THIS ISSUE IRAN - SOASManoto: the new face of Iranian television? Mohammad Mirbashiri 15 Tasting blood: ‘Caligula’ in Tehran Parastoo Dokouhaki 16 Will there be war on Iran? A

Volume 7 - Number 7February-March 2011

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THIS ISSUE » IRAN » WHITHER SANCTIONS? » FLOWERS OF PERSIAN SONG AND MUSIC » MAKING NOISE QUIETLY » IRANIAN ORGANISATIONS IN LONDON » TASTING BLOOD: CALIGULA IN TEHRAN » WILL THERE BE WAR ON IRAN? » PLUS » RESTAURANT, EXHIBITION & BOOK REVIEWS AND EVENTS IN LONDON

Editorial BoardNadje Al-Ali

SOAS

Narguess FarzadSOAS

Nevsal HughesAssociation of European Journalists

Najm Jarrah

George Joff éCambridge University

Hugh KennedySOAS

Max ScottStacey International

Sarah SearightSociety for Arabian Studies

Kathryn Spellman PootsAKU and LMEI

Sarah StewartLMEI

Ionis Th ompsonSociety for Arabian Studies,

Saudi-British Society

Shelagh WeirSOAS

Co-ordinating EditorAnabel Inge

Editorial AssistantRhiannon Edwards

ListingsVincenzo Paci-Delton

DesignerShahla Geramipour

Th e Middle East in London is published 6 times a year by the London Middle East Institute at SOAS.

Publisher andEditorial Offi ce

Th e London Middle East InstituteSchool of Oriental and African Studies

University of LondonTh ornaugh Street, Russell Square

London WC1H 0XGUnited Kingdom

T: 44 (0)20 7898 4490F: 44 (0)20 7898 4329

E: [email protected]

ISSN 1743-7598

Volume 7 - Number 7

February-March 2011

‘Angel’ (2010) by Hojat Amani, ‘Concerning Angels’ exhibition (see page 18)

Volume 7 - Number 7February-March 2011

£4 | €5 | US$6.5

THIS ISSUE » IRAN » WHITHER SANCTIONS? » FLOWERS OF PERSIAN SONG AND MUSIC » MAKING NOISE QUIETLY » IRANIAN ORGANISATIONS IN LONDON » TASTING BLOOD: CALIGULA IN TEHRAN » WILL THERE BE WAR ON IRAN? » PLUS » RESTAURANT, EXHIBITION & BOOK REVIEWS AND EVENTS IN LONDON

About the London Middle East Institute (LMEI)

Th e London Middle East Institute (LMEI) draws upon the resources of London and SOAS to provide teaching, training, research, publication, consultancy, outreach and other services related to the Middle East. It serves as a neutral forum for Middle East studies broadly defi ned and helps to create links between individuals and institutions with academic, commercial, diplomatic, media or other specialisations.

With its own professional staff of Middle East experts, the LMEI is further strengthened by its academic membership – the largest concentration of Middle East expertise in any institution in Europe. Th e LMEI also has access to the SOAS Library, which houses over 150,000 volumes dealing with all aspects of the Middle East. LMEI’s Advisory Council is the driving force behind the Institute’s fundraising programme, for which it takes primary responsibility. It seeks support for the LMEI generally and for specifi c components of its programme of activities.

Mission Statement:

Th e aim of the LMEI, through education and research, is to promote knowledge of all aspects of the Middle East including its complexities, problems, achievements and assets, both among the general public and with those who have a special interest in the region. In this task it builds on two essential assets. First, it is based in London, a city which has unrivalled contemporary and historical connections and communications with the Middle East including political, social, cultural, commercial and educational aspects. Secondly, the LMEI is closely linked to SOAS, the only tertiary educational institution in the world whose explicit purpose is to provide education and scholarship on the whole Middle East from prehistory until today.

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Please send your letters to the editor at the LMEI address provided (see left panel) or email [email protected]

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Opinions and views expressed in the Middle East in London are, unless otherwise stated, personal views of authors and do not refl ect the views of their organisations nor those of the LMEI or the Editorial Board. Although all advertising in the magazine is carefully vetted prior to publication, the LMEI does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of claims made by advertisers.

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February-March 2011 » The Middle East in London » 3

LMEI Board of TrusteesProfessor Paul Webley (Chairman)

Director, SOAS

H E Sir Vincent Fean KCVOConsul General to Jerusalem

Dr Ben Fortna, SOAS

Professor Graham Furniss, SOAS

Professor Robert HillenbrandEdinburgh University

Dr Karima Laachir, SOAS

Mr Charles Richards

Professor Annabelle Sreberny, SOAS

Professor Sami ZubaidaBirkbeck

LMEI Advisory CouncilLady Barbara Judge (Chair)

Professor Muhammad A. S. Abdel HaleemNear and Middle East Department, SOAS

H E Khalid Al-Duwaisan GVCOAmbassador, Embassy of the State of Kuwait

Mrs Haifa Al KaylaniArab International Women’s Forum

Dr Khalid Bin Mohammed Al KhalifaPresident, University College of Bahrain

Professor Tony AllanKing’s College and SOAS

Dr Alanoud AlsharekhLMEI and Fellow, St Antony’s College

Mr Farad AzimaIran Heritage Foundation

Professor Doris Behrens-AbouseifArt and Archaeology Department, SOAS

Dr Noel BrehonyMENAS Associates Ltd.

Mr Charles L. O. BuderiCurtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP

Dr Elham DanishRoyal Embassy of Saudi Arabia

Professor Nasser D. KhaliliNour Foundation

Mr Kasim KutayMoelis & Company

Ms Heidi MinshallMiddle East & North Africa Research

Group, Foreign & Commonwealth Offi ce

Mr Rod SampsonBarclays Wealth, Dubai

Dr Mai YamaniCarnegie Middle East Centre

Founding Sponsor and Member of the

Advisory CouncilSheikh Mohamed bin Issa al Jaber

MBI Al Jaber Foundation

4 FROM THE DIRECTOR

5 EDITORIAL

6INSIGHTWhither sanctions?Hassan Hakimian

8IRANFlowers of Persian song and music: digitising the Golha archiveJane Lewisohn

10 Making noise quietly: Iran’s contemporary music sceneBronwen Robertson

12Th irty years in Britain: Iranian organisations in LondonSahba Ladjevardi and Adom Saboonchian

14Manoto: the new face of Iranian television?Mohammad Mirbashiri

15 Tasting blood: ‘Caligula’ in TehranParastoo Dokouhaki

16 Will there be war on Iran? A fresh yet divergent look at an old questionAli Fathollah-Nejad

18London: A hub for contemporary Iranian artMohammad Mirbashiri

19Iran’s lost pixelsHaleh Anvari

20POETRYMohammad Reza Shafi ’i Kadkani and Farzaneh Khojandi

21REVIEWS: RESTAURANTKandooNadje Al-Ali and Mark Douglas

22REVIEWS: FILM FESTIVALBritain’s fi rst Iranian fi lm festivalFari Bradley

23REVIEWS: EXHIBITIONTh e Bridge of Knowledge, Brunei GalleryMadeleine Fry

24REVIEWS: BOOKSIran’s Infl uence: A Religious-Political State in the Region and the World by Elaheh Rostami-PoveyZiba Moshaver

25Istanbul: A Cultural and Literary History by Peter ClarkAndrew Mango

Contents:

26Lebanese Cuisine: Past and Present by Andrée Maalouf and Karim HaidarNadje Al Ali and Mark Douglas

27Th e Rise and Fall of a Palestinian Dynasty: Th e Husaynis 1700-1948 by Ilan PappéAtef Alshaer

28Books in Brief

29LISTINGS: FEBRUARY-MARCH EVENTS

4 » The Middle East in London » February-March 2011

for us to re-examine the content, style and appeal of the magazine. What you see is the result of much discussion, dialogue and refl ection within the Editorial Board over the past months.

While continuing with our commitment to exploring the richness and breadth of Middle East-related activities in our capital city, the magazine’s remit will be widened to manifest more clearly LMEI’s strategic intentions to connect better with the Middle East region. You will therefore notice a number of key changes:

From the From the DirectorDirector

FROM THE DIRECTORFROM THE DIRECTOR

Hassan Hakimian

Welcome to Th e Middle East in London’s new series! Th e magazine you have before you

has been re-designed to look, feel and read diff erently, to capture better the LMEI’s aspirations and also to refl ect our growth and evolution.

Th e Middle East in London has evolved over the years into a signature publication of the LMEI, assisting us in key ways with our mission of ‘promoting understanding of the Middle East’. Seven years – or 67 issues to be precise – aft er its launch, time was ripe

• a better balance between current aff airs and art and culture • replacing the ‘Letter from the LMEI’ with a lively opinion section entitled ‘Insight’ • turning the popular poetry page into a permanent fi xture• widening the ‘Profi le’ feature to embrace those outside the academic fi eld • adding a new section entitled ‘Books in Brief ’ to provide concise, to-the-point introductions to new titles on the region, and • a fresh, new design.

We have also decided to move the magazine to a new, bi-monthly format to enable us to focus on higher quality. Meanwhile, we are increasing the number of pages.

It remains for me to thank our loyal readers on whose support the magazine’s continuation depends;

our numerous contributors over the years on whose good will we have relied; the staff of LMEI and every member of the Editorial Board, including our able Co-ordinating Editor, whose commitment and competence is second to none.

I hope what is before you will refl ect our commitment to a new future for the magazine and one that you will continue to like and value.

It goes without saying that, as always, we look forward to receiving your thoughts and feedback and hope that the

new series will achieve this aim – with your help!

The Middle East

London in Volume 2 | N° 6, November 2005

UK£ 3 | € 5 | US$ 5

Amending Iraqi Constitution

Turkey and the EU

Interview with John Curtis

A Heckler as Terrorist?

Middle Eastern Films at LFF

Amen

of pages.

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I hoour commagazito like a

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new serieshelp!


Dear Reader

Annabelle Sreberny Chair, Centre for Iranian Studies, SOAS

It has been a pleasure to be the guest Editor for this fi rst issue of the revamped Middle East in London with its special

focus on Iran. It covers two strands of work on Iran. Th e fi rst is a focus on the most serious challenges currently facing Iran, including the tightening sanctions regime and the ever-present threat of military intervention. Th ese topics were vigorously engaged at the launch of the Centre for Iranian Studies at SOAS last year and are briefl y reprised here.

Th e second strand is on contemporary forms of expression within Iranian culture. It is a powerful irony that, under the surveillance of a repressive regime, we are witnessing a burgeoning of creativity inside Iran, using both old and new genres and forms. Th eatre, especially from a global repertoire, is attracting audiences and

EditorialEditorial

while a performance of Hedda Gabler was recently closed down, Parastoo Dokouhaki describes a highly experimental reading of Caligula that resonated with the Tehran audience. Musical performance has not had an easy time under the Islamic Republic and yet people devise new spaces and creative formats: Bronwen Robertson describes a performance of experimental sound and noise music in Tehran that would have challenged any Western audience. Th e digital arts have found many new practitioners with photography enjoying a boom time: Haleh Anvari describes her innovative way of allowing Iranians to represent themselves and share their images online.

London is now home to many diff erent communities of Iranians and becoming a major hub of Iranian creative arts. Sahba

Ladjevardi and Adom Saboonchian provide a neat history of the development of community organisations here. New gallery spaces for Middle Eastern art have opened and numerous recent art shows have focused on contemporary Iranian art. Th ere are poetry recitals, novels are being published, and interest in Iranian fi lm is high, even as the Islamic Republic imprisons its top directors, such as Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof. Even television has recently been developed here, beaming novel entertainment programmes to evidently eager audiences inside Iran.

Not only do these pieces refl ect a wide range of cultural themes, they are also written by a new generation of scholars of popular culture who come from a range of new disciplines that open up new academic and intellectual debates about Iran.

‘untitled’ by Foad Ashtari, AKSbazi.com (see page 19)


Whether as tragedy – or as farce – we know that history can repeat itself. What is perhaps less

common is that this should happen in the same region, aff ect more or less the same generation and be justifi ed for ostensibly the same reasons.

In the 1990s, Iraq was subjected to the most extensive array of trade and fi nancial restrictions since the Second World War. Th e consequences were dire by most accounts. According to the UN, child and infant mortality rates more than doubled between 1990 and 1998, leading to the unnecessary slaughter of an additional 228,000 children. ‘Lucky’ Iraqis – totalling some four million by 2002 – managed to escape their compatriot’s predicament by seeking refuge abroad. Since then, the Iraqi tragedy has unravelled before our eyes with a war that was justifi ed on the grounds of the Ba’athist regime’s alleged arsenal of

WMDs and its ‘existential threat’ to Western capital cities. Th e fact that these weapons were never found is now sadly fading away as a footnote in history. With similar suspicions being raised against Iran recently, we are led to ask whether a similar fate is staring Iraq’s largest neighbour in the eye?

Th e use of sanctions as a foreign policy tool goes back a long way but has been on the increase in the past few decades. Although sanctions are notorious for causing human distress, they are sometimes represented as a more ethical or humanitarian alternative to war. Most sanctions are imposed by large countries on smaller nations and oft en refl ect domestic considerations and agendas. Historically, only about one-third of all sanctions are believed to have succeeded in achieving their intended objectives. Undoubtedly, there have been some notable ‘success’ stories: in 1956, for instance, the USA

succeeded in pressing France and Britain to stop the Suez war, and in 1953 a total blockade of the Iranian oil industry brought down the country’s democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. Failed sanctions are, however, no less notable, especially in the context of nuclear non-proliferation: three of the four countries that have successfully developed nuclear weapons capability since the 1970s (India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel) did so under international sanctions (only Israel has escaped this fate).

Although Iran appears well inducted in dealing with Western sanctions since the early days of the 1979 revolution, the severity and scope of the recent sanctions leave little doubt as to the seriousness with which the 5+1 Group intends to keep the spotlight on Iran’s nuclear programme. Last June, the UN stepped up its actions to prohibit activities relating to Iran’s military capabilities (Security Council Resolution 1929). Th is was quickly followed by the US measures (‘Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act’), which introduced far-reaching restrictions on the import and export of goods, services and

Whither sanctions?Whither sanctions?

As economic sanctions against Iran begin to take eff ect, Hassan Hakimian asks whether the right lessons have been drawn from the rich experience of sanctions in the past

INSIGHTINSIGHT

Historically, only about one-third of all sanctions are believed to have succeeded in

achieving their intended objectives


(Opposite) President Obama swiftly signed sanctions on Iran into law

(Below) Last June, the UN stepped up its actions to prohibit activities relating to Iran’s military capabilities

technology between the USA and Iran. A rare sense of bipartisan camaraderie was demonstrated in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, which voted 99-0 and 408-8 in its favour, respectively. Since President Obama swift ly signed it into law on July 1, 2010, speculation has been rife as to whether these measures can lead to a change in Iran’s behaviour.

Whether sanctions will ‘work’ depends – inter alia – on their underlying objectives, and this is where the real issue lies. Ostensibly, sanctions aim to bring Iran back to the negotiating table and ultimately to persuade the regime to give up its nuclear ambitions – which Iran has always insisted are for civilian purposes. Disentangling fact from fi ction on both sides, however, continues to be a fraught task.

Among the rationales alluded to are ‘promoting democracy and improving human rights’, ‘curtailing Iran’s regional infl uence’ and even ‘regime change’. Th e Times newspaper was not atypical in its remarks recently (October 15, 2010) that sanctions have been set up ‘to prevent terror and promote Middle East peace’.

Whereas the 1990s’ US sanctions against Iran were mainly trade-related and confi ned to the energy sector, in the current round, Iran’s banking, shipping and international transactions in general are targeted with much greater eff ect. And whereas in the 1990s the EU governments and fi rms readily fl outed the US sanctions, pursuing and promoting their own interests in Iran, this time around the EU has also adopted a set of tough, unilateral measures. Such measures have also been emulated by other countries, such as Canada, Australia, Norway (and to a more limited extent Japan), which have introduced their own restrictions against Iran. Private sector compliance, too, has been on the increase, with some international giants (Toyota, Kia, Lukoil, Allianz, Lloyds and Royal Dutch Shell – to name a few) pulling out of business with Iran.

No surprise that such developments have been cheered by US offi cials as evidence that sanctions are already making a diff erence to the point of ‘hindering’ Iran’s nuclear programme. However, Iran’s position has been characteristically defi ant: whether in denial or going as far as to welcome sanctions as a ‘blessing in disguise’ and ‘assisting Iran’s long-term economic development’.

As in Iraq, the impact on the population and civil society at large is ultimately what will leave the real mark and is, sadly, more likely to go unnoticed. Despite the

rhetoric of ‘smart’ sanctions, such measures amount to ‘collective punishment’ and their principal victims tend to be the very victims of the regimes they intend to infl uence. As an example, it is hard to see how refusing to sell to Iran parts for its passenger planes or declining to refuel its commercial fl eet in some airports (including Heathrow) is likely to promote peace in the Middle East.

Sanctions can presumably lead to ‘change’ in two ways: from above when the ruling elite decide to cave in or soft en up, or from below when masses revolt, deciding they have had enough. As for the former, as the experience of Iraq showed, the elite quickly become adept at defl ecting the worst impact of sanctions on themselves. As for the latter, it is doubtful whether the economic and political cycles ever go hand in hand in such a simplistic manner. Evidence from Iran’s recent economic history in fact points in the opposite direction: the revolution in 1979 followed a period of unprecedented oil boom (not bust), and the harsh economic climate of the 1980s saw the consolidation – not weakening – of the new state apparatus in Iran. No wonder that in the current politically charged climate inside Iran, sanctions are considered unwelcome and ill-timed for Iran’s civil and human rights movements, which view growing external pressures as a distraction from the real quest for democratic reform and change in the country.

