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Interview of Professor Al-Hassani in 'The Alchemy of Innovation' |
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By: The Editorial Board, Fri 17 May, 2013 |
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The Editorial Board In his new book, The Alchemy of Innovation, published in early 2013, Javed Akhtar Mohammed explores, through interviews with several well-known personalities, the different facets of innovation, considered as the lifeblood of successful organizations, communities, and societies, past and present. Professor Al-Hassani, President of FSTC, one of the interviewed personalities, sheds light on innovation in the classical Islamic civilisation and describes the general context in which past scholars of the Muslim World applied innovation to create a developed society, whose contributions and influence are still visible in today's world.
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Book Review of “Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq's Tenth-century Baghdadi Cookbook” by Nawal Nasrallah |
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By: Kaouthar Chatioui and Cem Nizamoglu, Mon 16 January, 2012 |
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by Kaouthar Chatioui and Cem Nizamoglu Written nearly a thousand years ago, Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq's tenth-century cookbook is the most comprehensive work of its kind. Its recent edition and English translation offers a unique glimpse into the culinary culture of the Medieval Islam. This traditional cookbook with more than 600 recipes from the luxurious cuisine of classical Islam is also a rare guide to the contemporary culinary culture. Its numerous anecdotes and poems unfold the role of food in the politics of Islam's golden era. Informative and entertaining to scholars and general readers, the book has recently been edited and translated into English by Nawal Nasrallah. We present in the following review this important book, with references and links to related literature on the Islamic cuisine.
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Book review of Sustainable History and the Dignity of Man by Dr Nayef Al-Rodhan |
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By: FSTC Research Team, Wed 20 July, 2011 |
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FSTC Research Team In Sustainable History and the Dignity of Man, Dr Nayef Al-Rodhan outlines a new theory of history. Defining "sustainable history" as "a durable progressive trajectory in which the quality of life on this planet … is premised on the guarantee of human dignity for all times and under all circumstances", he links it tightly to good governance. He considers basically that the sustainability of history is dependent on the attainment of good governance paradigms limiting the excesses of human nature and ensuring a climate of happiness and productivity by the promotion of reason and dignity. The author proposes minimum criteria for good governance that are sensitive to local cultures and histories but meet certain common global values to ensure maximum and sustainable moral and political cooperation.
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Book Review of 'Islamic Gardens and Landscapes' by D. Fairchild Ruggles |
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By: Margaret Morris, Fri 18 March, 2011 |
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Margaret Morris Ranging across poetry, court documents, agronomy manuals, and early garden representations and richly illustrated with pictures and site plans, Islamic Gardens and Landscapes by Dr Fairchild Ruggles is a book of impressive scope sure to interest scholars and enthusiasts alike.
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New Book by Jim Al-Khalili Pathfinders: The Golden Age of Arabic Science |
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By: The Editorial Board, Sun 17 October, 2010 |
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The Editorial Board For over 700 years the international language of science was Arabic. In this compelling, inspiring book, Jim Al-Khalili celebrates the forgotten pioneers who helped shape our understanding of the world. All scientists have stood on the shoulders of giants. But most historical accounts today suggest that the achievements of the ancient Greeks were not matched until the European Renaissance in the 16th century, a one thousand year period dismissed as the Dark Ages.
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Book review: Ibn al-Haytham and the New Optics |
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By: Ruveyda Ozturk, Thu 29 October, 2009 |
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Ruveyda Ozturk This is a book review of Ibn El-Heysem ve Yeni Optik (Ibn al-Haytham and the New Optics) by Huseyin Gazi Topdemir published in 2008 in Turkish as the first book of a series on scientific leaders of the east. The book introduces the scientific works and achievements of Ibn al-Haytham who lived in the 11th century and is regarded as a pioneer in the field of optics. The author talks extensively about his principal book titled Kitab al-Manazir (The Book of Optics) and discusses the great extent of his influence on the Muslim and Western worlds.
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How Islamic Learning Transformed Western Civilization: Review of 'The House of Wisdom' |
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By: FSTC Research Team, Sun 26 July, 2009 |
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FSTC Research Team In February 2009, Jonathan Lyons published 'The House of Wisdom', a riveting history which reveals the vital role the Islamic civilisation played in knowledge creation and how this treasure reached the West. In this fascinating and thoughtful book, Jonathan Lyons restores credit to the contribution of the Arabs and Muslims in the human long and patient effort of building human civilisation, explores and reveals the extent of their learning and describes the intrepid adventures of the European intellectuals of the high Middle Ages who went in search of it and who, in doing so, laid the foundations of what we now call the Renaissance.
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Book Review of ‘Ottoman Women - Myth and Reality’ by Asli Sancar |
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By: Qaisra Shahraz, Wed 08 July, 2009 |
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Qaisra Shahraz Aise Asli Sancar, a renowned writer and lecturer on women's issues has said when she began investigating the subject of Ottoman women, she realized that they were much more complex and multifaceted than they are usually portrayed to be. Noting that Ottoman women were described as submissive and suppressed women entrapped in the harem, Sancar says the imperial harem was a more diverse and complex institution than she had formerly thought it to be. This is the main theme of her book: Ottoman Women: Myth and Reality reviewed in this article by Qaisra Shahraz, the well known writer and novelist. Suitable for all publics, the book, a well written and enjoyable to read piece, presents an engaging and appealing image of Ottoman women, far away from the clichés widely spread in the contemporary literature.
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Book Review of The Dialogue of Civilizations in the Birth of Modern Science by Arun Bala |
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By: Ruveyda Ozturk, Fri 20 March, 2009 |
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The book "The Dialogue of Civilizations in the Birth of Modern Science" by Arun Bala introduces a dialogical perspective on the birth of modern science and lists a great number of contributions made to the development of intellectual thought during the European ‘Dark Ages' by great scientists from Arab, Egyptian, Indian and Chinese backgrounds in a range of fields from mathematics to astronomy. By challenging the Eurocentric view, the author provides a wider perception on the Copernican Revolution, highlighting that continuing dialogue can help the future of science and modern world
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Turkish Cuisine: A Book Review |
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By: FSTC Limited, Fri 13 February, 2009 |
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Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Turkish cuisine also influenced these cuisines and other neighbouring cuisines, as well as western European cuisines. The Ottomans fused various culinary traditions of their realm with influences from Middle Eastern cuisines, along with traditional Turkic elements from Central Asia such as yogurt. The following article reviews a book containing a collection of papers on the history of Turkish cuisine in the writings of some prominent historians of gastronomy, with a focus on the Ottoman palace and civil cuisine traditions and recipes.
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