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BAGHDAD: CROSSROAD OF AN ANCIENT GLORY

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The Arabs found themselves in possession of a glory and prosperity that had never been the lot of anyone else. Ibn Khaldun Baghdad in the 10th century had at least 800,000 inhabitants and was, after Constantinople, the largest city in the world. Its palaces, mosques, schools and public buildings were the wonder of the world. In our days, mentioning Iraq is often associated with violence and the context of war due to recent events. Modern Iraq corresponds to where historical Mesopotamia once stood, recognised as the cradle of civilisation, whose rich and complex history has influenced and shaped the whole of humanity since the Iron Age. We think that in Mesopotamia the first forms of writing were discovered, the first written law, the first wheel, the first boat as a means of transport, the oldest map dated 2300 BC, the concept of urbanization, the concept of time according to astronomical calculations, astrology, mathematics and the counting system. But today we will talk about the cit...
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TÁNGER: EL PUERTO DE LOS IMPERIOS

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  En el norte de Marruecos, en la costa donde convergen las aguas del Mediterráneo y el Atlántico, se encuentra Tánger, una de las principales ciudades portuarias del reino, con casi un millón de habitantes. Tánger es una de las ciudades más importantes del Mediterráneo, ya que constituye el nudo de comunicaciones que conecta los continentes africano y europeo. Antiguamente, la ciudad se conocía como Tinka, Tikka o Tinkis, que en lengua bereber significa "el lugar alto/elevado". Pocas ciudades tienen una historia tan variada como Tánger; una ciudad donde la historia, la mitología y las leyendas se entrelazan. Una leyenda oral que circula entre algunos residentes cuenta que, tras el Diluvio Universal, el Arca de Noé se extravió en el mar. Un día, mientras buscaban tierra firme, una paloma se posó sobre el barco con barro en las patas. Los pasajeros gritaron " ¡Mud Jà, Mud Jà! ", indicando que estaban cerca de tierra firme. Así, la tierra donde aterrizó el barco rec...
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Location: Madrid, Spagna
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TANGIER: THE PORT OF THE EMPIRES

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In northern Morocco, on the coast where the Mediterranean and Atlantic waters converge, lies Tangier, one of the kingdom's main port cities, with nearly 1 million inhabitants. The city of Tangier is one of the most important cities in the Mediterranean, as it is the hub connecting the African and European continents. The city was once known by the names Tinka, Tikka, or Tinkis, which in the Berber language means "the high/elevated place". Few cities have had a more varied history than Tangier; a city where history, mythology, and legends intertwine. Oral legend circulating among some residents states that after the Great Flood, Noah's Ark lost its way at sea. One day, while searching for dry land, a pigeon landed on top of the ship with mud in its feet. The passengers on the ship shouted " Mud Jà, Mud Jà, " meaning they were close to dry land. Thus, the land where the ship landed was named Tangier. While Greek mythology recounts that Antaeus, son of Poseid...
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Location: Londra, Regno Unito
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IBN JUBAYR - THE TRAVELER OF THE CRUSADES

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 Note: The following article is taken from the Introduction to the work "THE TRAVELS OF IBN JUBAYR - New edition in English", written and translated by Giuditta Andrei in 2025. Therefore, the following information is intellectually property of the author. Opera del pittore inglese Frederick Goodall (1822-1904) Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad i bn Jubayr Al Kinani, known as Ibn Jubayr al-Andalusi, was born in the Emirate (or Taifa ) of Balansiya, now Valencia, on September 1, 1145. Under the tutelage of his father, a civil servant ( Katib ), and other scholars of his time, he studied religious sciences and hadith, and completed his Quranic studies between the cities of Xàtiva and Ceuta. His passion for arithmetic, linguistics, and literature, as well as his poetic and prose talents, soon led him to distinguish himself among the brilliant scholars of Andalusia, eventually serving as secretary to the Almohad governor of Granada, Abu Sa'id ibn Abdul Mu'min. It is said th...
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IBN JUBAYR - IL VIAGGIATORE DELLE CROCIATE

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Nota: il seguente articolo è tratto dall'Introduzione dell'opera "I VIAGGI DI IBN JUBAYR", scritta e tradotta da Giuditta Andrei nel 2025. Pertanto, la seguente informativa è intellettualmente di proprietà dell'autrice.   Opera del pittore inglese Frederick Goodall (1822-1904) Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Jubayr Al Kinani, noto come Ibn Jubayr al-Andalusi, nacque nell’Emirato (o Taifa ) di Balansiya, attuale Valencia, il 1° settembre 1145. Sotto l’egida del padre, che era un funzionario statale ( Katib ), e di altri studiosi del suo tempo, studiò le scienze religiose, gli hadith , e completò l’apprendimento coranico tra le città di Xàtiva e Ceuta. La sua passione per l’aritmetica, le scienze linguistiche e letterarie, nonché i suoi talenti poetici e di prosa lo portarono presto a distinguersi tra i brillanti studiosi dell’Andalusia, finendo per ricoprire il ruolo di segretario de...
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Location: Roma RM, Italia
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