Published today! “The Book of Travels” by Hanna Diyab 🧵

The remarkable 18th-century account of a young Syrian man's journey from his hometown of Aleppo to Paris and back again, a voyage that played a fascinating role in the history of the 1001 Nights. @LibraryArabLit Diyab, a Maronite Christian, served as an interpreter for the French naturalist and antiquarian Paul Lucas. Between 1706 and 1709, Diyab traveled by foot, ship, donkey, horse, and carriage through Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Egypt, Tripolitania, Tunis, Italy, France, and Turkey.

Lovers of Fairouz, check out this rendition of "Bint al-Shalabiyya" by Lebanon's premier choral ensemble, @BeirutVocal, directed by my mother @JanmarieLive. This song is a lovely example of "East-East" cross-cultural influence. It has inspired Iranian and Turkish versions (and also Hindi, Greek, and Spanish ones). The Rahbanis drew upon an old Syrian folk tune ("al-`Azubiyya) as the basis for Bint al-Shalabiyya. For more, see below:

Each day brings new revelations about the peculiar story of how 2750 tons of explosive-grade ammonium nitrate ended up in #Beirut in 2013. Most of these revelations have been uncovered by Lebanese reporters working at Al-Jadeed TV. Here’s a summary of their findings. (Thread) 1/ The narrative that first emerged from official sources (and widely repeated in the international press) goes something like this. A Russian-leased cargo ship, the Rhosus, was on its way to Mozambique with its payload of ammonium nitrate. 2/

Nasrallah: The government's reform package was a great result achieved by the demonstrations. You should be proud of it, rather than ridiculing it. Nasrallah: Hizbullah will *guarantee* that the government's reform promises are carried out.