Short of war, sanctions appear as a last throw of the dice: a short-term palliative generating consensus against the target country but with little thought given to what may follow aft erwards. Yet, as Gary Sick, the veteran Iran observer and analyst, has rightly pointed out, ‘sanctions do not persuade dictatorial regimes to abandon projects that they think are central to their security and survival or even their self-image’. Th is lesson was learned the hard way in Iraq. Is there evidence to suggest that the ‘international community’ has drawn the right lessons from recent experiences of sanctions and wars? Th e answer does not seem very encouraging.

Dr Hassan Hakimian is the Director of the LMEI and Reader in the Economics Department, SOAS ([email protected])

It is hard to see how declining to refuel Iran’s passenger planes in some airports (including Heathrow) is likely

to promote peace in the Middle East


The Golha (‘fl owers of Persian song and music’) radio programmes were broadcast on Iranian National

Radio for 23 years from 1956 to 1979. Th ey comprised approximately 850 hours of programmes made up of literary commentary with the declamation of poetry, which was sung with musical accompaniment interspersed with solo musical pieces. Th e Golha were the brainchild of Davoud Pirnia, a one-time assistant prime minister, enthusiastic patriot and scholar who harboured a deep love for Persian culture and its rich literary and musical traditions. He retired from political life in 1956 and for the next 11 years he devoted himself tirelessly to producing the

Golha programmes. Th e foremost literary, academic and

musical talents of his day off ered Mr Pirnia their collaboration and support. Th e greatest Iranian vocalists of the 20th century saw their careers launched on these radio programmes. Besides having such a rich pool of talent at his fi ngertips, Mr Pirnia had the support of the director of the Iranian National Radio (1950-1960s), Nusrato’llah Mu‘niyan, who transformed the radio from a commercial advertising platform for entertainers and a parking place for relatives of political elites into a respected and infl uential vehicle for the preservation and promotion of Persian culture. Th e Golha programmes became exemplars of

excellence in the sphere of music literature, setting standards that are still looked up to in Iran today, referred to by scholars and musicians as an encyclopaedia of Persian music and poetry. Most of the great ballads and songs in modern Persian literature were commissioned specifi cally for these programmes.

Mr Pirnia produced fi ve diff erent categories of programme: ‘Eternal Flowers’ (Golha-ye javidan), ‘Multicoloured Flowers’ (Golha -ye rangarang), ‘A Green leaf ’ (Barg-e sabz), ‘A Single Flower’ (Yek shakh-e gol) and ‘Desert Flowers’ (Golha-ye sahra’i), each featuring choice selections from the lyrics of the great classical and contemporary Persian poets, combining song, declamation with musical accompaniment, learned commentary and Persian folk music.

Th e Golha marked a watershed in Persian culture. Before this, due to the conservative socio-religious bias, music had been practised behind closed doors. Where they performed in public spaces, performers

Flowers Flowers of Persian of Persian song and song and music:music:

Jane Lewisohn explains the cultural impact of the Golha radio programmes on Iranian life and why digitising the archive is crucial for lovers of Persian culture

IRAN IRAN

digitising the Golha archive

Th e greatest Iranian vocalists of the 20th century saw their careers launched on

these radio programmes


(Opp0site) Puran

(Left) Left to right: Abu’l-Hasan Saba, ‘Ali Tajvidi and Murtaza Mahjubi of the Golha radio programmes

were branded as street minstrels. Due to the high literary and musical quality of these programmes, the public perception of music and musicians in Iran shift ed and its participants became referred to – for the fi rst time – as maestros, virtuosos, divas and adepts of a fi ne art, no longer inhabiting the lowest rung of the social ladder.

Th e Golha programmes were so popular that people organised their schedules around listening to the broadcasts. Th ey also evoked a neo-classical revival in Persian song and verse of the late Qajar period, which were re-interpreted and performed by modern musicians and vocalists, and likewise promoted Persian vernacular music that was carefully researched, recorded and broadcast. Th is helped to preserve both the vernacular and classical traditions of Persian music and poetry, which were under threat from infl uences both outside and within Iran that wished to modernise the society.

Th e most important eff ect of the Golha programmes on Iranian society was that they encouraged people to listen to good poetry and music on the radio, re-introducing over 560 Persian poets from the ancients to the moderns, thus re-invigorating interest in classical Persian literature. Divans of poets never properly

edited or published before were suddenly in high demand. Th is was crucial as the illiteracy rate was 85 per cent in some places in the period 1950-60.

When Pirnia retired in 1967, several other musicians, scholars and poets succeeded him. In 1972 Hushang Ibtihaj, a well-known modern Persian poet, took responsibility for the programmes, changing their name, consolidating all the various types of ‘fl owers’ into one programme called ‘Fresh Flowers’ (Golha-yi tazeh). Ebtehaj patronised the revival of interest in Persian music of the Qajar period (1794-1925). As a partial result of Ebtehaj’s vision, despite the general ban on music in Iran aft er the 1979 Islamic revolution, a movement to preserve and cultivate the traditions of Persian urban art music is still alive and fl ourishing in present-day Iran.

Th e Golha Project began in early 2005 with a pilot project supported by the Iran Heritage Foundation, the British Institute of Persian Studies and the Department of Music at SOAS to see if was possible to collect, archive and digitise the programmes. Following the success of the pilot project, over the next two years, with the support of the Department of Music at SOAS and British Library Endangered

Archives Programme, assisted by many generous private and institutional collectors in Iran, France, Germany, Canada and the United States, the Golha programmes were collected. In July 2007 a digital copy of the complete Golha archive was deposited in the British Library’s World Sound Archive.

In 2008 the second phase of the Golha project was launched, supported by the Iran Heritage Foundation, the British Academy, the Parsa Foundation and the Department of Music at SOAS. Th is aims to construct a searchable, relational database for the Golha programmes, which will include bio-bibliographical data on the performers and authors, photographs, musical notation of the songs and transcriptions of the poetry. Th e database will be searchable through a purpose-built website allowing one to search it by programme name, number, singer of the avaz and tarana, song-writer, poet of the avaz, fi rst line of the song or poem sung, name of the song, instrument, musician, composer, name of poet whose poetry is sung or declaimed, poetic genre, dastgah or avaz and gusha of the music performed and so on.

Th e searchable relational database for this important archive, which will be a unique cultural resource for students and lovers of Persian culture and a teaching tool for Persian music and literature, will be accessible at www.golha.co.uk in late 2011.

Since 2005 many other archives have been collected by or donated to the Golha project, including folk recordings, private recordings and additional archives of radio programmes, comprising thousands of hours of 20th-century Persian music. Some of these resources have already been digitised, but over 1,000 reel and cassette recordings still need to be digitised, archived, indexed and included in the Golha database. We hope that in its future phases, the Golha Project will fi nd the support it needs to make this intangible heritage of Iran available to all.

Jane Lewisohn is a Research Associate for the Department of Music and an Associate Member for the Centre for Iranian Studies, SOAS

Th e most important eff ect of the Golha programmes on Iranian society was that they encouraged people to

listen to good poetry and music on the radio


It is November 1, 2010 and 30 people are huddled along the edges of a small, independent art space called ‘Sazmanab

Project’. An inconspicuous apartment unit near Tehran’s Mehrabad airport camoufl ages the gathering space and an oscillating fan separates the audience from the performers, recycling the stagnant air and providing a sympathetic hum. For most of the audience, this is their fi rst concert of experimental sound and noise music and their expressions fl uctuate between attentive and perplexed as they listen as Bijan Moosavi introduces Francisco, his Argentinian ally for the evening’s brief proceedings.

Bijan explains the genre and what the improvised performance will entail to make his audience feel more comfortable with the new sounds. ‘Experimental music aims to break the established rules of music, and its result is unforeseen,’ he says. In addition to the musical content, the concert is signifi cant in that it crosses geographical boundaries: collaborations between non-Iranian and Iranian musicians

are rare occurrences due to visa restrictions. Th e performance also demonstrates the ingenuity of dedicated performers with regard to circumventing state restrictions – music was banned following Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979. Classical and folk music were re-approved shortly aft er the revolution and subsequently enjoyed a palpable renaissance. Th is is partly because these were the only sounds publicly available, even though female voices were conspicuous by their absence, and partly because many Iranians were desperate to reconnect with pre-revolutionary life. But other forms of music remained hidden until 1999, when the internet’s infi ltration into the lives of young Iranians fi nally provided a platform for its production and distribution. Yet Bijan is one of the few unoffi cial musicians in Iran who performs concerts publicly.

Venues for independent music performances are limited and punishments for evading the rules (including fl ogging, fi nes, imprisonment and confi scation of musical instruments) are harsh but very

infrequently enforced due to the secrecy of performers. Art galleries can host audio-visual performances and some coff ee shops have licences to host small, ‘unplugged’-style music performances. Concerts also take place in converted underground car parks, soundproofed sheds and living rooms, but demand far outweighs supply.

During the year I lived in Tehran from 2007-08, I was invited to four unoffi cial concerts through the rock musicians I was working with for my PhD. One concert, which I thankfully did not attend, took place in a garden between Tehran and its neighbouring city Karaj. Police raided the mini-festival, arresting and imprisoning 200 audience members, as well as the headlining act and key organisers, who ended up serving 21 days in the notorious Rajai Shahr prison. Two concerts were held in the car park of an apartment building that had been converted into a unoffi cial nightclub, rivalling even the trendiest dank venue on New York’s lower east side with its graffi ti-bombed walls and laser lights, and one was held in the Brazilian Embassy, which like other embassies is exempt from the rules of the Islamic Republic. However, the biggest ‘stage’ these musicians have is the internet. Sohrab Mohebbi of the band 127 once exclaimed: ‘Th e only nightclub we have to perform in is our website.’

Making Making noise noise quietlyquietly

From rap and rock to experimental sound and noise music, Iran’s music scene is rapidly evolving despite ongoing state restrictions, says Bronwen Robertson

IRAN IRAN

Concerts take place in converted underground car parks, soundproofed sheds and living rooms, but demand far outweighs supply

© B

Rob

erts

on


(Opposite) Due to restrictions, bands like Audiofl ows are accustomed to recognising the potential of any hidden place – such as this sauna – as a practice room

(Right) Bijan delivers his lecture on experimental sound and noise music before the performance with Francisco

Bijan and I fi rst met in 2007, having become acquainted with each other’s work through a biennial online music festival run by TehranAvenue.com. His submission to the festival, a song called ‘Th e Dark City’, was an autobiographical ode to Tehran sung in Persian, its musical borrowings hinting at Radiohead and Massive Attack. Bijan sang: ‘Th e city remains outside, beyond my window; this small room is my new city.’ Th e song resonated with a small yet thriving community of unoffi cial musicians in Tehran who do spend most of their time behind closed doors, creating temporary ‘cities’ of respite, away from the gaze of the omnipresent Islamic state. Despite the audience’s positive reaction to his debut, Bijan, a graphic designer by trade, told me at our fi rst meeting that he was ready to quit music, asking himself: ‘Am I wasting my life living in this fantasy world?’

Since writing ‘Th e Dark City’ and releasing it on a self-produced album called ‘In My Headphones’ (2008), Bijan’s enthusiasm for music has been renewed through his encounter with experimental sound and noise music in Berlin. ‘Despite the music lacking many of the vital elements for one’s perception of music, like rhythm and melody, I discovered that the concept plays a very important role and that these musicians were using symbols to make a narrative storyline for the audience.’ Bijan’s new sound, improvised and unfamiliar to its listeners, is far from abrasive, especially considering the sonic environment that they are used to living in. With its 14 million permanent residents and an ever-increasing population, Tehran struggles to keep up with the demands of its inhabitants. Street sellers, taxi drivers, construction sites, sirens and water charging down from the Alborz mountains through a system of large gutters and street-side canals contribute to a soundscape that is but a small step away from noise music itself.

Th e problems that Bijan faces as a young musician are multifarious. Musicians face socioeconomic strife as unemployment and infl ation continue to soar. Th e government’s strict control over all aspects of public life and entertainment means that if he wants to distribute, promote or perform his music in public he must apply to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for their

approval. Th is is a lengthy process with very little chance of success. Th e application process is mitigated by reams of forms including the ‘Form for the Information Bank of the Country’s Musicians’, which contributes the data it generates to an index of extremely sensitive information on all those who do choose to apply. Many of Iran’s musicians have elected to bypass this process, favouring their own websites, social networking sites, home studios and private concerts as methods of distribution in lieu of a supportive and open music industry.

At a seminar for London’s Institute of Musical Research on November 24, 2010, Kaveh, the bassist from Font, boldly proclaimed that there is no music in Iran. He was playing the devil’s advocate, of course, as there most certainly is ‘music’ in Iran, but what he meant was that the public availability of musical performances is limited to a few styles and government-accepted artists, and that following the strict censorship of music following the Iranian Revolution, the music scene was not allowed to evolve naturally. However, musicians in Iran are beginning to experiment with new styles; indeed, discussions of content and quality aside, Bijan’s concert represents a small step towards the expansion of the unoffi cial music scene. Th ere is rap, heavy metal, pop, rock and roll, classical, folk and now experimental sound and noise music in Iran, but censorship of the internet and

of public life means that it is oft en more diffi cult for those inside Iran to access the music that those enjoying faster internet speeds and an absence of fi ltering outside do. Facebook and Myspace, two vital tools for music distribution, are both fi ltered in Iran and access can only be gained with technological knowhow and patience.

Iran’s independent and illegal musicians will continue to struggle against adversity, however, and although for every two steps forward the government presses backwards, the music scene is constantly evolving. When I asked Bijan ‘what next?’, he replied: ‘Now I’m trying to combine the experiments I have done so far with multimedia and by inviting others to collaborate with me... and I guess I should also think of more ways to make money to be able to survive.’

www.bijanmoosavi.com www.tehranavenue.com www.sazmanab.com

Bronwen Robertson is a University of Melbourne PhD graduate. She is currently rewriting her thesis, ‘Subterranean Sounds and Reverberations and Dissent’, in book form for publishing by Continuum

‘Th e only nightclub we have to perform in is our website’

© Sazm

anab Project/Mehdi A

lizadeh


The history of the British-Iranian community in Britain goes back to the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

Before then, Iranians travelled abroad, mainly to the West, to study and gain valuable qualifi cations but returned to Iran to occupy prestigious and well-paid jobs in government or the private sector. Th e few who settled in Britain and other Western countries were mainly anti-Shah activists gathered around the so-called Confederation of Iranian Students, which was active in many European cities.

In the 1970s, aft er the oil boom, a limited number of affl uent Iranians travelled regularly to Britain and spent part of the year in this country. But this temporary residence cannot be categorised as immigration per se. Th e establishment of the Islamic regime in 1979 and persecution of those among the upper classes who were affi liated to the Shah’s regime and confi scation of their properties led to the fi rst wave of migration – of mainly wealthy Iranians – to Britain.

One of the main and early concerns of these Iranian migrants was to keep the

language, culture and heritage of Iran alive in exile. It was with this aim that Rustam, the fi rst Iranian school, was established in Barnet in 1981 under the initiative of Shahla and David White. Today, it teaches around 400 pupils per year and acts as an examination centre for AS and A Levels in Persian.

A year later, another group with similar objectives, the Iranian Culture Centre (Kanoon Iran), started a Persian school in Hammersmith and embarked on a programme of regular monthly cultural talks on Iranian subjects by Iranian artists, writers, poets, musicians and scholars. Since 1935, the Iran Society had been a gathering point for those interested in Iran’s culture and history through their regular talks in Belgrave Square, but from the outset it ran its activities in English. Th e establishment of Kanoon Iran provided migrants with a welcome opportunity to attend a range of talks in Persian. Kanoon Iran has been directed by the ex-diplomat Dr Reza Ghasemi for more than two decades.

Kanoon Iran was followed by other cultural organisations and groups, such as

Ferdowsi Trust Fund, established in 1996, which has become more active in Ealing since 2009 under the name ‘Ferdowsi Forum’; Forum Iran (Anjoman Sokhan), established in 1998; and Omid Cultural Society, established in 2010 in Ealing.

In the early 1980s, in the wake of attacks on anti-regime political parties and groups in Iran, the second wave of immigrants – middle-class political activists – fl ed to Britain in search of a safe haven. If the more affl uent Iranians were mainly concerned with the preservation of Iranian language and culture, those with progressive political backgrounds were more concerned with the welfare of new arrivals that lacked knowledge of the system and the language of their adoptive land. It was with such aims that the Iranian Community Centre (Kanoon Iranian) was established in 1984 in Green Lanes in North London, forming the fi rst Iranian registered charity in Britain. A year later, in 1985, the Iranian Association (Jame’eye Iranian) was founded in Hammersmith. Since then, these organisations have provided advice, information and practical help to thousands

Thirty Thirty years years and still counting and still counting

Sahba Ladjevardi and Adom Saboonchian provide an overview of the formation and evolution of some Iranian organisations in London

IRAN IRAN


(Opposite) ‘SOAS’ Centre for Iranian Studies launch included a panel discussion with several Iranian community groups attending

(Below) A 2009 TOOS Foundation show in Bloomsbury, showcasing Iranian folk music and dance

of Iranian refugees and immigrants in accessing the health, education, housing and welfare services.

