:04PM: I love Arabic and Persian writing even if it's written on a dusty piece of masking tape or label on a jar. While I think I can make out the words pronunciations I couldn't tell you whether it's paint or condiments in those jars. I'm sure evanr would have a clue. He took this photo while in Islamic Cairo right outside of the Khan Al-Khalili Market. So telling, yet not so telling. ...Word for the Travel Wise (09/19/06)
Sep 19th, 2006 at 8:00PM: How I've managed to forget this wonderful travel site often loaded with photography from some lesser explored places - I do not know. TravelAdventures.org has an amazing photo set of Yemeni people, the Haraz Mountains, qat, and other Yemeni things. I'm going to bookmark this one for future reference and so I don't forget it again. Today's word is an Arabic word used in Yemen: khwaga - foreigner My ...Word for the Travel Wise (08/01/06)
Aug 1st, 2006 at 8:00PM: I don't know what the for sure stats are on the most traveled African countries, but Egypt has to be pretty high on the list. Almost any and everyone I know that mentions traveling to the continent usually bring up Egypt, Kenya, or South Africa. I'm hoping to head to Africa in the very near future, but until some more money trickles in I'll be dreaming and studying up on the various langs heard ...Word for the Travel Wise (07/05/06)
Jul 5th, 2006 at 8:00PM: Just finished chatting with a pen pal of mine in Morocco I hadn't heard from in ages. Long story short we had a lot to catch up on and from our conversation I give you the word of the day. Enjoy! Today's word is an Arabic word used in Morocco: la-bas - how are you? My Language Exchange is an excellent site in making friends across the globe while zoning in on the areas that give you the most ...Word for the Travel Wise (05/29/06)
May 29th, 2006 at 8:00PM: During one of my daily language drive-bys an instant message buddy in Morocco passed on this little pearl of wisdom. (Keep in mind the Arabic spoken in Morocco is not a widely recognizable dialect, so before you go spouting off at the mouth in Syria or Oman remember I told you my pal lives in Morocco and that this word would come in handy in Morocco. Not Saudi Arabia - capeesh?) Today's word is an ...Word for the Travel Wise (03/18/06)
Mar 18th, 2006 at 8:00PM: For some reason I had great difficulty picking a word today until I looked down on my foot and discovered the perfect word to pass onto you all. Strangely enough I have only one word tattooed on my body and luckily it isn't the name of some estranged ex-boyfriend. Rather it is a word I use to remind me how I would like to live my life and one of the ultimate goals I'd like to achieve. The first ...
