“Habib bin Shihab inscription:An Early Arabic Inscription Dated From the Northeastern Badia (The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan)” presented by Dr. Abdullah Sa’ad Al-Hatlani. Lecture presented in Arabic.    

“Between Pluralism and Homogeneity: The Management of Religious Diversity in the Arabian Peninsula” presented by Dr. Bader Mousa Al-Saif. The Arabian Peninsula boasts an unequivocal diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and religious traditions. This fluid plurality has always been an inherent part of the Arabian Peninsula; however, it was silenced at certain historical junctures when promoting a homogeneous alternative. he argues that the attitude toward religions in the Arabian Peninsula moved through three stages: a past nonchalant attitude; a modern linkage of emerging nation-states with an exclusive rendition of Islam; and a contemporary vacillating attitude that mixes traces of the more open past with remnants of the modern era’s guarded outlook.…

“Al-Ghazali and Descartes from Doubt to Certainty: A Phenomenological Approach” presented by Dr. Mohammed Al-Waheeb. This lecture attempted to shed light on the philosophical relationship that we find between the Muslim philosopher Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (1085-1111) and the French philosopher Rene Descartes (1596-1650), with the aim of revealing the similarities and differences between their two philosophical systems and their journey from doubt to certainty.  

‘Love Is Adversity: The Conceptual Metaphor of Love in Arabic’ presented by Dr. Abdullah Alsarhan. This study aims at shedding a light on the concept of LOVE in Arabic according to the conceptual metaphor theory of Lakoff and Johnson (1980). It suggests that LOVE is conceptualized as ADVERSITY in Arabic. Bio: Dr. Abdullah E Alsarhan Assistant Professor at Department of Arabic Language -College of Arts, Kuwait University Ph.D in Classical Arabic literature, The University of St Andrews 2019, thesis title: Cultural Phenomena in Classical Arabic phraseology, case study of the works of Ibn al-Khaṭīb> MSc in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, the University pf Edinburgh 2013, Thesis title: The Ismāʿīlī…

‘Marriage/ Divorce documents in the late Fatimid Era’ presented by Dr. Reem al-Rudaini. This lecture discussed a marriage document, with a divorce document on its back, in the late Fatimid era. *lecture was presented in Arabic*  

‘A for Apple’ presented by Dr. Mussaad Razouki A is for Apple takes us on a whirlwind tour from the “Fall of Man” all the way to present day through the symbological lens of the humble apple. We bear witness to the power of this noble fruit in antiquity, the Islamic Golden Age, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, Surrealist Art, the Counter-Cultural Revolution, modern tech companies and pop culture (films). Science may discover the truth behind the secrets of the universe, but art reflects that truth. Have you ever wondered about the mythology behind the Golden Apple of Troy or why we use the phrase “an apple a day keeps…

‘The Land of Punt’ presented by Prof.Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Mahfouz. “Punt”is a geographical designation that appears in many ancient Egyptian texts, and the destination of many expeditions that came out of the Nile Valley. In fact,“Punt” represents a research problem that has occupied the minds of Egyptologists since the birth of this science at the beginning of the nineteenth century until the present day. In its first part, this lecture reviewed the sources of research regarding this historical problem arranged in a historical order. Then, we tried to come up with a new vision in light of the results of recent archaeological excavations.  

‘Numeric Codes in the Arabian Peninsula’ presented by Dr. Amin Almuhanna Since around 2000, some Kuwaiti youths of Bedouin ancestry have used three-digit numeric codes to refer to their tribes in computer-mediated communication and public areas. These digital nicknames are more functional in Internet-based searches than the polymorphous names of tribes. These codes represent an attempt by urbanized Badu youths to redefine their social identity in a modern setting. While we focus primarily on Kuwait, we show that a whole youth subculture of three-digit codes referring to groups of people is developing in the Arabian Peninsula. Bio: Dr. Amin Almuhanna is Assistant Professor of Computational Linguistics at the Department of English…

Dr. Saleh Baraka Al-Saeedi’s lecture titled, ‘Al-Hilali Epic Journey’. In this lecture, we will review a historical account of the reasons for the al-Hilali migration and the role of each of the narrators and storytellers in tracking these stories. We will try to determine if the Hilalians really migrated from Najd, as is narrated, and review later historians who agree with this version of the narrative. Bio: Dr. Saleh Baraka Al-Saeedi is a Kuwaiti writer and researcher. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Helwan University. He worked as director of the Kuwaiti media office in Algeria, and as a political editor for Al-Qabas newspaper. He also published many…

From Shakespeare to Southern Arabia: Doreen Ingrams (1906 – 1997), co-founder of the “Ingrams Peace”. From the Series ‘The Middle East & Victoria’s Women’ presented by Alison Shan Price. During World War 2, in April 1943, Doreen Ingrams, former actress and key player in the establishment of the ten-year intertribal ‘Ingrams Peace’ in the Hadhramaut, accompanied the Hadhrami Bedouin Legion on their 500-mile trip, by camel, through the arid regions that bordered on the ancient Frankincense Route. Here she witnessed the devastating effects of the Great Famine and was determined to be of assistance. This lecture has been made possible through the tremendous support kindly given by Sultana al Qu’aiti and…