Access to Iranian art and culture would not be possible without an Iranian library. Th e Library for Iranian Studies was established in Acton in 1991 through the eff orts of Dr Mashallah Ajoudani and a number of other Iranian scholars.

Th e post Iran-Iraq war situation in the late 1980s drove many Iranians in search of better life prospects out of the country, creating the ‘third wave’ of Iranian immigrants to Britain. At this point, the main route of settlement in Britain was to seek political asylum, although many of these new arrivals were in fact economic refugees. While the ‘second wave’ of refugees – having been educated political activists – adapted quickly, entered the education system and integrated, the ‘third wave’, which generally consisted of less educated Iranians, remained more dependent on the welfare system. An increase in the number of such immigrants led to the establishment of yet more organisations: the Farsophone Association was formed in Barnet in 1998; the Iranian Youth Development Association (IYDA) was established in 1989 in Woolwich; and the Harrow Iranian Community Association (HICA) was established in 2001. All these organisations provide advisory and support services and celebrate Iranian festivities. IYDA and HICA also run Persian language schools, and the Farsophone Association has a library of Iranian books.

While these organisations were concerned about supporting the ‘third wave’

of refugees and their welfare, members of the ‘fi rst wave’ entered a new phase of activities. As their children grew, so did the need to attract them to cultural events and to induce in the young a sense of pride in their Iranian heritage and culture. As an established community, they also felt the need to extend their boundaries and to promote their culture among members of the host society. It was with this in mind that a new generation of cultural organisations were formed, including the Iran Heritage Foundation, established in 1991, and the Magic of Persia, established in 2004. Both provide some fi nancial support to other cultural projects. Toos Foundation was established in 2005 and took the innovative approach of providing educational information on the history and culture of Iran in entertaining forms. Today, the cultural events off ered by these organisations attract large numbers of Iranians and non-Iranians alike.

At the same time, Iranian professionals created their own networks: the British-Iranian Business Association, established in 1994 by Babak Emamian; the British-Iranian Business and Professional Society (Anjoman), founded in 1996; and, later, the Iranian Medical Society.

Th e comparative affl uence of the integrated British-Iranian community gave them the opportunity to ‘give back’ targeted support to needy groups inside the country. A number of charitable organisations were established to help Iranians inside Iran or those travelling to Britain with medical needs, among which are the Mohammad Salehi Medical Foundation, established

in 1988; the Popli Khalatbari Foundation, founded in 1991; the Science and Arts Foundation, established in 2000; Action for Orphans, established in 2003; the Omid Foundation, established in 2006; and the Iran’s Children Charity, founded in 2009.

Over the 30 years since the arrival of the ‘fi rst wave’ of Iranian immigrants, many charitable, cultural and artistic organisations, circles and groups have come into being. In 2004 the authors of this article tried to bring many of them together in a network in order to mobilise resources for the establishment of an Iran Centre to house Iranian events and act as a focal point for Iranian cultural activities. However, this eff ort was not successful for a number of reasons, including the residue of political mistrust among Iranians. Now, at the dawn of 2011, there is new hope that British-Iranians have developed the potential to be more tolerant of each other and to embark on joint projects and form partnerships.

Sahba Ladjevardi is a fundraising consultant and manages cultural and artistic projects in London

Adom Saboonchian is a freelance video / media producer mainly active in cultural and community projects within Iranian and Armenian communities in Britain


The new face of The new face of Iranian television?Iranian television?

The immigrant Iranian communities in the West have been growing since the revolution of 1979 and media

outlets that serve them have grown in tandem.

Jaam-e-Jam, the fi rst Iranian exile television channel, was launched in Los Angeles in 1981, and in the following years well over 30 similar networks have been established worldwide, beaming into Iran and the rest of the Persian-speaking world via satellite.

Recently, Dubai has also emerged as a popular choice for diaspora media satellite channels, with the arrival in 2003 of channels such as PMC, MiTV and IranMusic. Now London is emerging as a new broadcasting hub. Aft er the success of the Persian radio programme of the BBC World Service, which last month celebrated its 70th anniversary, the corporation launched the BBC Persian TV in January 2009 with headquarters in Central London.

Recently, a new name has been added to the London networks with the arrival of Manoto TV. Th e network began broadcasting from the newly refurbished Capital Studios in Wandsworth in late October 2010 and has so far off ered a refreshing mix of light entertainment programmes to the Iranian diaspora and to Iranians in Iran. Th e channel is owned by Kayvan Abbassi, the man behind two LA-based channels, as well as the extremely successful fi rst Iranian internet portal television, Bebin.

Following the success of Bebin in avoiding political and religious programmes, Manoto TV is focused on providing trendy entertainment programmes to young Iranians. It includes shows such as Befarmayeed Sham, a dining competition with four contestants who compete for a cash prize, produced by ITV who also produce Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me.

Th e channel’s fl agship programme, The Googoosh Music Academy, caused quite a stir among Persian-speaking audiences inside and outside Iran. Styled along the lines of Th e X-factor and the BBC’s Fame Academy, the show’s fi rst series followed eight hopefuls as they trained under world-class coaches – Googoosh, a pop singer famous not only in Iran, but also the rest of central Asia and coaches Hooman Khalatbari and Babak Saeidi. Th e hopefuls tried out to become world-class stars, with the audience voting for their favourite singers each week aft er a live-studio performance in South London. Th e contestants with the lowest votes were eliminated from the show each week until the winner was awarded a prize of $10,000.

Soroush Tehrani, 28, recently became the winner of the gripping competition. Th e Googoosh Music Academy was fi lled with excitement and suspense and viewers avidly watched via satellite and online to follow their favourite contestants. Judging from the show’s blog and Facebook fan page, audiences in Iran have thoroughly applauded the talent show contest, sending messages of gratitude and appreciation.

It seems that Manoto TV has identifi ed a gap in the entertainment market for Iranians, but whether it can continue to produce immensely successful shows like Googoosh Music Academy remains to be seen. However, as one avid viewer told me in a slightly obsessed tone: ‘Manoto TV’s programmes are so diff erent to the other Persian channels, their shows are trendy and fresh. I started watching Googoosh Music Academy and now I tune into Manoto every day without fail.’

Mohammad Mirbashiri is a recent MA graduate of Near and Middle Eastern Studies at SOAS

IRAN IRAN

Mohammad Mirbashiri on a London-based channel focused on providing trendy entertainment programmes to young Iranians

Manoto TV is serving an audience with entertainment television, rather than focusing on news and politics. Credit inju


Permission to stage a show is required from the Ministry of Islamic Culture and performances usually run for just one month, stretching to two if successful. Sometimes the state closes a performance aft er a few nights or asks for scenes to be removed. Th e performers are under close observation: are they supporting the state or on our side? Iran’s best playwrights were the fi rst group of artists to condemn the state’s conduct towards protesters last year, vowing not to participate in any state-run festivals if they could not write freely about social concerns.

Yet despite the diffi culties, last year’s theatrical successes included Where were you on 17th of Dey? by Amirreza Kouhestani; Writing in Darkness by Mohammad Ya’ghoubi; Just for a bunch of Roubles by Hassan Ma’jooni; Jen-gir (Th e Exorcist) by Kourosh Narimani; and Ghanizadeh’s Caligula.

Under the state’s bowdlerisation one relies on small and unimportant indications, a sentence here and a reference there, to become convinced that the director and the cast are sympathetic to the Green Movement; a single word could result in the opposite conclusion. Sometimes the audience cannot decide what the orientation of the performance is and futile, heated arguments start. I don’t think such dualism does anything good for the development of our growing modern arts.

But most reviews of Caligula echoed my feelings. Being an artist, passionate for society, is as hard as being a soldier in Tehran.

Parastoo Dokouhaki is an Iran-based journalist and blogger. She has studied her MA in Global Media and Postnational Communications at SOAS (www.parastood.ir)

IRANIRAN

Parastoo Dokouhaki argues that the recent performance of Camus’ Caligula in Tehran impacts upon more than just the theatrical world

Albert Camus’ Caligula, performed at Iranshahr Hall, Tehran

CALIGULA (...passionate voice) Just a minute. Th is letter is the only evidence. Right?CHEREA Evidence? When have you needed evidence to send a man to his death?CALIGULA Th at’s true. But for once I want to contradict myself. It will harm no one, and it’s good to contradict oneself occasionally. It relaxes a person. And I need relaxation, Cherea.i

A thirst for destruction and brutality; dictatorship as interrogator, prosecutor, judge and executioner;

a strong desire for the impossible - all performed on the stage. And the desperate people engaged with such action were the audience in Iranshahr Hall, Tehran, with melancholic western rock music playing:

I get a taste of blood in my mouth when you’re nearA feeling that’s too painful to bearStraight to my headI get a look of fear on my face with you hereA feeling that shivers down my skin

Try to resist, but it’s just not fi nished with you yetA hold too intense to forgetCamus’s Caligula was performed on the

Tehran stage recently, in an avant-garde production directed and designed by Homayoun Ghanizadeh. He juxtaposed Roman senators with cowardly chefs baking for their survival in Caligula’s kitchen.

Caligula lost his sister whom he loved and slept with. Aft er her death he is faced with the absurdity of life when happiness is unattainable, loses his idealism and moves to torture his own people, becoming a mad murderer.

Th e violent scenes in Ghanizadeh’s production were without dialogue, beautifully performed through body language. Th ey triggered fl ashbacks of violent street scenes in last year’s Iran political turmoil. Yes, politics is in the eye of the beholder.

Tehran has about 20 theatres, most of them in downtown and all are busy, even though ticket prices are expensive compared to cinema, so typically theatregoers are students and middle-class couples.

Tasting blood: Tasting blood: Caligula in Tehran


In 2002 Iran was added to the neoconservative-designated ‘Axis of Evil’ and thus declared ripe for US military

and political intervention. Th e threat of war in the ‘greatest crisis of modern times’ (John Pilger in the New Statesman, July 12, 2007) was at its height in 2006-2007. With President Obama assuming offi ce in 2009, a great hope for peaceful change emerged. But still, Washington’s mantra of ‘all options are on the table’ looms over the ongoing US-Iran confl ict.

Th e SOAS Centre for Iranian Studies launch last October featured a debate between two in-house experts – Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, who lectures on the politics of West Asia, and Dan Plesch, who directs the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD) – on the literally explosive theme of ‘Is war with Iran inevitable?’ Th eir answers could not have been more diff erent as they discussed the military, political and economic dimensions of a possible war.

Militarily, both agreed, the US could easily destroy Iran. Plesch stressed that there

is a huge gulf that separates the US from Iran in terms of military capabilities. While Israel would be able seriously to damage Iranian facilities, it could not fi nalise a military campaign. Also, the US military is hardly overstretched in the Iraqi and Afghan war theatres, since the Air Force and Navy are ‘almost unused’, said Plesch. Key bones of contention emerged around ‘the politics preceding the war cycle’, as Adib-Moghaddam put it: the economic dimensions of war and the multilayered fallout from an attack.

Adib-Moghaddam agreed that in the US, ‘there is an organised, systematic movement for war on Iran, which should not be underestimated’. But the Obama administration is realistic enough to fear the fallout of an attack since Iran has emerged as the most powerful regional player aft er the neoconservative wars on Afghanistan and Iraq. Th ere is now an understanding in Washington that military success does not necessarily translate into strategic gain. Today’s ‘buzzword’ is ‘smart power’, instead of the ‘war on terror’, mandating aggressive

diplomacy but not military action. Today, explained Adib-Moghaddam, the

US is aware that a war would unleash at the very least a protracted, asymmetrical regional war. Iran’s retaliatory capabilities would span from Hezbollah’s fi ring of Scud missiles on Tel Aviv, the targeting of US interests in Iraq and Afghanistan and the destabilisation of Shia areas in US-allied Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. However, Plesch responded, all these retaliatory measures are already factored into Washington’s military planning. He added that the Persian Gulf Arab rulers would feel quite confi dent in containing any domestic turmoil. Also, in the wake of a vast bombing campaign against Iran, out of self-interest, neither Hezbollah nor Hamas would be willing to stand with an ‘imploded’ regional power, he claimed.

One might add that a future major Israeli war on Lebanon or Gaza, which many experts at the turn of 2010-2011 saw to be in the offi ng, could be part of a strategy to weaken Iranian allies there so paving the way for a future war on Iran. But what if

Will there Will there be war on Iran? be war on Iran?

Ali Fathollah-Nejad on an explosive panel debate between two SOAS experts that contributed to a richer understanding of the ongoing crisis

IRAN IRAN

A fresh yet divergent look at an old question


In 2002 Iran was earmarked for potential US military intervention

Iran, as another retaliation to an attack, blocked the Straits of Hormuz through which the bulk of the world’s oil supplies is shipped? Based on 25 years of scenario exercises, the US would be able to destroy and take over that sea lane, said Plesch, who has an extensive background in researching the US military.

While Plesch assessed that the forces for a peaceful resolution are too weak as the lack of diplomatic success illustrates, Adib-Moghaddam emphasised that the power of civil society to organise anti-war movements should not be underestimated. While the former favoured the notion of ‘military Keynesianism’ to argue that waging war could serve as means to save the US economy, the latter held that aft er the $1 trillion Iraq War, ‘another protracted war is simply not fi nanceable’ and would plunge the world into deeper recession.

On the political front, opinions also diverged. Adib-Moghaddam stressed that an Iran war would be a unilateral one without international support, further exacerbating the US’ reputation. But for Plesch, such calculations would not matter that much as ‘the Iraq experience can only encourage those intent, such as Tony Blair, on a military confrontation with Iran to think that they can get away with it because they did so already once’.

Due to time pressures, other issues could not be suffi ciently explored. What about Israel? Can it tolerate Iran attaining a ‘nuclear weapons capability’ that would deprive it of its nuclear monopoly and hence potentially from its ‘special relationship’ with Washington in the context of a strategic re-alignment of US policy in the region? Would the power of the so-called ‘Israel Lobby’ and the military-industrial complex in the US be strong enough to lure Washington into a war on Iran if Israel struck fi rst?

Moreover, is the comprehensive sanctions regime on Iran that very much weakens its economy not a satisfying replacement for military action? And as we know from the press, there is already an ongoing small-scale war, which has been waged for many years, which includes (1) the sabotage of Iran’s nuclear programme through the assassination of leading Iranian scientists and cyber-warfare and (2) US and Israeli support for terrorist separatist groups in Iran’s strategically important border regions. In other words, can crippling sanctions coupled with small-scale warfare not do the job of weakening and containing Iran without risking the unpredictable

consequences of a war, while the alleged threat posed by Iran provides the basis of massive US weapons sales to Iran’s wealthy southern neighbours?

Th e controversy proved to be refreshingly stimulating and contributed to a richer understanding of the ongoing crisis, helping us in the eff ort – shared by both panellists – to avoid another cataclysmic war in the region. In that vein, Adib-Moghaddam fi nally called on everyone to work towards dialogue and reconciliation, as ‘no war is inevitable’, thus making ‘a “cold peace” between the United States and Iran viable’. Plesch’s focus on the military prowess of the US as well as the Machiavellian sphere of politics is a valuable reminder of the utterly destructive potential of a war that would not limit itself to the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities but would extend to a whole range of military and civilian infrastructures. Th e annual CISD conference on a WMD-free zone in the Middle East is an indispensable element for a way towards regional peace and security. However, as was pointed out in a lively discussion that followed, wars are oft en kicked off accidentally. Indeed, that an incident in the heavily militarised Persian Gulf could be utilised as a casus belli by war profi teers who have overcome obstacles on the political scene is certainly not a matter

of sheer fantasy. Urgent action is therefore required to lower the temperatures

Ali Fathollah-Nejad, author of Th e Iran Confl ict and the Obama Administration: Old Wine in New Skins? (2010), is a PhD candidate in International Relations and Graduate Teaching Assistant at SOAS

Today’s ‘buzzword’ is ‘smart power’, instead of the ‘war on terror’, mandating aggressive diplomacy but not military action


The contemporary The contemporary Iranian art scene Iranian art scene

in Londonin London

‘Blows of Memories’ (2008) by Mohammad Hassan Morshedzadeh, ‘New Faces / Iran’ exhibition


In recent years, Iranian art has become more prominent on the Middle East art scene, and cities such as Dubai, New

York and Paris have become exciting venues to see and buy the latest from Iranian artists.

Th e winter of 2010-11 proved that London, in particular, is central to Iranian art exposition. 2010 saw the Britain at the centre of the millennium celebration of the Shahnameh, the epic of kings by Ferdowsi, which Professor Dick David has deemed to be as the most signifi cant literary work to have shaped Iranian identity throughout history. Th e Prince’s Foundation housed a refreshing exhibition of contemporary art inspired by the literary work. ‘Shahnama Contemporary Paintings – Th e Millennium Exhibition’ showcased contemporary artistic depictions of the Shahnameh. Paraaava also held a small exhibition celebrating the millennium of the Shahnameh, its One Night with Rostam featuring the work of artists Afsoon, Farnaz, Neda Dana-Haeri and Yassi Golshani.

Liminal-Subliminal at the October

Gallery in Bloomsbury ran from November 2010 to January 2011, highlighting the unconventional calligraphic paintings of Golnaz Fathi. Janet Rady Fine Art held two exhibitions in December 2010, one entitled New Faces featuring the works of nine Iranian artists on depictions of the human face while the second, Concerning Angels showed the works of artists from Iran and the Middle East around the concept of supernatural beings, including work by celebrated artists Malekeh Nayiny and Fereydoun Ave.

