Category Archives: egypt

“The Gift” by Arthur Sze

Posted on August 14, 2013 by jyourist

The pieces of this jigsaw puzzle will form King Tut’s gold face, but, at the moment, they are bits of color strewn on the floor. These moments of consciousness have no jigsaw fit—heartbeat of a swallow in flight, bobcat prints … Continue reading →

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In the Table: Passover Edition

Posted on April 9, 2013 by jyourist

I was about to change the “In the Table” display and realized I hadn’t documented it. For Passover this year, the glass topped table was filled with a 1941 Maxwell House Haggadah, a reproduction of the Sarajevo Haggadah (from about 1350), … Continue reading →

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From Umm Kulthum to DJ Chipsy

Posted on October 6, 2011 by jyourist

Thirty years ago, wandering the streets of the Khan el-Khalili, Egypt’s most famous marketplace, I asked vendors what was the most representative music of Egypt. Without exception they all told me Umm Kulthum (1898-1975), who is still regarded as the best … Continue reading →

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