Asfar’s e-Journal, voluntary Editors and Contributors continue to dedicate their time, skills and invention to publish a fascinating and unique e-Journal, produced by aspiring writers, thinkers and photographers of the Middle East. This edition sees a range of diverse articles from: Aisa Martinex’s article and photos on Researching dress in Saudia Arabia, edited by Ruby … Continued
Clothing is part of a system of non-verbal communication; it is a language of personal adornment. In addition to serving a merely functional role in covering the body, clothing differentiates us from one another, displaying and projecting our individual identities. It also facilitates social rituals, ranging from every-day public interactions to more private ceremonial occasions.1 … Continued
Background The contentious region of Nagorno-Karabakh is the centre of a conflict between two ethnic groups, Orthodox Christian Armenians, and Shia Muslim Azerbaijanis. The longstanding hatred concerning the respective populace has three periods of conflict which will be relevant, in which each period replicates the last, going through cycles of uneasy truce and outright war. … Continued
Shira Geffen’s Meduzot, Jellyfish, 2007, was a great success inside and outside Israel. The movie, which is set in Tel Aviv, tells the story of three women. The three stories appear to have three plots that are unconnected. Though the movie can be approached from different angles, I here chose to examine it from a … Continued
Introduction Rugged, landlocked, and lacking in major transportation infrastructure, modern Afghanistan is no friend of the modern logistician, military or otherwise. In consideration of the challenging security environment, episodic closures of the primary supply lines through Pakistan, and uncertainty over what, if any, military forces will remain in Afghanistan post 2014, one begins to see … Continued
Construction, Deconstruction, Reconstruction 13 February – 29 March 2014 Ayyam Gallery, 143 New Bond Street 1st Floor W1S 2TP, London http://www.ayyamgallery.com/ Construction, Deconstruction, Reconstruction, Saudi Arabian artist Faisal Samra’s first solo exhibition in the United Kingdom, is a deeply personal journey through the creative and perceptive processes, which combines the principles of abstraction with clinical … Continued
The 20 February protests on the streets of Casablanca, as well as other cities, prompted the King to establish a new constitution as a means of curbing corruption, enhancing economic conditions and bettering health among other services. Following a national referendum which endorsed the Moroccan Constitution on 1 July 2011 that endeavours to preserve and … Continued
In its modern iteration, Saudi Arabia has been through several crises of varying nature and intensity. But none quite resemble that which a convergence of circumstances have created in the era of the Arab uprisings. A combination of factors including the brutal war in Syria have threatened Saudi Arabia’s alliance with the United States, leaving … Continued
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