Th e Iranian art boom in London is not confi ned to conventional art, as the Muniments: Iran photographic installation exhibition of Afshin Dehkordi demonstrated at the Black Dog Space. In October 2010, the Delfi na Foundation hosted a series of events and talks on the visual culture of Iran. Th e Knowledge – Stop 2: Tehran featured Mahmoud Bakhshi, Amirali Ghassemi and a lecture by Malu Halasa on the new generation of artists and popular culture producers in Tehran.

Not only is Iranian art being exhibited, it is increasingly becoming the topic for discussion. Th e newly refurbished Leighton House in Holland Park was the setting for a symposium on contemporary Middle Eastern art in November 2010. Th e conference explored the complex and oft en overlooked relationship between art and politics. It was a well-attended event with a varied audience of experts on the Middle Eastern arts scene: academics, artists, students and art enthusiasts. Th e speakers included Dr Venetia Porter (British Museum), Mona Khazindar (Institut du monde Arabe) Rose Issa (curator and writer) and artists Leili Shawa and Fathi Hassan, who all spoke on the theme of contemporary art as protest in the Middle East. Th e conference of artists, art collectors, academics and curators highlighted the importance of promoting and exhibiting works of art in museums and collections. As part of Leighton House’s ‘Nour Festival’ the work of Parastoo Forouhar was also exhibited.

London remains the hub for activities and events related to Iranian art, though some believed the art scene may move to Dubai, a more sensible regional location. However, while the promotion and commercialisation of contemporary Iranian art should be celebrated, one should consider to what extent works lose their potency as a form of protest art when commercialised by galleries and museums.

Given this, Londoners are lucky to be at such an interesting juncture; Iranian art continues to thrive despite severe restrictions, boosted by a wide range of conferences and exhibitions.

IRAN IRAN

Mohammad Mirbashiri


Haleh Anvari explores AKSbazi.com, a crowdsourcing photography site that is bringing the reality of life in Iran into focus

‘Carpet’ by Omid Omidvari, AKSbazi.com

the past 32 years. Th e internet, although heavily policed, still provides Iranians with a chance to create spaces of their own. AKSbazi.com has created a place for citizen documentation of the most ordinary aspects of life in Iran. A kind of de-exotifi cation, for sure, but also a reclaiming of one’s own image and memories; displaying the subtle human colour that exists in the country even if it is not always visible to the outside eye or offi cially approved.

Haleh Anvari studied Politics and Philosophy at Keele University before returning to Iran in the 1990s. She is a self-taught photographer, fascinated by images in politics

IRANIRAN

Iran’s lost pixelsIran’s lost pixels

In the early nineties, a visitor to Iran would be struck by the lack of colour in the public space; the streets were drab

and the people dressed in dark colours. In the same way, Iranian newspapers of the time were monotonous broadsheets with only black and white images that were acquired from agencies. Th e rare photos by staff photographers were sombre images of political fi gures or offi cial events.

In the mid nineties, a new tabloid-sized newspaper called Hamshahri changed this prevalent look by using colour within the pages of the newspaper; a third colour in the advertising or a photograph of a fl ower accompanying a verse by Hafez on the last page. By President Khatami’s second term, a number of reformist newspapers had arrived on the newsstands, all emulating Hamshahri in its tabloid format. Th ese new papers understood the importance of images accompanying text, and slowly their attitude created a cool new job: that of the photojournalist. Th e younger generation, armed with digital cameras, were happy to be part of this new boom, oft en learning their skills on the job.

Th ese photojournalists looked to their more experienced Western colleagues for their professional cues; foreign reporters who visited the country intermittently and viewed the place through their own West-centric lens. Foreign papers provided the main market for photographs paying good fees in dollars, but the foreign photo editor needed images that would have a bold local marker. Th e photographic marker for Iran was its women and their chador. Iranian

photojournalists picked up on this marker and began to use it as if they had also seen the chador or their own female population for the fi rst time.

Th e problem of this strange way of looking at ourselves in the fi eld of photojournalism is now moot. Since last year’s elections, few photojournalists are allowed to work and the reformist papers are closed. Photojournalism in its previous form is now on hold in Iran.

Remarkably, it was against this backdrop that AKSbazi.com was set up less than two years ago, only a handful of months before the elections. Th e website was launched with an express hope to provide a forum for ordinary Iranians to recreate their own image, away from the clichés and exotic shorthands. In a series of games, members are encouraged to show spaces or moods that may not be ordinarily available to the outsider. And in less than two years, an archive of nearly 2,000 photographs provides both Iranians and non-Iranians with images that are familiar yet oft en unseen. Games such as ‘Kitchen’ and ‘Balcony’ take us inside Iranian homes. In ‘How are you?’, created two months aft er the elections, members demonstrate the age-old Iranian skill for indirect expression, where symbols, allusions and innuendo act as poetics of self-censored expression.

Although AKSbazi.com is unique in its nature, it is a continuation of a trend among Iranians wishing to be seen in a more realistic and personal light. Th is is an eff ort that has been ongoing in the country’s cinema and art throughout

Since last year’s elections, few photojournalists are allowed to work and photojournalism

in its previous form is now on hold in Iran


Migration Migration (March 1966)(March 1966)

By Mohammad Reza Shafi ’i Kadkani

POETRYPOETRY


Th e journey of migrant winter-violets, in the last days of March,transfi xes me.On a bright March mid-day,when they fetch violets from cold shadows,in little wooden boxes– their transportable homeland –wrapped in brocades of spring fragrance,with roots and all, in earth,the brook of a thousand murmursbubbles in me:Would that...Would that man could one daycarry his homeland with him, wherever he pleased.In the brightness of rain, in the pure sun.

Born in Khorasan in 1936, the celebrated Iranian writer, poet, literary critic and professor of Persian literature is one of the remaining powerful voices that developed the modernist Persian poetic genre in the 1960s in Iran. Author of numerous collections of poetry, he continues to teach and live in Tehran.

Translated by Narguess Farzad

A Nightingale in A Nightingale in the Cage of My the Cage of My Breast Breast (1998)(1998)

By Farzaneh Khojandi

In this leafy orchard is a nightingale,a nightingale whose songs are the dawnand take me into the light,to the mountains of legendary Farhad,and to the place where mad Majnun talks to the raven:‘Hello gorgeous!’ And to that lucky cave,luminous with solitude, basking in gold,and to a paradise where Adam and Eve stare at a wheat grain:‘Shall we taste it or not?’ If I were Eve, I wouldn’t taste it.Th ank goodness I’m not Eve or else mankindwould never forgive me for not sinning.O tiny, miraculous wheat grain, O tiny apple of amazement,O simple beginnings of myself.Th ere is a nightingale who sings my see-through thoughts,sings back to the beginning of memory.Th ere is a nightingale fl ying out of the cage of my breast;it’s chirping now at the edge of morning.I am leaving; I am leaving, my friend.You have to step into life, spread your existence,you must hurry,you must bring to Farhad in the story,the good news about Shirin, his beloved,you must enter Zoroaster’s caveand taste the light.To taste the wheat grain of paradise – or not? O…I am leaving, I am leaving at last:my friend, open your heart for me.

The national poet of Tajikistan, born in 1964 in Khojand, is heir to a rich Persian literary tradition and immersed in an elaborate poetic culture dating back to the 9th century AD, yet she is also at home with the subtleties of the great Russian authors, thus making her one of the most outstanding contemporary poets of Tajikistan. Her prominence, infl uence and popularity have transcended national borders and she is held in high esteem by readers and critics of her poems in Iran and Afghanistan, too. Indeed, hers is one of the most signifi cant poetic voices that inform the literary developments in all three countries, which have a millennium of shared heritage in poetic composition.

Translated by Narguess Farzad and Jo Shapcott

Introductions and compilation by Narguess Farzad

Farzaneh Khojandi en-route to Cardiff , following her poetry tour of London (2010)


day, which on Fridays is Khoresh Karafs, interestingly advertised as celery cooked with lamb (not vice versa). All these come with rice: al dente grains topped with saff ron and served with a bowl of melted butter. Yum! Th e Khoresh Karafs has an appeal that grows gradually with each mouthful: the moist lamb pieces really serve as a supplement to an abundance of celery in a light fresh sauce. We both agree though that the Chelo-Kabab Barg is a low point of tonight – overcooked and uninteresting.

Now for the Koobideh... It is astonishingly tender on the tongue – gently grilled meat with the simplest of seasoning. Th ank you, Sami! We should have had two.

Nadje Al-Ali is a member of the MEL Editorial Board and Mark Douglas is her eating partner

Reviews: RestaurantReviews: Restaurant

KandooKandooKandoo, 458 Edgware Road, London W2 1EJ. Tel: (020) 7724 6769 / 2428. Kandoo has a BYO policy. Starters are around £3 and main courses are between £6 and £12

Nadje Al-Ali and Mark Douglas taste the phenomenon that is Persian minced kebab on Edgware Road

Mixed Kabab, including the famous zershk polo

Th e Koobideh is astonishingly tender on the tongue – gently grilled meat with the simplest of seasoning

How better to fi nish a year than by eating well? It’s New Years Eve and we are destined ultimately

for a small party where drinks and music will prevail. But fi rst we must eat. Well. Guided by a recent recommendation from none other than Sami Zubaida, noted food scholar, cook and gourmand, we happily turn our backs on a fridge full of festive left overs and drive across chilly London. Sami has said that in this particular place it is possible to experience the phenomenon that is Persian minced kebab, and now as we swing past the Christmas lights at Marble Arch our appetite is doing little warm-up exercises.

Kandoo is located on Edgware Road, nearing Maida Vale. Parking is relatively easy to fi nd; alternatively, it is only a few minutes’ walk from Edgware Road tube station. Arriving early, we fi nd the restaurant almost empty but it fi lls up before we get to the end of our fi ve starters. Th ese are chosen from a range of mostly cold mezze dishes on off er, though Mark gets a soup order in for the winter night. We order Kashk-o-Bademjan, which is a beautifully balanced dish of luscious aubergine fl esh perked up with fried onions and then tempered with just enough kashk (aged yoghurt). We’ve tasted similar purees where the yoghurt carries all before it, but not here. Th is works well in combination with turshi (a tangy bowl of pickles) and Paneer-Sabzi (crunchy crudités and feta hidden under a mountain of fresh herbs). We order naan – you can watch a man press each fl oury disk against the wall of the tanoor (clay oven) just moments before serving. Th e bread is very thin and fl akes easily, and is dotted with sesame. We think it is nan-e lavash, a simple bread with a long history. Th e soup arrives. Aash Reshteh is a richly

fl avoured spinach-based soup, silky with fat noodles. For Mark, it has the quality of a childhood memory. It banishes winter blues.

As we eat, the staff are quietly attentive and pleasant, off ering extra plates when they see us do our customary plate swap. We speak to the manager, who tells us that they’ve been there for 12 years. We learn that there is additional seating at the back, which is closed for renovations during our visit, and there is also garden area for the summer months. Th e place has a traditional feel, with terracotta walls, a Samovar at one end and the tanoor at the other: it’s clearly not attempting to look contemporary or fashionable.

Time for the mains. We decide that we can’t just eat the minced kebab, so Nadje goes for a combination of Chelo-Kabab Koobideh (minced) and Chelo-Kabab Barg (fi llet), while Mark orders the special of the


Britain’s fi rst Britain’s fi rst Iranian fi lm Iranian fi lm festivalfestivalReview by Fari Bradley

REVIEWS: FILM FESTIVALREVIEWS: FILM FESTIVAL

From ‘Pearls on the Ocean Floor’ by Robert Adanto, shown at the festival


It had been a long time coming. Londoners were already discussing the need for an Iranian fi lm festival, so the

news that independents were initiating a yearly one here was welcome. As the festival and the image contest they ran took shape, interested parties looked on and naturally asked who was behind it? Finally, I met London-based Iranian fi lm-maker Pejman Danaei, the festival director, who stressed the event’s non-political stance. Costas Sarkas, a volunteer programmer, said: ‘Th ere was a real need in London for a fi lm festival focussing on Iranian cinema… Th ere has been no festival focusing specifi cally on Iranian cinema and there’s a real demand in this city.’

Th e fi lm selection was the festival’s defi ning feature. Over 450 fi lms were submitted from Iran and beyond and about 40 were screened. Attendees enjoyed Q&As with fi lm-makers, including Robert Adanto (Pearls on the Ocean Floor, a documentary about female Iranian artists), visiting from abroad. Several fi lms had already been shown in London: My City Pizza, screened by Maziar Bahari three years ago; Th e Glass House, which had several screenings and was shown on Channel 4; And Life Went On, previously on loop in a London art gallery; and About Elly, which received acclaim in the 2009 London International Film Festival. I’m a fan of re-screening worthy fi lms but the festival was an

opportunity to promote far more current and as yet unscreened fi lms in London.

One fi lm that unquestionably deserved more exposure in Britain was White Meadows by Mohammad Rasoulof. Set in the astonishing salt lake Urmia, the story follows a tear collector rowing around the islands. With superbly masterful camerawork, the fi lm deals with its themes and concerns through allegory and myth as opposed to the usual realism that characterises what Iranian fi lm is famous for today. Films like this serve better to profi le a country with an already prolifi c presence in world cinema but whose fame has become bound somewhat by genre stereotypes. A home-grown Iranian fi lm festival could expose this other, less ubiquitous side of the coin.

Th e judging panel included venerable directors, such as documentary-maker Kamran Shirdel, and some Europeans, all with a variety of expertise – yet no women. Resonance FM’s ‘Six Pillars to Persia’ programme broadcast an interview about the festival, the launch at the Apollo Cinema was brimming and several journalists turned up to the press meet – yet there are no reviews of the festival online at the time of writing. Only a handful of my contacts even saw any fi lms, stating that information about screenings came too late.

Th e festival’s main achievement is that it now has a history and experience to build

on and next year will undoubtedly be even better. However, the overall success was despite some hiccups, such as late starts and endings due to repeats of sections of fi lms. Sweet touches – pistachio biscuits, samovars – prompted the question of to whom was the festival catering? No one I canvassed was a fan of hired staff wearing traditional dress at the launch (Turkmen hats, long billowy skirts and coin-decked waistcoats). I asked one of the personable staff if she knew what she was wearing: ‘No, but I’ve been told this is traditional in Iran.’ Th is was tantamount to holding a UK fi lm festival in Dubai and dressing locals as traditional maypole dancers and farmers. Since the audience at the launch was mainly Iranian, it was not necessarily appropriate but, broadly speaking, entertaining.

Fari Bradley is an Iranian broadcaster, sound artist and musician living in London. You can listen to the ‘Six Pillars to Persia’ interview at http://podcasts.resonancefm.com/archives/5525

I’m a fan of re-screening worthy fi lms but the festival was an opportunity to promote far more current

and as yet unscreened fi lms in London

© Shadi G

hadirian


of Islam, along with books on the Byzantine Empire written by Jesuit priests in the 17th century and texts recording the grammar and idioms of local languages observed by 16th-century Christian pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem.

Th e organisers wished to emphasise how much co-existence there had been throughout history between East and West, while not wishing to hide the moments where priorities diverged. Amid the mainstream media’s hysterical declarations of the ‘clash of civilisations’, the Brunei Gallery once again shows how in the realm of education and discovery, a discourse existed that was nothing if not civilised.

Th e Bridge of Knowledge is at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS, until March 26

Maddy Fry is a freelance journalist and undergraduate student at SOAS, studying for a BA in History with a focus on Africa and the Middle East

REVIEWS: EXHIBITIONREVIEWS: EXHIBITION

The Bridge of The Bridge of KnowledgeKnowledge

(Above) Laurence Housman illustration (1907) by Edmund Dulac, ‘Stories from the Arabian Nights’, London

(Below) Illuminated page from Avicenna’s ‘Canon Medicinae’ (1479), Padua

The SOAS Brunei Gallery is renowned for its exquisite and sometimes unorthodox displays concerning the

Middle East, of which the latest exhibition, Th e Bridge of Knowledge, is no exception. Drawn from materials held by the Arcadian Library, a private collection specialising in links between Europe and the Levant, the display consists of a huge range of texts, paintings and manuscripts. Exhibition curator Dr Robert Jones describes these as: ‘A rare chance to see powerfully evocative books from the holdings of the most prestigious and specialised of private libraries on the East-West Interface’ which ‘respects and celebrates the centuries-old relationship between the West and the Arab and Islamic world.’

Th e result is superb. Th e exhibition emphasises the immense networks of academic exchange the two civilisations had with one another. For one thing, the objects are beautifully preserved; delicate pages of parchment from the 16th century contain writings as clear and decipherable as though published barely 50 years ago. Th ere is an extensive section on science, including displays of 15th-century medical texts from the respected Islamic physician Abucasis, whose intricate water-colour drawings of forceps, lancets and syringes helped to revolutionise European renaissance surgery. Also noteworthy are the works from the famous Muslim astronomer Albumasar, whose written observations were immensely popular in 9th-century Europe. Other volumes on alchemy, meteorology and zoology, written in both Arabic and Latin, are laid out in stunning red-bound tomes with gold inlays, enticing those with any interest in the history of science.

For everyone else, there is a wealth of material on a varied number of disciplines, including linguistics, diplomacy, history and religion. Th e latter, in particular, is

an area where the exhibition does not shy from showing the tensions between East and West, as well as the moments of co-operation, with copies of the gospels in Arabic translated by missionaries lying alongside the fi rst ever edition of the Qur’an to be printed in Latin, dated 1543.

