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History
19 posts
The history of Arabic and Arab/Persian geniuses who developed Arabic grammar.
What does the crash of an Egypt Air plane in 1999 have to do with Islam?
After an Egypt Air flight crashed in 1999 at JFK airport, the US investigators stiffened on the last words of the flight officer: "tawakkaltu ala Allah"
What is the connection between Immanuel Kant and the Basmala?
The German philosopher Immanuel Kant is one of the most important representatives of the Enlightenment. To date, it is unclear why the "Basmala" was written on the invitation to the ceremonial awarding of his doctorate. Let's see what happened.
Who invented the Arabic typewriter (keyboard)?
The Arabic keyboard we use today was invented in 1899 by two men who almost simultaneously worked on an Arabic typewriter: Selim Haddad and Philippe Waked.
Why do many superheros and villains have Arabic or Hebrew names?
Superman is called Kal El. Batman's enemy is Ra's al-Ghoul. Many names in the comic universe have an Arabic or Hebrew flavor. Why is that? And what do they mean?
What is the idea of tanween (تنوين) in Arabic?
Nunation (تنوين) can tell you something about the character and personality of a word. It is a deep idea developed by the first Arab grammarians.
The Evolution of an Arabic Course: how a US military Arabic course went around the world
In the 20th century, Arabic language material was scarce. During the Vietnam War, Reginald Hefner, had access to a language lab of the US military - and later discovered, how the Military's Arabic material was used by publishers around the world. He shares some reminiscences and anecdotes in this guest article.
Social Media & Palestine: Dotless Arabic outsmarts algorithms
Social media platforms deleted Palestinian content - now people use dotless Arabic to bypass that. Here is how to write Arabic without dots
Did the first mosques in Islam have minarets?
Answer: Probably not. The minaret today is one of the most important and prominent symbols of Islam. But in the very beginning, this was different.
The “Knight’s Tour” – how an ancient Arab solved an intriguing chess puzzle
The Knight's Tour problem is a famous mathematical chess puzzle. The first solution provided an Arab philosopher in the 9th century from present-day Iraq.
Who are the all-time greatest Arabic grammarians from Europe?
Arabic grammar was of special interest in Europe especially in the 19th and early 20th century. Here is a list of the TOP FIVE Arabic grammarians from the West