Best Arab

Umar ibn al-Khattab was the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruling from 634 until his death in 644. During his leadership, Muslim armies defeated major Byzantine and Sasanian forces and brought territories including Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and much of Persia under caliphal rule. Islamic histori...

Al-Muqaddasi was a tenth-century Arab geographer, probably born around 945 in Jerusalem, whose travels covered much of the Islamic world. His principal work, commonly known as Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Ma'rifat al-Aqalim, organizes the territories he described into regions and records observations about c...

Muhammad al-Idrisi was a prominent 12th-century Arab cartographer renowned for his creation of the Tabula Rogeriana. This world map, commissioned by King Roger II of Sicily, represents a significant advancement in geographical knowledge during the medieval period. Al-Idrisi’s work utilized existing...

Riad Sattouf’s “The Arab of the Future” is a poignant graphic memoir detailing his upbringing in Amman, Jordan during the lead-up to the Iraq War. The book offers a unique perspective on childhood experience through a distinctive visual style and explores themes of displacement identity and family....

Thabit ibn Qurra was a prominent ninth-century Mesopotamian mathematician, astronomer, and physician who worked in Baghdad. As a speaker of Syriac and Greek, he played a crucial role in translating ancient Hellenistic scientific and mathematical texts into Arabic. His original mathematical contribut...

The Cairo International Film Festival, established in 1976, is a prominent annual event showcasing cinematic works from across Africa and the Arab world. It remains one of the region’s longest-running major film festivals, providing a key platform for feature films and supporting filmmakers througho...

Established in 1966 in Tunisia, the Carthage Film Festival is the oldest film event in Africa and the Arab world, focusing primarily on regional cinema.

Shorbat Adas is a traditional lentil-based soup popular in middle eastern and Arab cuisines. It’s characterized by its smooth texture and flavor profile developed through seasoning with cumin and lemon. This dish is frequently served as an everyday meal or during Ramadan to break the fast, making it...

Al-Jazari was an Arab engineer and inventor of the 12th and 13th centuries. He created detailed designs for a remarkable collection of mechanical devices, primarily documented in his 1206 manuscript. These included automated water clocks, musical automata, and other complex machines representing ear...

Harun al-Rashid was the fifth Abbasid caliph and ruled from 786 to 809, when the caliphate extended across much of the Middle East and North Africa. His court supported scholarship, literature, administration, and diplomacy, although later portrayals often idealized his reign as the height of Abbasi...

The Kingdom of Nabataeae flourished in present-day Jordan from the 4th century BCE until its incorporation into the Roman Empire in 106 CE. Its strategic location facilitated extensive trade routes across Arabia and beyond, particularly through the impressive city of Petra. The Nabataeans were skill...

Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi, commonly known as Al-Kindi, was a 9th-century Arab philosopher, mathematician, and physician who worked in Abbasid Baghdad. He is widely recognized as the first major philosopher to write in Arabic and was instrumental in translating and synthesizing ancient Greek...

Al-Istakhri was a tenth-century geographer of the Islamic world and the author of a version of Kitab al-Masalik wa'l-Mamalik, or Book of Roads and Kingdoms. The work organizes geographic information by region and combines written accounts of settlements, routes, peoples, and economic activity with s...

Al-Masudi (c. 896-956 CE) was a 10th-century Arab historian and geographer whose comprehensive work 'Muruj al-Dhahab' (The Meadows of Gold) documented lands, peoples, and histories from the Middle East to China. Often referred to as the 'Herodotus of the Arabs,' he combined firsthand observations fr...

Ibn Hawqal was a 10th-century Arab Muslim geographer, traveler, and writer who spent roughly three decades exploring the Islamic world. He is best known for his comprehensive geographical treatise, Surat al-Ard, which he completed and revised around 977 AD. His work provided highly detailed, firstha...

The Voice Kids Arabia is a regional Arabic adaptation of the global singing franchise, focusing on young vocalists and broadcasting across the Middle East.

Ibn Fadlan was a 10th-century Arab traveler and diplomat who in 921–922 CE journeyed from Baghdad to the Volga Bulgars, leaving a detailed firsthand account of Viking Rus customs and funeral practices.

Zenobia was the 3rd-century ruler of Palmyra, an influential trading city in Roman Syria, initially governing on behalf of her young son Vaballathus. Palmyrene forces extended their control across much of the Roman East and occupied Egypt during the political instability of the Roman Empire. Emperor...

Produced by the Middle East Broadcasting Center, Superstar was a pan-Arab music competition based on the Pop Idol format that premiered in 2003.

The Voice: Ahla Sawt is an Arabic-language singing competition based on the international television format The Voice, created by John de Mol. It premiered on MBC1 in 2012 and was produced in Beirut for audiences across the Arab world. Contestants are initially selected through blind auditions in wh...

Founded in 2004, the Dubai International Film Festival served as a major cultural event in the Middle East, promoting both Arab and international cinema.

The Ghassanid Kingdom was an Arab Christian client kingdom of Byzantium in the Levant, notable for guarding the empire's eastern frontier.

Jordan is a Middle Eastern constitutional monarchy, notable for the Hashemite dynasty and the 1946 independence of the kingdom from Britain.

Morocco is a North African constitutional monarchy, notable for the Alaouite dynasty and for regaining independence from France in 1956.

The Kingdom of Egypt was a state formed after independence from Britain in 1922, notable for the reign of King Fuad I and the rise of the modern republic in 1953.

Bahrain is an island kingdom in the Persian Gulf, notable for declaring independence in 1971 and becoming a monarchy under King Hamad in 2002.

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy on the Arabian Peninsula, notable for its 1932 founding by Ibn Saud and its guardianship of Mecca and Medina.

The Kingdom of Iraq was a British-backed state established in 1921 under King Faisal I, notable for its Hashemite rule until it was overthrown in 1958.

The Kingdom of Libya was established as an independent state in 1951 under King Idris I, notable for its discovery of vast oil reserves before its 1969 coup.