In the area of diplomacy, the exhibition is also thoughtful and sensitive, with paintings of Ottoman sultans (including an impressive one of Suleiman the Magnifi cent) and Eastern dress, drawn by French and Spanish artists, free from crude racial stereotyping. Here, the discourse between the two worlds is depicted as one of mutual respect between men of equal standing in world aff airs. Th e same is the case with paintings of hallways and mosques by the Orientalist artist Frederick Lewis, which show realistic and nuanced images of Alhambra in the 19th century.

Curiosity and a hunger for knowledge abounds in the works left behind by European visitors to the East, shown via an immense and impressive red edition of the Bibliothèque Orientale from 1777, thought to be the pre-cursor text to the Encyclopedia

Madeleine Fry


REVIEWS: BOOKSREVIEWS: BOOKS

It is a monumental anomaly that Arabs and Iranians, who have shared so much for so long, have so little interest

or understanding of one another. None of their shared interests have shift ed this: geographical proximity; common geostrategic conditions; a common religion, albeit diff erentiation; and a common source of economic sustenance: oil. If anything, the two have continuously maintained reservoirs of unfl attering attributes for each other.

Th is indiff erence is somewhat understandable as Iran’s relations with Arabs were primarily a function of its relations with the Ottoman Empire up to the end of World War I and with the global powers ever since. Contacts were limited to centres of Islamic scholarship and ties between religious families from Iran and those in Iraq and Lebanon. Th is gap began to narrow in the 1980s with the rise of the Islamic Republic in Iran (many leaders of post-1979 Iran can trace their roots and family ties to Iraq and Lebanon).

Iran’s Infl uence is a welcome attempt to explain the complexity of this relationship. Th e author argues that changes in Iran’s religious-political and regional dynamics have helped to bring the two closer together, raising Iran’s infl uence among Arab populations. Analysing relations with Iraq, Egypt, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, Rostami-Povey sums up Iran’s

infl uence with a popular Arab metaphor: ‘Me and my brother against my cousin, but me and my cousin against the stranger.’

Th e study also off ers a critical assessment of the internal socioeconomic and political dynamics that divide the Arab populations from their ruling regimes. In particular, the author blames the US as the central ‘hegemonic economic and political’ force that supports both Israel and an ‘authoritarian’ Arab elite.

Th e author also argues that the resurgence of diverse Islamic political tendencies and weakened popularity of ‘nationalists and secular left ’ are the outcome of this regional order. In this regard, the Islamic Republic’s anti-American, anti-Zionist and anti-Israeli policies are believed to be most decisive in promoting Iran’s popularity. In support of this thesis, Rostami-Povey off ers a useful and insightful analysis of relationships at the grass-root level supported by extensive interviews with ordinary Arabs and political activists.

Th e book’s title, Iran’s Infl uence, is useful in clarifying the boundaries of this study. Infl uence as a concept is in the realm of ‘soft ’ power. As such, it is a valuable and necessary component of any relationship – yet it has long been underestimated by mainstream Politics, Economics and International Relations theories. But infl uence has its analytical limitations. As a concept, it is more subjective than

other forms of power, more transient by its very nature and thus more prone to circumstantial changes – and, fi nally, more diffi cult to measure with the scientifi c precision used by other disciplinary approaches. Not necessarily, but oft en, infl uence may be detached from enduring rational calculations.

Indeed, Iran’s Infl uence indicates that much sympathy for the Islamic Republic is a bi-product of grass-root Arab dissatisfaction with internal socioeconomic and political conditions, rather than representing sympathy for Iran as a separate and enduring entity. Th is also raises the question of how Iran’s infl uence may shift if the present or a future regime decides to change the country’s anti-American and anti-Israeli policies? Or how Iranians who took to the streets following the 2009 Presidential election view Arab sympathy for a regime they regard as undemocratic and authoritarian? Rostami-Povey cites a few concerned voices among those interviewed but the overall impression is one of little sympathy for the Iranian grass-root among the Arab grass-root but a good deal of support for Iran’s policies.

Dr Ziba Moshaver, a former Stanford Lecturer at Magdalen and St Antony’s Colleges at Oxford University, specialises in International Relations and Middle East politics

Iran’s Infl uence: A Iran’s Infl uence: A Religious-Political State in Religious-Political State in the Region and the Worldthe Region and the WorldBy Elaheh Rostami-Povey

Reviewed by Ziba Moshaver

Iran’s Infl uence: A Religious-Political State in the Region and the World by Elaheh Rostami-Povey is published by Zed Books, 2010. Price: 18.99 (paperback) / £70 (hardback)


Istanbul: A Cultural Istanbul: A Cultural and Literary Historyand Literary History

By Peter Clark

Reviewed by Andrew Mango

Istanbul: A Cultural and Literary History by Peter Clark is published by Signal Books, 2010. Price: £12

Istanbul was and remains the capital of Turkish culture, regardless of the move of the administrative capital to

Ankara in 1923. In 2010 it became also the European Capital of Culture. Peter Clark’s timely cultural history justifi es the choice of the Eurocrats. It comes at a time when Istanbul, now secure in its Turkishness, is rediscovering its cosmopolitan heritage. Istanbul has been a cosmopolis, a world city, ever since 330 AD when the Emperor Constantine made it the capital of the Roman Empire. But cosmopolitanism can breed enmity as well as amity, and as the ideology of nationalism spread from Western Europe in the 19th century, cosmopolitanism moved out of the Eastern Mediterranean. As the Levant became increasingly monocultural, it was the West that became multicultural.

Peter Clark is well qualifi ed to record the changes that have taken place in Istanbul in recent years. He fi rst went in Istanbul nearly half a century ago; his wife taught in the English High School in the city and his son now lives in Istanbul with his Turkish wife.

Clark says that his book is neither a guide nor a history of the city. It is rather a series of vignettes illustrating the past and present of a capital of culture. Th e only exception is the chapter of Belle Époque (late 19th century) Istanbul, where he describes the centre of Beyoğlu, formerly the European neighbourhood known as Pera, building by

building. A few inaccuracies are bound to slip into a book that compresses a mass of information in a limited compass. One that caught my eye concerns the Grand Rabbi Haim Nahum Efendi. He was not involved in negotiating ‘the Ottoman surrender... at Mudanya in 1918’. Th e fi rst armistice was signed in Mudros by the defeated Ottoman state, while Mudanya witnessed the second armistice concluded by Turkish nationalists aft er their victory in 1922. Nahum Efendi had no part in either, but acted as adviser to the Turkish delegation at the peace conference in Lausanne in 1923. More importantly, the wrong conclusion can be drawn from Peter Clark’s brief history of Ottoman Greeks. He writes that aft er the creation of an independent Greek state, Phanariot Greeks no longer had a vested interest in the Ottoman Empire. In fact, ethnic Greeks went on to serve the empire to the end of the 19th century, as witness the careers of Alexander Karatheodori (Karatodori) Paşa, Ottoman plenipotentiary at the congress of Berlin, and later ambassador to St Petersburg, or Musuros Paşa, Ottoman ambassador in London. It was in the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II, reviled by European liberals as a bloodthirsty tyrant, that Greeks, Armenians (in spite of risings and killings), Jews and, of course, West European residents enjoyed their most prosperous years in the Ottoman Empire.

Peter Clark generously acknowledges the pre-eminence in guiding the visitor through Istanbul of John Freely. His book’s virtue is that it comes at a time when the intellectual leaders of the vastly increased Turkish population of Istanbul are learning to take pride in the multicultural past of their city. Th e wearing down to a trace of the once large and prosperous Greek, Armenian and Jewish communities is no longer glossed over, but regretted. Th e term ‘Levantine’, once a term of abuse, is now seen in a sympathetic light. Th e rediscovery of the past is accompanied by the gradual recreation of multiculturalism as Istanbul becomes a global city hosting regional headquarters of multinational corporations. Geography and history cannot be negated. Multiculturalism expelled through one door is re-entering through another. Peter Clark has done his readers a service by marking this turning point in the history of Istanbul.

Dr Andrew Mango is the author of the latest biography of Atatürk and of its sequel Th e Turks Today. He goes back in his latest book, From the Sultan to Atatürk (2009)




Lebanese Cuisine: Lebanese Cuisine: Past and PresentPast and PresentBy Andrée Maalouf and Karim Haidar

Reviewed by Nadje Al Ali and Mark Douglas

Lebanese Cuisine: Past and Present by Andrée Maalouf and Karim Haidaris is published by Al-Saqi Books, 2010. Price: £25

or those who have left their country, cookery is – if I dare distort a famous saying – what remains of

the original culture when everything else has been forgotten. All migrant peoples know this, particularly the Lebanese,’ writes the famous Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf in the preface to this recent addition to an already large range of Lebanese cookbooks. What makes this particular book special is the way it demonstrates how migration not only makes food central in the attempt to keep traditions and culture alive, but also allows for the opening up for new tastes, ingredients and recipes. Andree Maalouf and Karim Haidar’s appealing concept of mixing tradition with innovation runs through this beautifully illustrated book with over 100 recipes. Th e authors also try to combine two gastronomic traditions: home and restaurant cookery. Maalouf, who herself comes from a long tradition of pastry cooks and confectioners, appears to be the specialist in home cooking. Haidar is known for trying to revitalise Fakhreddine restaurant in London and for opening the famous Lebanese seafood restaurant La Branche d’Olivier in Paris, and is the chef of the award-winning Comptoir Libanais in London.

Lebanese Cuisine is a gorgeous and carefully presented book. Th e layout is simple and consistent: preparation and

cooking times, servings and ingredients to the left ; numbered steps, variations and comments to the right. Th e longer chapters are helpfully subdivided. In the mezze chapter we may dip into salads, vegetables, sesame dishes, pulses, mouajanats (pastries) or cheeses; in meat and poultry we can choose from kaft ahs, grilled meats and festive dishes. Th ere are individual chapters on soups, kibbeh, vegetable dishes and fi sh dishes (vegetarians should be aware that the main ingredient in most recipes for vegetable dishes is lamb). As we near the end we may sample sweets, ice-creams and coff ee, each with its own chapter. Finally, there is a useful and eye-catching glossary of Lebanese products.

Not surprisingly, a large number of the recipes are classic dishes. We are presented with takes on fattoush, tabouleh, moutabal, falafel and hummus. Th ere is also a range of familiar pastries, including the famous ‘meat pizza’ lahm bi ajeen, and most will recognise some cheese-based dishes, like fried halloumi and labneh. Th ere are lentil soups, stuff ed vine leaves and other vegetables, including kibbeh, kaft ah and shish taouke. Five-spice lamb with rice also features along with Lebanese rice pudding and halwa ice-cream. All is expected fare in this corner of the world. But a closer look reveals some twists: look out for the spectacular aubergine layer cake maqloubet-batenjan or

indulge yourself with freeket-touyour with three birds (quail, pigeon and partridge). We enjoyed the sweet onion soup with fried mini kibbeh. Speaking of kibbeh, this book features fi sh and pumpkin versions, and did you know that traditionally the meat was not minced but pounded using a stone pestle and mortar?

Th is is an endearing quality of this book: traditions and their passing are noted, perhaps wistfully, but never mawkishly. Read the brief meditation on shanklish. Dying methods are oft en recorded and pragmatic contemporary accommodations off ered, along with regional variations. Th rough such notes, luscious photographs and the sparky stanzas tagged as ‘Karim’s twist’ we are enriched with a sense of how a history of devoted cooks and the glamorous kitchens of world-class eateries have helped to enliven this cuisine and to deliciously extend it.

Nadje Al-Ali is a member of the MEL Editorial Board and Mark Douglas is her eating partner

‘F



Almost everyone is touched by history, particularly those who strive for a place in it. Th e Husaynis

refl ect this, a family who stood at the heart of Palestinian politics, as described in Ilan Pappé’s new book. Th e book is not only invaluable to historians and those interested in the history of Palestine but also to all who want to understand the processes that shape major historical events. Pappé is a competent historian equipped with astute and critical intellectual abilities and sensitive attitudes, making his book resonate with humanity and depth. Th e Husaynis dominated Palestinian politics for more than two centuries before their political demise in 1948. Th ey were part of what Albert Hourani described as the ‘politics of notables’. Perhaps the Husaynis’ thirst for power manifests itself most with the change of their original family name from Ghudayyas to Husayni in the late 18th century in order to be linked to the Prophet Mohammad through his grandson Hussein.

However, the power of the Husaynis owes itself in large part to the continuous decline in the Ottoman Empire with which the loyal Husaynis gradually gained favour and occupied prominent positions. Th e Husaynis also produced a crop of leaders who were able enough to withstand the tribulations of their time, including the rivalry among each other and with other

families, such as the al-Khalidis and Nashashibis.

Th e Husaynis witnessed the rise and fall of major powers. Th ey struck a chord with Sultan Abd al-Hamid II (1876-1909), who helped to expand their power through various positions in Jerusalem. However, Abd al-Hamid was in confl ict with the Young Turks who dispensed with the traditional Ottoman support for infl uential aristocratic families in the Middle East. Th us ended four centuries of Ottoman rule based on the satisfaction of the Sultan in Istanbul and the micro-management of civil and economic aff airs by the notables and their allies. During the British mandate period (1918-1947), and the growth of Palestinian Nationalism that the Husaynis were challenged, repressed and their political infl uence declined. Here, names from the late 19th and 20th centuries are helpful, particularly Abd al-Qadir, Musa Kazim al-Husayni, and Hajj Amin al-Husayni, the man who acquired a notorious reputation given his embroilment in the murky politics of the Second World War.

Th is period is characterised by Palestinian resistance to the new realities which emerged under the aegis of British rule, including increased Jewish immigration to Palestine, expropriation of land and other harsh measures that raised Palestinian fears about their country, propelling them

to revolutions, which were quelled harshly in 1929 and 1936. Pappé paints Hajj Amin as a moderate leader who tried to make cause with the British, but failed and was exiled unjustly. With his implication in many setbacks abroad, he foolishly threw himself into the hands of the fascists and Nazis. Pappé writes of him: ‘Th ese events are highly important as an indication of al-Hajj Amin’s transformation from a bright, sensible leader of a movement into a hallucinatory fi gure losing touch with reality and assuming roles and capabilities far beyond those he actually possessed.’

As the Zionists occupied Palestine, the political infl uence of the Husaynis waned, except for the late Faysal al-Husayni. Although Pappé’s book signifi cantly contributes to our understanding of the Palestinian Husaynis, shedding light on the mighty powers they were up against, there is more research to be done to complement this signifi cant, inevitably broad book.

Atef Alshaer is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at SOAS

The Rise and Fall of a The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian Dynasty: The Palestinian Dynasty: The

Husaynis 1700-1948Husaynis 1700-1948By Ilan Pappé

Reviewed by Atef Alshaer

The Rise and Fall of a Palestinian Dynasty: The Husaynis 1700-1948 by Ilan Pappé is published by Saqi books, 2010. Price: £20


Books in BriefBooks in Brief

Lapis Lazuli:Lapis Lazuli: In Pursuit of a In Pursuit of a

Celestial StoneCelestial Stone

by Sarah Searight is published by East & West Publications (2010). Price:

£18.95

Lapis Lazuli: In Pursuit of a Celestial Stone follows the travels over thousands of years of this precious

blue stone – as stone and as pigment – eastwards and westwards from the mines in north-east Afghanistan. Lapis is found elsewhere – in Siberia and Chile for instance – but the most vivid blue is Afghan and for purist painters only this oltramarino will do for their pigment. In early millennia it travelled to Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt; later it followed eastwards the path of Buddhism and westwards to the Byzantine world and so into medieval Europe. Th e author’s travels have oft en followed similar tracks – well-worn trade routes across the ancient and medieval worlds, moving from raw stone to ground stone – ultramarine pigment - taking in wall paintings, illuminated manuscripts and Renaissance Madonnas. Th e emphasis in the book is on the sacred apart from a chapter looking at hard stone (pietra dura) inlay – in Italy, Russia and India.

Peace and democracy in the Middle East have been the aim of world leaders for generations, yet the USA,

Britain or their closest allies in the region have been behind nearly every war in the Middle East in the last century. How did the West get everything so wrong? In this book, Stephen Kinzer takes the reader on a tour of modern Middle Eastern history, highlighting the errors, alliances and betrayals all acted out for what was seen as being in the interest of Western states. His insight and historical knowledge culminate in the startling conclusion that the USA has formed alliances with the wrong Middle Eastern states. Rather than Israel and Saudi Arabia, the USA’s natural allies according to Kinzer’s controversial but closely reasoned analysis should be Iran and Turkey.

Though his monarchy was toppled in 1979 and he died in 1980, the life of Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlevi,

the last Shah of Iran, continues to resonate today. Here, internationally respected author Abbas Milani has produced the defi nitive biography, more than 10 years in the making, of the monarch who shaped Iran’s modern age and with it the contemporary politics of the Middle East.

Th e Shah’s was a life fi lled with contradiction as a social reformer he built schools, increased equality for women, and greatly reduced the power of the Shia clergy. He made Iran a global power, courting Western leaders from Churchill to Carter, and nationalised his country’s many natural resources. He was deeply confl icted and insecure in his powerful role. Intolerant of political dissent, he was eventually overthrown by the very people whose loyalty he so desperately sought. Th is comprehensive and gripping account shows us how Iran went from politically moderate monarchy to totalitarian Islamic republic. Milani reveals the complex and sweeping road that would bring the USA and Iran to where they are today.

