Sir Richard Burton

Life and Times recently aired a program on the life of traveller, Sir Richard Burton. You can download the podcast from:

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifeandtimes/stories/2009/2514139.htm

One of the most extraordinary 19th-century adventurers was the explorer, scholar, linguist and diplomat Richard Burton. Notorious for his visit to Mecca (although he was not a Muslim), famous for his search with Speke for the source of the Nile, Burton also made a name for himself for his ethnographic descriptions of West African tribal life and his unsurpassed translation of the Thousand and One Nights.

Lehnert and Landrock CD

For all those lovers of Lehnert and Landrock vintage Egyptian photographs, you can now purchase CULNAT's (Centre for Cultural and Natural Heritage) CD documenting L&R's photographic collection. Samples of the CD are illustrated above.

http://www.egyptmemory.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/EMHomeView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001

http://beta.cultnat.org/

Scrapbooking Egyptian Pics

Some ideas for scrapbooking your Egyptian, or other holiday photo pics, could include glueing envelopes into your scrapbook to store tickets, brochures, and documents, using rubber stamps to embellish pictures, and pasting in vintage photos, tickets, and postcards.

Shah 'Abbas, the Remaking of Iran

British Museum Exhibition: Shah 'Abbas, the Remaking of Iran

19 February – 14 June 2009

This major exhibition explores seventeenth-century Iran through the reign and legacy of one of its most influential rulers, Shah 'Abbas I (reigned AD 1587–1629).

Shah 'Abbas was a stabilising force in Iran following a period of civil war and foreign invasion. He strengthened the economy by establishing global trade links between Asia and Europe and revitalised the state religion Shi’a Islam which is still practised today.
The exhibition will demonstrate Shah 'Abbas’s social, religious and artistic influence on Iran through the gifts he endowed to major shrines in Mashhad, Ardabil and Qum, and his magnificent new capital at Isfahan.

The objects, many of which have not been seen outside Iran, will include exquisite Qur'ans, mosque lamps, paintings, carpets, calligraphy, porcelain and silks.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/all_current_exhibitions/shah_abbas.aspx

Thomas Cook

Coming Up: Thomas Cook

A reminder that the Life and Times: Thomas Cook program airs on National Radio (Australia) this Saturday at 4pm, with a repeat on Sunday at 6pm.

"The man who almost single-handedly changed the whole concept of travel in the modern world was Thomas Cook. Taking advantage of technical innovations (the railways in particular), Cook made it possible for the first time in history for working-class and middle-class travellers, including women, to move cheaply and safely across Europe and eventually the world.
Although at first Cook's dream for the masses was 'self-improvement', the developing reality was leisure travel -- 'self-improvement' of a particularly modern kind."

Internet Egyptian Market

If you can't fly to the Khan el Khalili to shop for Egyptian crafts, try the http://www.etsy.com/ website, with a search on keyword, "Egypt". The site sells a wide range of Egyptian style crafts, including jewelery, and prints.

Inspiring Interiors

Some inspiring North African and Near Eastern interiors.