The ShahThe Shahby Abbas Milani is

published by Palgrave Macmillan (2011). Price:

£14.99

Reset Middle Reset Middle East:East:

Old Friends and Old Friends and New Alliances: New Alliances: Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia,

Israel, Turkey, IranIsrael, Turkey, Iran

by Stephen Kinzer is published by I B Tauris

(2010). Price: £9.99


Zartoshty. Subsequently the two brothers made a substantial donation to SOAS towards the endowment of the post, which now bears their family name. Th anks to a recent, substantial donation by the late Professor Mary Boyce, SOAS can now boast the fi rst ever fully-endowed university position in Zoroastrianism in the world, the Zartoshty Chair in the Department of the Study of Religions.

Th roughout the ten years it took for getting from an endowed course to an endowed Chair, SOAS has displayed unwavering commitment to the cause of the study of Zoroastrianism. Although the post was only partly endowed, I was appointed full-time lecturer in 2000, promoted to Senior lecturer in 2005, Reader in 2008 and Professor in 2010. My service as Head of the Department of the Study of Religions since 2008 has been demanding but rewarding, and it has been fascinating to follow more closely the working of the department and of SOAS as a whole. While my teaching covers the languages of the Zoroastrian scriptures (Avestan and Pahlavi) and its religious ideas and history, my research focuses on the text-critical and linguistic analysis of the Zoroastrian sacred texts and on their tradition, which spans the period from prehistoric Indo-Iranian times to the present. However, I regard such analysis not as an end in itself but as a crucial stepping-stone towards unravelling the ideas and culture of which such texts are the vehicle.

Profi leProfi le

Daughter of a Lutheran pastor, whose devotion to learning and critical analysis were a source of inspiration

for me, and only sister of four brothers, who claim to have given me a good training for life, I became a student of Classics and Indo-European Philology in my hometown, Heidelberg, Germany. Th ere I also attended lectures in other subjects, including music and philosophy. Particularly memorable was Hans-Georg Gadamer speaking on hermeneutics. In 1984 I was fortunate enough to be selected by Wadham College,

Oxford, for a Michael-Foster scholarship to do a two-year MPhil in Comparative Philology and General Linguistics, specializing in Ancient Greek and Sanskrit. It was through Sanskrit that I found my way into the languages and cultures of ancient Iran and I decided to do a PhD in Indo-Iranian Studies at Erlangen University, with Johanna Narten and Karl Hoff mann. Th e topic of my thesis was the edition of an ancient Iranian, Zoroastrian, hymn. I chose the Zamyad Yast because of the beauty I saw in a passage at the end of that text about the resurrection of the dead and the fi nal defeat of Evil and its removal from the world. Even while at Erlangen I regularly returned to England during the summer vacations to use the splendid library collections of the Ancient India and Iran Trust in Cambridge and consult British scholars in Cambridge, London and Manchester. On one of these visits I met Eugenio Biagini, then Junior Research Fellow at Churchill College. He was to become my husband in 1996 and in 2008 we adopted William, a lovely English nine-year old. In spring 1990 I took up my fi rst academic post as assistant professor in the Department of Indo-European Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin and, aft er my Habilitation in 1997, a Heisenberg research professorship, which I was able to hold in conjunction with a research fellowship at Clare Hall, Cambridge.

Th e opportunity arose in 1998 for me to teach a course on Zoroastrianism at SOAS, and I could then combine my interest in languages and religions. Th is course, and a year later its endowment, was due to the generosity of the Iranian Zoroastrian philanthropists Mehraban and Faridoon

Almut HintzeAlmut HintzeZartoshty Professor of Zoroastrianism, SOAS


Events in LondonEvents in LondonTHE EVENTS and

organisations listed below are not necessarily endorsed

or supported by The Middle East in London. The accompanying texts and images are based primarily on information provided by the organisers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the compilers or publishers. While every possible effort is made to ascertain the accuracy of these listings, readers are advised to seek confirmation of all events using the contact details provided for each event. Submitting entries and updates: please send all updates and submissions for entries related to future events via e-mail to [email protected] or by fax to 020 7898 4329.

BM – British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG SOAS – School of Oriental and African Studies, Th ornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XGLSE – London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2 2AE

FEBRUARY EVENTSTuesday 1 February

9:30 am | Middle East and North Africa Energy - Investment Prospects (Two-Day Conference: Monday 31 January - Tuesday 1 February) Organised by: Chatham House. Speakers include HE El Badri, OPEC; Edward L Morse, Credit Suisse; Jon Marks, Cross-Border Information Ltd; Javier Blas; Financial Times. How is the MENA region’s increasing energy consumption aff ecting investment decisions and global supplies? Tickets: See contact details. Chatham House, 10 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LE. T 020 7957 5753 E [email protected] W www.chathamhouse.org.uk/MENA2011/

1:15 pm | Art for Eternity:

Listings

Lacey returned to Saudi Arabia to research and write a completely new and critically acclaimed book, Inside the Kingdom. Admission free. Committee Room 14, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London SW1A (Via St Stephens Entrance). T 020 7832 1321 E [email protected] W www.caabu.org

7:00 pm | Simon Sebag Montefi ore on Jerusalem (Talk) Organised by: Intelligence Squared. Doors open at 6.30pm. Drawing on archives, current scholarship, his own family papers and a lifetime’s study, Montefi ore illuminates the essence of sanctity and mysticism, identity and empire in a 3000-year journey through Jerusalem. Tickets £25. Th e Tabernacle, London W11 2AY. T 020 7221 1177 E [email protected] W www.intelligencesquared.com/events/jerusalem

7:00 pm | Th e Aural Contract Audio Archive Evening (Talk) With Lawrence Abu Hamdan. Part of Sonic Grounds, a series of events curated by Rayya Badran organised to complement the exhibition Raed Yassin – Th e Best Of Sammy Clark (see Exhibitions). Admission free. Th e Delfi na Foundation, 29 Catherine Place, SW1E 6DY. E info@delfi nafoundation.com W www.delfi nafoundation.com

paintings from the tomb of Nebamun (Gallery Talk) George Hart, independent speaker. Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 61, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

6:00 pm | Hidden Histories: reclaiming truths (Lecture) Basem Ra’ad, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem. Organised by: London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI). Part of the LMEI’s Tuesday Evening Lecture Programme on the Contemporary Middle East. Presentation and discussion on Ra’ad’s book, Hidden Histories: Palestine and the Eastern Mediterranean (Pluto Press, 2010), which looks at various mythologies and complexes and how colonialism in Palestine contrasts with earlier colonial forms worldwide. Chaired by Ruba Salih, SOAS. Tea and biscuits available from 5.30pm. Admission free. Khalili Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. T 020 7898 4490 E [email protected] W www.lmei.soas.ac.uk

6:00 pm | Israel and Lebanon: another round of confl ict? (Forum) Ahron Bregman, Kings College, London; Nadim Shehadi, Chatham House and former Director, Centre of Lebanese Studies, Oxford. Organised by: Olive Tree Programme. Olive Tree Middle East Forum. Tonight’s Forum will explore the factors that brought Israel and Lebanon to war in the past and assess what is at stake in the event of renewed confl ict. Admission free. A130, College Building, City University London, 280 John Street, London EC1V 0HB. E [email protected]

6:30 pm | Saudi Arabia: inside the Kingdom – A talk by Robert Lacey (Lecture) Robert Lacey, historian. Organised by: Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU). Robert Lacey’s Th e Kingdom, a study of Saudi Arabia published in 1981, is acknowledged as required reading for businessmen, diplomats and students all over the world, in 2005

7:00 pm | Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation (Reception) Organised by: Th e Banipal Trust for Arab Literature and Th e Mosaic Rooms. 6.30pm for 7.00pm start. A reception and conversation with the 2010 winner of the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, Humphrey Davies, and Elias Khoury, which will also celebrate the 5th year of the Prize. Chaired by André Naffi s-Sahely. Admission free, booking advised. Th e Mosaic Rooms (A M Qattan Foundation), 226 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0SW. T 020 7370 9990 E [email protected] W www.banipaltrust.org.uk

Wednesday 2 February

1:15 pm | Lasting impressions: seals and practices in the Islamic World (Gallery Talk) Annabel Gallop; Venetia Porter, BM. Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 34, BM. T 020 7323 8000 W www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

3:00 pm | Th e Changing Geostrategic Landscape in the Middle East (Symposium) Mohammed Ayoob, Michigan State University; Clovis Maksoud, American University. Organised by: Middle East Centre, LSE. Discussant: Avi Shlaim, St Antony’s College,

Keeping it Real: an exhibition of four acts: act 3: Mona Hatoum: current disturbance. Photo: Geoff Craddick/PA/Whitechapel Gallery (see Exhibitions, page 38)


University of Oxford. Chaired by Hassan Hakimian, London Middle East Institute & SOAS. Followed by a reception at 5.30pm. Admission free. Hong Kong Th eatre, Clement House, LSE. E [email protected] W www.lse.ac.uk/middleEastCentre/home.aspx

6:30 pm | Society’s Annual Dinner and Presentation of the Rawabi Holding Awards Organised by: Saudi-British Society. Th e awards, for making a signifi cant contribution to Saudi-British relations, will be presented to Venetia Porter and Robert Lacey. Tickets: £35. Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, London SW1. E [email protected] W www.saudibritishsociety.org.uk

Th ursday 3 February

5:00 pm | Fieldwork in Th eory: Levantine polemics around Edward Said and post-colonial critique (Seminar) Fadi Bardawil. Part of the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) Research Seminar Series. Series organised jointly by graduate students in the LSE and Goldsmiths anthropology departments. Admission free. Room 3.05, New Academic Building, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW. E [email protected] / [email protected]

5:00 pm | More than Trade and Sex? Th e Greeks in Egypt Trail (Lecture) Organised by: Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Part of Lates at the Petrie. LGBT History Month event. Admission free. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1. T 020 7679 4138 E [email protected] W www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk

7:00 pm | Crimson Gold (Film) Organised by: Centre for Iranian Studies, SOAS. Part of the Centre’s monthly fi lm screenings. Dir. Jafar Panahi (2003), Iran, 95 min. Award-winning fi lm about Hussein, a Tehran pizza delivery man. Aft er being insulted by a jewellery store owner, who refuses to let him into his shop, the taciturn war veteran becomes increasingly conscious of the split in Iranian society between those with money and those without. In Persian with English subtitles. Discussants: Drewery Dyke, Iran Team at Amnesty International’s International Secretariat; Ata’ollah

Mohajerani, historian, journalist, and author; and Saeed Zeydabadi-Nejad, SOAS. Admission free. Room G3, SOAS. T 020 7898 4490 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/iranianstudies/

Friday 4 February

11:00 am | Heart-Warming Lebanese Stews with Nada Saleh (Talk) A lesson in how to make slow simmered dishes from one of the great cuisines of the world. Tickets £40. Books for Cooks, 4 Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill, London, W11 1NN. T 020 7221 1992 W www.booksforcooks.com

12:00 pm | Turkey as a Rising Power: ambitions, opportunities and prospects (Seminar) Fadi Hakura, Chatham House. Organised by: SOAS Modern Turkish Studies Programme (London Middle East Institute, SOAS). Part of the Seminars on Turkey series. Sponsored by Nurol Bank. Convened by Benjamin Fortna, SOAS. Admission free. Room 116, SOAS. T 020 7898 4431 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk

6:30 pm | Poetry, Meditation, Music: Rumi Poetry Circle (Meeting) Every fi rst Friday of the month. Informal poetry circle. Admission free. Colet House, 151 Talgarth Road, London W14 9DA. T 079 4448 9527 E [email protected] W www.caravansary.org

Saturday 5 February

10:30 am | Papyri and the Making of Books of the Dead (Study Day) Organised by: BM. Curator John Taylor and other specialist speakers discuss the history, context, development and ‘consumers’ of the Book of the Dead. Conservator Bridget Leach explores the materials and pigments used, and David Simpson, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, discusses what papyrus is. £30/£25 members and conc. Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

11:30 am | Sufi Frame-Drumming (Workshop) Organised by: Silk Roads. Every Saturday. Sufi frame-drumming (daf) workshops suitable for beginners and intermediate level. Tickets: £5. Chalkhill Community Centre, 113 Chalkhill Road, HA9

9FX. T 07954 601372 W www.silkroads.co.uk

1:15 pm | Curator’s Introduction to the Book of the Dead (Talk) Organised by: BM. Exhibition curator John Taylor gives an illustrated 45-minute talk on the exhibition Journey Th rough the Aft erlife: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead (see Exhibitions). Admission free, booking advised . BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

7:30 pm | Dance Queens of Th e Nile: connections (Performance) Doors open at 6.30pm. Hossam and Serena Ramzy at the Bloomsbury Th eatre for one night only to support the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology at UCL. Music and traditional dances of the Nile to modern fusion. Tickets: £20/£15 conc. Th e Bloomsbury Th eatre, 15 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AH. T 020 7388 8822 W www.thebloomsbury.com / www.ucl.ac.uk/FriendsofPetrie

7:30 pm | An Evening of Classical Persian Music (Performance) Performance and talk with maestro vocalist Touraj Kiaras and leading composer and instrumentalist Hamid Motebassem. Tickets: £15 - £35. Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. T 0844 847 9910 W www.southbankcentre.co.uk /

Sunday 6 February

6:00 pm | Middle Eastern Music, Drum Circle (Meeting) Organised by: London Drum Circle. Every fi rst Sunday of the month. Admission free. Colet House, 151 Talgarth Rd, London W14 9DA. E [email protected] W www.LondonDrumCircle.com

Monday 7 February

TBC | Dock Kitchen Dinner Greg Malouf, will join head chef Stevie Parle and his team in the kitchen where they will prepare a Persian feast of dishes inspired by Greg and Lucy Malouf ’s book Saraban: A Chef ’s Journey Th rough Persia (Hardie Grant, 2010). Tickets: £35/£45. Th e Dock Kitchen, Portobello Docks, 344/342 Ladbroke Grove, Kensal Road, London W10 5BU. T 0208 962 1610 W www.dockkitchen.co.uk

5:15 pm | Forgeries, Sacred History and Religious Minorities: the hidden story of Miguel de Luna (Seminar) Mercedes Garcia-Arenal, CSIC, Madrid. Organised by: Department of History, SOAS. Part of the Seminar on the History of the Near and Middle East. Admission free. Room G3, SOAS. E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/history/events/nmehistseminar/

6:45 pm | Sufi Meditation (Meeting) Organised by: Caravansary. Every Monday. Sufi Meditation Circle using practices traditionally known as zikr. Tickets: Suggested contribution £6/£5. Essex Unitarian Church, 112 Palace Gardens Terrace, Notting Hill Gate, London W8 4RT. T 079 4448 9527 E [email protected] W www.caravansary.org

7:00 pm | Open Sufi Meetings and Zikr (Meeting) Organised by: Ansari UK. First Monday of every month. An open Sufi meeting. Tickets: Donations welcome. Kensington Unitarians, 112 Palace Gardens Terrace, W8 4TR. T 07954 601372 / 07941 653337 W www.ansaripublications.com

8:00 pm | Rebetiko Jam Sessions of the SOAS Ad Hoc Rebetiko Band Organised by: Ed Emery. Every fi rst Monday of the month. With musicians from the Greek community along with musicians from Turkey, Iran and other areas of the Middle East also taking part. All musicians, singers and dancers, as well as the listening public, are welcome. Admission free. Th e Horseshoe Pub, 24 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1. E [email protected]

Tuesday 8 February

TBC | Books for Cooks Lunch Greg and Lucy Malouf will be hosting the Tuesday Vegetarian Lunch service at Notting Hill’s famous cookbook shop. Tickets £5. Books for Cooks, 4 Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill, London W11 1NN. T 020 7221 1992 W www.booksforcooks.com

TBC | La Fromagerie Talk and Dinner Greg and Lucy Malouf will host a dairy rich dinner with a short talk on their journey through modern-day Persia. Tickets £60/£75. La Fromagerie, 2-6 Moxon Street, Marylebone, London W1U


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4EW. T 020 7935 0341 W www.lafromagerie.co.uk

6:00 pm | In search of the ‘French-Arab Th ing’ (Lecture) Henry Laurens, Collège de France. Organised by: London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI). Part of the LMEI’s Tuesday Evening Lecture Programme on the Contemporary Middle East. Chaired by Gilbert Achcar, SOAS. Tea and biscuits available from 5.30pm. Admission free. Khalili Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. T 020 7898 4490 E [email protected] W www.lmei.soas.ac.uk

6:00 pm | Alexander and Hephaestion: Homeric romance? (Lecture) John J Johnston. Organised by: Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Admission free. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1. T 020 7679 4138 E [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/petrie

7:30 pm | Th e Voice of Santur: a multicultural santur recital by

Peyman Heydarian (Concert) Doors open at 7:00pm. Tickets: £8/£6 students and the unwaged/£4 SOAS students. Khalili Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. E [email protected] W www.thesantur.com


6:30 pm | Fortnum & Mason Talk and Evening Demonstration Greg Malouf will show guests how to recreate his favourite Persian dishes using ingredients from the Food Hall at Fortnum & Mason. Tickets: £15. Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER. T 020 7973 4136 W www.fortnumandmason.com

7:00 pm | An Overview of the Recent Discoveries of the Mamluk and Ottoman Pottery from the Citadel of Damascus (Lecture) Véronique François, CNRS, Aix-en-Provence. Organised by: Islamic Art Circle at SOAS. Part of the Islamic Art Circle at SOAS Lecture Programme. Chaired by Doris Behrens-Abouseif, SOAS. Admission free. Khalili Lecture

Th eatre, SOAS. T 0771 408 7480 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk

7:00 pm | Surface Noise: hauntology and the metaphysics of crackle (Talk) With Mark Fisher. Part of Sonic Grounds. See listing for Tuesday 1 February for more details.


1:15 pm | Creating borders: new insights into the making and painting of the papyrus of Ani (Lecture) Organised by: BM. Bridget Leach and Richard Parkinson, discuss the science behind the famous Book of the Dead papyrus of Ani. Admission free, booking advised. Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

Friday 11 February

6:30 pm | Faroan (Pharoah) (Film) Organised by: BM. Dir. Jerzy Kawalerowicz (1966), Poland,

175 min. Th e Egyptian empire is showing deterioration and powerful priests clash with Prince Ramesses over war with Assyria. Dubbed in English. Tickets: £3/£2 members and conc. Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

6:30 pm | Alexander the Great and the Conquest of Egypt (Lecture) George Hart. Organised by: Friends of the Petrie Museum. Admission free. G6, Institute of Archaeology, 31 Gordon Square, London WC1. T 020 7679 2369 E [email protected] / [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/FriendsofPetrie/

Saturday 12 February

TBC | Petersham Nurseries Demonstration and Tasting A talk, tasting and cooking demonstration by Greg and Lucy Malouf. Following the morning event, Head Chef Skye Gyngell will cook a Persian lunch menu based on recipes from the Malouf ’s cook-book Saraban. Tickets: TBC. Petersham Nurseries,


MIDDLE EAST BRIEFINGSThe London Middle East Institute offers tailored briefings

on the politics, economics, cultures and languages of the Middle East.Previous clients include UK and foreign governmental bodies

and private entities.Contact us for details.

Tel: 020 7898 4330 E-mail: [email protected]

Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7AG. T 020 8605 3627 W http://gregmalouflondontour.wordpress.com / www.petershamnurseries.com

10:30 am | ZIPANG Day Out Organised by: Th e Enheduanna Society. Monthly event. Between 10.30am and 12.30pm, collect a Heritage Trail from the BM and follow the Heritage Trail to fi nd clues to a long-lost Mesopotamian story. Gather from 3.00pm at the Poetry Café in Covent Garden for the storytelling performance/workshop. Admission free. BM and Poetry Café, 22 Betterton Street, London WC2H 9BX. T 020 7278 3624 E [email protected] W www.zipang.org.uk

11:30 am | Passport to the Aft erlife (Family Activity) Organised by: BM. Use mobile phones to fi nd secret codes around the Museum and solve clues about the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. Suitable for ages 7+ Admission free. Samsung Digital Discovery Centre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

Monday 14 February

6:00 pm | Kurdish Developments and Turkish Policies: taking risks or facing realities? (Lecture) Bill Park, King’s College. Organised by: LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies. Part of the LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies Research Seminar Series. Admission free. J116, Cowdray House, LSE. T 020 7955 6067 E [email protected] / [email protected] W www2.lse.ac.uk/europeanInstitute/Research/ContemporaryTurkishStudies/Home.aspx

Tuesday 15 February

1:15 pm | Selected Treasures from

the Arts of the Islamic World (Gallery Talk) Ladan Akbarnia, BM. Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 34, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

5:30 pm | Th e Western Marmarica Coastal Survey: life on the fringe (Lecture) Linda Hulin, Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology, University of Oxford. Organised by: Society for Libyan Studies. Admission free. Th e British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH. E [email protected] W www.britac.ac.uk/institutes/libya/

7:00 pm | Is the World Running Out of Oil? Th e Oil Market: OPEC and Iran in particular (Lecture) Manouchehr Takin, Centre for Global Energy Studies and former offi cial at OPEC. Organised by: Th e Iran Society. 6.30pm for 7.00pm. Admission free. Canning House, 2 Belgrave Square, London SW1. T 020 7235 5122 E [email protected] W www.iransociety.org


4:30 pm | Desertec, Masdar and Beyond: renewable energy policy in the Maghreb and in the Gulf region (Seminar) Dennis Kumetat, LSE. Organised by: LSE Kuwait Programme. In his talk Kumetat will look at the renewable energy initiatives that have been announced in the MENA region in recent years. Admission free. STC.S78, St Clements Building, LSE. T 020 7955 6639 E [email protected] W www.lse.ac.uk/collections/LSEKP/

6:30 pm | British policy in the Middle East – A Talk by Rosemary Hollis (Lecture) Rosemary Hollis, Olive Tree Scholarship Programme, City University London. Organised by: Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU). Hollis

took up the Olive Tree Directorship aft er having completed three years as Director of Research at Chatham House. Th e focus of her own research and writing is foreign policy and security issues in the Middle East. Admission free. Grand Committee Room (off Westminster Hall), Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London SW1A (Via St Stephens Entrance). T 020 7832 1321 E [email protected] W www.caabu.org


1:30 pm | David Roberts in Egypt (Study Session) Organised by: BM. Independent lecturer George Hart and Hilary Williams, BM, discuss the importance and infl uence of the journey made by Scottish artist David Roberts through Egypt in 1838–1839. Tickets: £15/£12 members and conc. Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

5:00 pm | Children in Militias: learning adulthood in wartime Lebanon (1975-1990) (Lecture) Sami Hermez, University of Oxford. Part of the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) Research Seminar Series. See listing for Th ursday 3 February for details.

6:30 pm | Book of the Dead: the fi nal chapter (Lecture) Organised by: BM. Even aft er the demise of the Book of the Dead, Egyptians continued to reuse and reinterpret parts of it. Author Mark Smith discusses his book Traversing Eternity. Tickets: £5/£3 members and conc. BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

6:30 pm | Book of the Dead Late (Various) Organised by: BM. Explore the Book of the Dead and celebrate the art, culture and beliefs of ancient Egypt through an evening of performances and installations with talks, readings, music and dance. Admission free. Great Court, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

7:30 pm | Views from the Border (Documentary) Organised by: Meretz UK - for Equality, Civil Rights, Peace & Th e Environment. Dir. Dani Landau. A road trip around Israel’s southern border during Operation Cast Lead. Discussed are Israel’s policies

re Hamas, the Palestinians and the peace process. Followed by a discussion with the director. Tickets: £5/£4 members/£3.50 conc. Hashomer House, 37a Broadhurst Gardens, London NW6 3BN. T 020 3286 1616 E [email protected] W www.meretz.org.uk

Friday 18 February

1:15 pm | Curator’s Introduction to the Book of the Dead (Lecture) See listing for Saturday 5 February for details.

1:15 pm | Women’s Lives in Ancient Egypt (Gallery Talk) Lorna Oakes, independent speaker. Organised by: BM. Admission free. Room 61, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

7:00 pm | Writing Across Borders: empathy in the age of confl ict (Lecture) Elif Shafak, Turkish writer. Organised by: LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies and Forum for European Philosophy. Part of the LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies Research Seminar Series. See listing for Monday 14 February for ticket and contact details. Sheikh Zayed Th eatre, New Academic Building, LSE.


11:00 am | Book of the Dead Family Day Organised by: BM. A range of activities. Admission free. Paul Hamlyn Library and Samsung Digital Discovery Centre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

11:30 am | Passport to the Aft erlife (Family Activity) See listing for Saturday 12 February for details.

6:30 pm | Literature and Islamophobia: three Dutch Muslim authors speak out (Lecture) Organised by: LSE. Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientifi c Method Literary Festival Panel. Migrant fi ction writers from Muslim backgrounds explore how they see their art as a tool to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue. With three bestselling women Muslim writers living and working in the Netherlands: Naima El Bezaz; Senay Özdemir; and Naema Tahir. Chaired by Luc Bovens. Admission free. Wolfson Th eatre, New Academic Building,


LSE. T 020 7405 7686 W www2.lse.ac.uk

Sunday 20 February

11:00 am | Mega-Mummy Animation Workshop (Family Activity) Organised by: BM. Also on at 2.00pm. Create a giant animation of the mummifi cation process using a digital video camera and stop-motion soft ware. Sessions last 120 min. Suitable for ages 7+ Admission free, booking advised. Samsung Digital Discovery Centre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

Monday 21 February

5:15 pm | Th e Fatimid State as seen by Medieval Jews and Modern Social Th eorists (Seminar) Marina Rustow, Johns Hopkins University. Part of the Seminar on the History of the Near and Middle East. See listing for Monday 7 February for details.

6:00 pm | The Assyrian Empire and its Vassals at the Close of the 8th Century BC: the seige of Jerusalem in context (Lecture) Karen Radner, UCL. Organised by: Anglo Israel Archaeological Society. Admission free. Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, Clore Education Centre, BM. T 020 8349 5754 W www.aias.org.uk

6:00 pm | How does the Turkish Voter Decide? (Lecture) Ersin Kalaycıoğlu, Sabancı University, Istanbul. Part of the LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies Research Seminar Series. See listing for Monday 14 February for ticket and contact details. J116, Cowdray House, LSE.

Tuesday 22 February

6:00 pm | Southern Yemen Today and Rise and Fall of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (1967-1990) (Lecture) Noel Brehony, LMEI and MENAS Associates Ltd. Organised by: London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI). Part of the LMEI’s Tuesday Evening Lecture Programme on the Contemporary Middle East. Chaired by Karima Laachir, SOAS. Tea and biscuits available from 5.30pm. Admission free. Khalili Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. T 020 7898

4490 E [email protected] W www.lmei.soas.ac.uk


2:00 pm | Th e Tygrine Cat (Family Event) Inbali Iserles. Organised by: Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Also on at 3.30pm. Explore the Petrie cat collection. Admission free. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1. T 020 7679 4138 E [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/petrie


6:00 pm | Th e Marshes of Southern Mesopotamia, Past, Present, and Future (Talk) Azzam Alwash, Director of Eden Again/Nature Iraq. Organised by: Th e British Institute for the Study of Iraq (Gertrude Bell Memorial). BISI Appeal Talk & Reception in aid of Iraqi Scholars. Sponsored by HE Sheikh Hamed Bin Ahmed Al Hamed. Tickets: £12.50/£10 BISI members and students. Th e British Academy, Wolfson Auditorium, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH. T 020 7969 5274 / 01440 785 244 E [email protected] W www.bisi.ac.uk

6:00 pm | From Moveable Empire to Immovable State: Ottoman policies toward Nomads and refugees in the modern era (Seminar) Reşat Kasaba, Th e Henry M Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington (Seminar) Organised by: SOAS Modern Turkish Studies Programme (London Middle East Institute, SOAS) in conjunction with the LSE’s Contemporary Turkish Studies Programme. Part of the Seminars on Turkey series. Sponsored by Nurol Bank. Convened by Benjamin Fortna, SOAS. Admission free. Khalili Lecture Th eatre, SOAS.T 020 7898 4431 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk

6:30 pm | In Conversation with Ahdaf Soueif and Jamal Mahjoub (Lecture) Organised by: BM. Bestselling author of Th e Map of Love, Booker Prize nominee, and political and cultural commentator Ahdaf Soueif, and award-winning novelist, translator and essayist Jamal Mahjoub refl ect on notions of ancient Egypt in modern life and art. Tickets: £5/£3 members and conc.

BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

6:45 pm | Iran is a Paper Tiger (Panel Debate) Ali Ansari, Institute for Iranian Studies, University of St Andrews; Roger Cohen, Th e New York Times and the International Herald Tribune; Karim Sadjadpour, Carnegie Endowment and formerly International Crisis Group; Nazenin Ansari, Kayhan; Reuel Marc Gerecht, Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former specialist at the CIA’s Directorate of Operations; Geoff rey Robertson QC, human rights lawyer and author. Organised by: Intelligence Squared. Doors open at 6.00pm. Th e Islamic regime in Iran loves to bare its claws and snarl, but isn’t this all just drama posturing? Chaired by Richard Lindley, journalist and former Panorama reporter. Tickets: £25/£12.50 students. Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR. T 020 7792 4830 W www.intelligencesquared.com/events/iran

7:00 pm | Planet Egypt Showcase (Performance) Organised by: Planet Egypt. Monthly bellydance showcases held on the last Th ursday of every month. Tickets: £12 on the door. Darbucka, 182 St John Street, London EC1V 4JZ. T 020 7490 8295 / 8772 E [email protected] W www.planetegypt.co.uk


11:00 am | Exciting Near Eastern Adventure(r)s Abroad in North and South (Seminar) Kenneth Kitchen, University of Liverpool. Organised by: Th e Egypt Exploration Society. Egyptians and Near-Easterners in each others’ Lands (3000-1000 BC), and Jigsaw-puzzling all the way to fi nd “Mysterious” Punt. Tickets: £20 EES members/£15 EES student members/£25 non-members. Th e Egypt Exploration Society, 3 Doughty Mews London WC1N 2PG. T 020 7242 1880 E [email protected] W www.ees.ac.uk/events/index/54.html

12:00 pm | Mesopotamian Myths (Family Event) Organised by: BM. Also on at 1.30pm and 3.00pm. Learn about the gods, goddesses, monsters and demons of ancient Mesopotamia. Admission free. Room 10, BM. T 020 7323 8000 W www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

Monday 28 February

5:15 pm | A Pilgrimage to Arawân: salt, oil, manuscripts, and history in northern Mali (Lecture) Judith Scheele, University of Oxford. Part of the Seminar on the History of the Near and Middle East. See listing for Monday 7 February for details.

6:00 pm | How to Become a Baylonian Preist? Straight and Crooked Paths to Priesthood (Seminar) Caroline Waerzeggers. Organised by: Th e London Centre for the Ancient Near East. Part of the Current Research seminar series. Admission free. Room G51, SOAS. W www.soas.ac.uk/anecentre

EVENTS OUTSIDE LONDON

Friday 4 February

5:00 pm | Sudan Aft er the Referendum:two state solution or return to civil war? (Seminar) Richard Barltrop, Alert International, London, and author of Darfur and the International Community (2010); Faisal Elbagir, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Green Templeton College, Oxford. Organised by: Middle East Centre, Oxford. Chair: Ahmed Al-Shahi. Admission free. Middle East Centre, 68 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6JF. T 01865 284780 W www.sant.ox.ac.uk/mec

Friday 11 February

5:00 pm | Arab Voices: what are they saying to us, and why it matters (Seminar) James Zogby, President, Arab American Institute. Organised by: Middle East Centre, Oxford. See listing for Friday 4 February for details.

Friday 18 February

5:00 pm | Iran, the Middle East and the USA: a view from Israel (Seminar) David Menashri, Tel Aviv University. Organised by: Middle East Centre, Oxford. See listing for Friday 4 February for details.

Friday 25 February

5:00 pm | Al-Qaida in Iraq: revolutionary terrorism in a


LONDON MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE School of Oriental and African Studies

TUESDAY EVENING LECTURE PROGRAMME ON

THE CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EAST: SPRING 2011

1 February Hidden Histories: Reclaiming Truths

Basem Ra'ad, Al-Quds University

8 February In search of the ‘French-Arab Thing’

Henry Laurens, Collège de France

15 February Reading Week

22 February Southern Yemen Today and Rise and Fall of the

People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1967-1990) Noel Brehony, LMEI and MENAS Associates Ltd.

1 March (Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre)

Screening of Michel Khleifi’s Fertile Memory followed by a talk on: Palestinian Cinema – From Militant Propaganda to Independence?

Michel Khleifi, Institut National Supérieur des Arts du spectacle

8 March Between Ideology and Pragmatism: Zionism in National Socialist Jewish Policy

Francis Nicosia, University of Vermont

6.00pm, Khalili Lecture Theatre, Main Building, SOAS

Admission Free - All Welcome

Tea and biscuits are available from 5.30pm

For further information contact: London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI), University of London,

Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H OXG. T: 020 7898 4330 F: 020 7898 4329 E: [email protected] W: www.lmei.soas.ac.uk


struggling democracy (Seminar) Tom Schiller, BAE Inc. Organised by: Middle East Centre, Oxford. See listing for Friday 4 February for details.

MARCH EVENTSTuesday 1 March

6:00 pm | Palestinian Cinema - From Militant Propaganda to Independence? (Film Screening & Lecture) Michel Khleifi , Institut National Supérieur des Arts du spectacle. Organised by: London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI). Screening of Khleifi ’s fi lm Fertile Memory (1980) followed by a lecture on the evolution of Palestinian cinema. Part of the LMEI’s Tuesday Evening Lecture Programme on the Contemporary Middle East. Chaired by Gilbert Achcar, SOAS. Tea and biscuits available from 5.30pm. Admission free. Brunei Gallery Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. T 020 7898 4490 E [email protected] W www.lmei.soas.ac.uk

Th ursday 3 March

11:00 am | Flavours of Babylon - In the Iraqi Kitchen with Linda Dangoor-Khalatschi (Talk) Discover the rich tradition of the Iraqi table with cookbook author Linda Dangoor as she introduces one of the world’s most ancient cuisines. Tickets: £40. Books for Cooks, 4 Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill, London, W11 1NN. T 020 7221 1992 W www.booksforcooks.com

1:15 pm | Th e Book of the Dead: narratives and infl uences in contemporary Egyptian art (Lecture) Khaled Hafez. Organised by: British Museum. Admission free, booking advised. Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299 / 8181 W www.britishmuseum.org

5:00 pm | Th e “Invention” of Palestinian Citizenship: discourses and practices, 1918-1931 (Lecture)Lauren Banko, SOAS. Part of the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) Research Seminar Series. See listing for Th ursday 3 February for details.

5:00 pm | Objects from Islamic Egypt (Lecture) Organised by: Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Part of Lates at the

Petrie. Trail by Carolyn Perry explores Islamic objects in the collection. Admission free. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1. T 020 7679 4138 E [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/petrie

5:30 pm | Pedagogy, Memory and Alterity - Conceptions of the Muslim World in European Textbooks (Lecture) Organised by: Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations. Th e lecture will examine recent research probing into the pedagogic constructions of Islam in the European past and the scripting of Muslims in contemporary textbooks. Admission free. AKU - Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, 210 Euston Road, London NW1 2DA. T 020 7380 3865 E [email protected] W www.aku.edu/ismc/shortcourses

7:00 pm | TBC (Film) Organised by: Centre for Iranian Studies, SOAS. Part of the Centre’s monthly fi lm screenings. Admission free. Room G3, SOAS. T 020 7898 4490 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/iranianstudies/

Friday 4 March

6:30 pm | Poetry, Meditation, Music: Rumi Poetry Circle (Meeting) Every fi rst Friday of the month. See listing for Friday 4 February for details.

6:30 pm | Demons, Disease and the Dead: the darker side of religion in pharaonic Egypt (Lecture)Organised by: BM. Tickets: £5/£3 BM Friends. BP Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 7323 8299/ 8181 W www.britishmuseum.org

Saturday 5 March

9:30 am | Muslim Family Law: theories and practices (Seminar) Organised by: Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations. Explore the various components of family law in Muslim legal thought. Tickets: £75/£60 early bird until 4 February/£45 conc. Deadline for registration: 1 March 2011. AKU - Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, 210 Euston Road, London NW1 2DA. T 020 7380 3865 E [email protected] W www.aku.edu/ismc/shortcourses

9:30 am | Past is Present: settler colonialism in Palestine (Two-Day Conference: Saturday 5 - Sunday 6 March) Organised by: SOAS Palestine Society and hosted by the London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI). 7th Annual Conference which will seek to reclaim settler colonialism as the central paradigm from which to understand Palestine. Tickets £30/£20 conc. Brunei Gallery Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. E [email protected] W www.soaspalsoc.org

11:00 am | Forensic Aspects of Ancient Egypt (Study Day) Joyce Filer. Tickets: £30 (booking closes 17 February). Hughes-Parry Hall, 19-26 Cartwright Gardens, London WC1. T 07973 695 168 E [email protected]

11:30 am | Sufi Frame-Drumming (Workshop) Every Saturday. See listing for Saturday 5 February for details.

Sunday 6 March

11:00 am | Past is Present: settler colonialism in Palestine (Two-Day Conference: Saturday 5 - Sunday 6 March) Please see listing for Saturday 5 March for details.

6:00 pm | Middle Eastern Music and Percussion (Meeting) Every fi rst Sunday of the month. See listing for Sunday 6 February for details.

Monday 7 March

5:15 pm | Abd al-Mu’min, the First Almohad Caliph (TBC) (Seminar) Maribel Fierro, CSIC, Madrid. Part of the Seminar on the History of the Near and Middle East. See listing for Monday 7 February for details.

6:00 pm | Inequalities in Turkey: multi-dimensional and entrenched (Seminar) Ayşen Candaş, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul. Part of the LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies Research Seminar Series. See listing for Monday 14 February for ticket and contact details.

6:00 pm | From No. 37 (Documentary & Panel Discussion) Organised by: Centre for Iranian Studies, SOAS. Dirs Sam Kalantari and Mohsen Shahrnazdar (2010), Iran, 68 min. Reception followed by a documentary screening about the life and works of Sadegh Hedayat, the renowned Iranian novelist

and author, from his childhood in Iran and his life in France until his suicide in Paris. Followed by a panel discussion. Admission free. Khalili Lecture Th eatre, SOAS.T 020 7898 4490 E [email protected] W www.lmei.soas.ac.uk

6:45 pm | Sufi Meditation (Meeting) Every Monday. See listing for Monday 7 February for details.

7:00 pm | Open Sufi Meetings and Zikr (Meeting) First Monday of every month. See listing for Monday 7 February for details.

8:00 pm | Rebetiko Jam Sessions of the SOAS Ad Hoc Rebetiko Band Every fi rst Monday of the month. Please see listing for Monday 7 February for details.

Tuesday 8 March

6:00 pm | Between Ideology and Pragmatism: Zionism in National Socialist Jewish Policy (Lecture) Francis Nicosia, University of Vermont. Organised by: London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI). Part of the LMEI’s Tuesday Evening Lecture Programme on the Contemporary Middle East. Chaired by Gilbert Achcar, SOAS. Tea and biscuits available from 5.30pm. Admission free. Khalili Lecture, SOAS. T 020 7898 4490 E [email protected] W www.lmei.soas.ac.uk

6:00 pm | Hers was the Earth - the Extraordinary Life of Amelia Edwards (Performance) Kim Hicks.Organised by: Friends of the Petrie Museum. Tickets: £12/10 PMF. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1. T 020 7679 2369 E [email protected] / [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/FriendsofPetrie/

Wednesday 9 March

7:00 pm | Ottoman Istanbul Displayed in London Panorama Th eatres, 1800-1863 (Lecture) Namik Erkal, Middle East Technical University, Istanbul. Organised by: Islamic Art Circle at SOAS. Part of the Islamic Art Circle at SOAS Lecture Programme. Chaired by Doris Behrens-Abouseif, SOAS. Admission free. Khalili Lecture Th eatre, SOAS. T 0771 408 7480 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk


Th ursday 10 March

5:30 pm | In Stone: Egyptian archaeological stonework (Talk) Organised by: Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Talk and hands-on events on conservation. Admission free. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1. T 020 7679 4138 E [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/petrie

Friday 11 March

12:00 pm | Angry Nation: exploring the foundations of Turkey’s polarised politics (Seminar) Kerem Öktem, Oxford University. Organised by: SOAS Modern Turkish Studies Programme (London Middle East Institute, SOAS). Part of the Seminars on Turkey series. Sponsored by Nurol Bank. Convened by Benjamin Fortna, SOAS. Admission free. Room 116, SOAS. T 020 7898 4431 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk 6:30 pm | Old Kingdom Family Tombs: who did what for whom? (Lecture) Violaine Chauvet. Organised by: Friends of the Petrie Museum. Tickets: Admission free. G6, Institute of Archaeology, 31

Gordon Square, London WC1. T 020 7679 2369 E [email protected] / [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/FriendsofPetrie/

Saturday 12 March

10:30 am | ZIPANG Day Out Monthly event. See listing for Saturday 12 February for details.

11:00 am | 5,000 Years of Tradition: mudbrick architecture ancient and modern (Seminar) Maria Correas, University of Durham; Caroline Simpson, Friends of Qurna Discovery; Jeff rey Spencer, British Museum. Organised by: Th e Egypt Exploration Society. At look at how the study of mudbrick buildings might enhance our understanding of ancient Egyptian practices. Tickets: £20 EES members/£15 EES student members/£25 non-members. Th e Egypt Exploration Society, 3 Doughty Mews London WC1N 2PG. T 020 7242 1880 E [email protected] W www.ees.ac.uk/events/index/54.html

Monday 14 March

5:15 pm | Spectrality, ‘Presence’ and the Ottoman Past: Paul

School of Oriental and African Studies

Object-based study of the arts of India,China, the Islamic world, Japan, Korea andSouth East Asia, through access to thereserve collections in the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum

Short courses available

Further details from:Dr Heather ElgoodPhone: 020 7898 4451Email: [email protected]

School of Oriental and African StudiesUniversity of LondonThornhaugh StreetRussell SquareLondon WC1H OXG

www.soas.ac.uk/art

Diploma in Asian Art

Enrol now forISLAMIC ARTApril - July

2011

Wittek’s Rûmtürkische Studien and other ghosts in the machine (Lecture) Colin Heywood, SOAS and University of Hull. Part of the Seminar on the History of the Near and Middle East. See listing for Monday 7 February for details.

6:00 pm | Democratisation in Turkey: the wave approach (Lecture) Bill Kissane, LSE. Part of the LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies Research Seminar Series. Please see listing for Monday 14 February for ticket and contact details. J116, Cowdray House, LSE.

6:00 pm | New Insights from the Nuzi Temple Texts (Seminar) Diana Stein. Organised by: Th e London Centre for the Ancient Near East. Part of the Current Research seminar series. Admission free. Room G51, SOAS. W www.soas.ac.uk/anecentre

Tuesday 15 March

6:30 pm | Kant, Hobbes or... Machiavelli? Facing the Grim Choices of State-Building in Afghanistan (Lecture) Antonio Giustozzi, LSE. Organised by: Centre for Contemporary Central Asia and the Caucasus, SOAS. Anthony Hyman Memorial Lecture 2011. Admission free. SOAS. T 020 7898 4892/3 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/cccac/events/anthonyhyman/

Wednesday 16 March

4:30 pm | Being the Other in 21st Century Saudi Arabia: Shia identity politics, nationalism and Saudi paranoia about Iran (Seminar) Toby Matthiesen, SOAS. Organised by: LSE Kuwait Programme. Talk on the Shia in the Eastern Province and the fear of the Saudi elite that Iran could use the Shia of the Gulf as proxies. Admission free. Graham Wallas Room, LSE. T 020 7955 6639 E [email protected] W www.lse.ac.uk/collections/LSEKP/

6:00 pm | Reading the Stars: astronomy in ancient Egypt (Talk) Marek Kukula. Organised by: Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Admission free. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1. T 020 7679 4138 E [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/petrie

Th ursday 17 March

4:00 pm | Th e Textiles at Masada - An Insight into the Material Culture of Classical Antiquity (Lecture) Hero Granger-Taylor. Organised by: Anglo Israel Archaeological Society. Admission free. Stevenson Lecture Th eatre, BM. T 020 8349 5754 W www.aias.org.uk

5:00 pm | Counterfeit Citizenship. On the Politics of Property in Nahr el Bared, a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Lebanon (Lecture) Monika Halkort, Queens Universtiy. Part of the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) Research Seminar Series. See listing for Th ursday 3 February for details.

5:30 pm | Iraqi Voices from the Margins: ‘Abbud al-Karkhi, ‘Aziz ‘Ali and ‘Abbas Jijan’ (Lecture)Clive Holes FBA. Organised by: Th e British Institute for the Study of Iraq (Gertrude Bell Memorial). Lecture to follow BISI AGM. Admission free. Th e British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH. T 020 7969 5274 / 01440 785 244 E [email protected] W www.bisi.ac.uk

Saturday 19 March

11:00 am | Mummies of Ancient Egypt (Study Day) Joyce Filer. See listing for the Study Day on Saturday 5 March for details.

Monday 21 March

5:15 pm | Th e Bedouin Fallahun: mapping the tribes of medieval Fayyum (Lecture) Yossi Rapoport, Queen Mary, University of London. Part of the Seminar on the History of the Near and Middle East. See listing for Monday 7 February for details.

Th ursday 24 March

6:00 pm | Objects from Islamic Egypt (Lecture) Please see listing on Th ursday 3 March for details.

Friday 25 March

6:00 pm | Runaki! (Festival: Friday 25 - Sunday 27 March) Organised by: Gulan. Gulan’s third weekend festival of Kurdish culture which will include an exhibition of Kurdish art, fi lm screenings, music and dance, poetry, Kurdish costume and


Kurdish food. Tickets: See contact details. St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, 78 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AG. E [email protected] W www.gulan.org.uk

Saturday 26 March

12:00 pm | Runaki! (Festival: Friday 25 - Sunday 27 March) See listing for Friday 25 March for details.

Sunday 27 March

12:00 pm | Runaki! (Festival: Friday 25 - Sunday 27 March) See listing for Friday 25 March for details.

Th ursday 31 March

5:00 pm | Framing a Housing Crises in South Tel Aviv Jaff a (Seminar) Zsuzsa Katona, Goldsmiths. Part of the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) Research Seminar Series. See listing for Th ursday 3 February for details.

7:00 pm | Planet Egypt Showcase (Performance) See listing for Th ursday 24 February for details.

6:30 pm | PalFest Event: art sale, music, festival speakers Organised by: PalFest in association with the London Middle East Institute, SOAS (LMEI). Admission free. Brunei Suite, SOAS. T 020 7898 4330 E [email protected] W www.lmei.soas.ac.uk

EVENTS OUTSIDE LONDONFriday 4 March

5:00 pm | Turkey as a Rising

Power: ambitions and prospects (Seminar) Fadi Hakura, Chatham House. Organised by: Middle East Centre, Oxford. See listing for Friday 4 February for details.

Friday 11 March

5:00 pm | Princes, Brokers and Bureaucrats: how princely whims and rivalries have shaped the Saudi state (Seminar) Steff en Hertog, LSE Department of Government. Organised by: Middle East Centre, Oxford. See listing for Friday 4 February for details.

Friday 25 March

TBC | Current Research in Egyptology - CREXII (Two-Day Conference: Friday 25 - Saturday 26 March) See contact details below for ticket and venue details. E [email protected] W www.current-research-egyptology.org.uk

Saturday 26 March

TBC | Current Research in Egyptology - CREXII (Two-Day Conference: Friday 25 - Saturday 26 March) See listing for Friday 25 March for details.

EXHIBITIONSTuesday 1 February

Until 18 February | Raed Yassin – Th e Best Of Sammy Clark A tribute to Raed Yassin’s fi ctive mentor, the eponymous Lebanese pop culture icon, and a contrived genealogy, which links the artist to the 1980s singer. Admission free. Th e Delfi na Foundation, 29 Catherine Place, SW1E 6DY. E info@delfi nafoundation.com W www.delfi nafoundation.com

Until 23 February | Lasting impressions: seals from the Islamic world A photographic exhibition exploring how Islamic seals were made and used, what was written on them and how they were decorated. Admission free. BM. Information T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

Until 26 February 2011 | Identity Exhibition of works by the multi-media artist, Ayman Yossri Daydban, who looks at themes relating to cultural heritage, national integration and assimilation.

Admission free. Selma Feriani Gallery, 23 Maddox Street, Mayfair, London W1S 2QN. T 0207 493 6090 E [email protected] W www.selmaferiani.com

Until 6 March | Journey through the Aft erlife: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead Follow the ancient Egyptians’ journey from death to the aft erlife in this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition focusing on the Book of the Dead. Various ticket prices. BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

Until 6 March | Keeping it Real: an exhibition in 4 acts: act 3: Mona Hatoum: current disturbance Installation by renowned British-Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum, whose ambitious work in sculpture and video emanates a pervasive sense of threat as much as it generates an alluring spectacle. Admission free. Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX. T 020 7522 7888 E [email protected] W www.whitechapelgallery.org

Until 25 March | Soul House: exhibition by Sara Bevan Sara Bevan presents digital collages refl ecting on the unique space and atmosphere of the Petrie Museum. Admission free. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, London WC1. T 020 7679 3148 E [email protected] W www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/petrie

Until 26 March | Bridge of Knowledge: Western appreciation of Arab and Islamic civilisation in the Arcadian Library A rare glimpse of powerfully evocative books from the holdings of the most prestigious and specialised of private libraries which celebrate the centuries-old relationship between the West and the Arab and Islamic world. Admission free. Brunei Gallery, SOAS. T 020 7898 4046 E [email protected] W www.soas.ac.uk/gallery

Until 1 April | From Here to Eternity An exhibition of calligraphy and mosaic art by the artists Elaine M Goodwin and Mohamed Abaoubida which coincides with and celebrates the inauguration of the Centre for the Study of Islam. Admission free. Th e Street Gallery, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter (IAIS), Exeter EX4 4ND. T 01392 264040 E Jane.Clark@exeter.

ac.uk W http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/iais/all-events/

Until 17 April | Giorgio Andreotta Calo, Jalal Toufi c, Huang Xiaopeng Artists from around the world show moving image work at the Gallery with the performance of the Shiite ritual Ashura captured by Lebanese writer and artist Jalal Toufi c. Admission free. Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX. T 020 7522 7888 E [email protected] W www.whitechapelgallery.org

Until 11 September | Adornment and Identity: jewellery and costume from Oman A unique display featuring a selection of 20th-century silver jewellery, weaponry and male and female dress from Oman. Admission free. BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

Ongoing | Th e Baghdad Car Installation by the artist Jeremy Deller of a car salvaged from the bombing of the historic Al-Mutanabbi street book market in Baghdad. Th e bombing on 5 March 2007 killed thirty-eight people and wounded many more, and is viewed as an attack on Baghdad’s cultural life. Admission free. Imperial War Museum London, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ. T 020 7416 5000 W http://london.iwm.org.uk


Until 9 April | Shadows of My Self Drawings, paintings and sculptures of Selma Gürbüz, one of Turkey’s leading contemporary artists. Tickets: Museum entry charge: £5/£1 conc. (includes free return entry within 12 months) Leighton House Museum, 12 Holland Park Road, London W14. T 020 7602 7700 E [email protected] W www.roseissa.com

Th ursday 3 March

Until 3 July | Surviving Treasures from the National Museum of Afghanistan Th e exhibition will highlight some of the most important archaeological discoveries from ancient Afghanistan. Various ticket prices. Room 35, BM. T 020 7323 8299 W www.britishmuseum.org

Mohamed Abaoubida (From Here to Eternity, see Exhibitions, page38)


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POLITICAL POLITICAL ISLAMISLAM

4 - 8 APRIL 2011

Documents

THIS ISSUE IRAN - SOASManoto: the new face of Iranian television? Mohammad Mirbashiri 15 Tasting blood: ‘Caligula’ in Tehran Parastoo Dokouhaki 16 Will there be war on Iran? A