An Iranian-American explains the history and heritage of his people, in both the old world and the new.From Persia to Tehr Angeles is a fascinating look at everything from Persia's ancient past to the modern world of Persian-American immigrants in places like Los Angeles—offering a rich, rounded view a culture many are unfamiliar with.For those who are part of this history, their friends and families, or anyone interested in this corner of the worl...

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM SAROYAN INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR WRITING. ONE OF *BOOKLIST'*S TOP TEN RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY BOOKS. ONE OF BOOKLIST'S TOP TEN DIVERSE NONFICTION BOOKS. Honorable Mention in the San Francisco Book Festival Awards, Spiritual CategoryA 2019 United Methodist Women Reading Program SelectionThis enthralling story of the making of an American is a timely meditation on being Muslim in America today. Threading My Prayer Rug is...

The bestselling Easy Reader series, with its distinctive three-part structure that leads beginners to intermediate-level comprehension, now offers Arabic - and aids learners with audio recordings of selected readings from the book freely accessible online.About the BookThe highly successful Easy Reader series is based on the distinctive approach that the best way to build language skills is to start reading it. Suitable for beginners to intermediate-level le...

After taking an Islamic Studies course in Boston, G. Willow Wilson quietly found herself adopting the tenets of the religion as her own. This intellectual and emotional exercise created a unique challenge; how could she reconcile a devout and conservative lifestyle with the highly secular society in which she was raised?Taking a leap of faith, Wilson accepted a position to teach English in Cairo, where her guide to the bustling city was a student of astrophysics named Omar. Led by ...

"In this satisfying, lyrical memoir," an American woman discovers her true faith—and true love—by converting to Islam and moving to Egypt ( Publishers Weekly).Raised in Boulder, Colorado, G. Willow Wilson moved to Egypt and converted to Islam shortly after college. Having written extensively on modern religion and the Middle East in publications such as The Atlantic Monthly and The New York Times Magazine, Wilson now shares her remarkable...

"As a bookseller, I loved Shelf Life for the chance to peer behind the curtain of Diwan, Nadia Wassef's Egyptian bookstore—the way that the personal is inextricable from the professional, the way that failure and success are often lovers, the relationship between neighborhoods and books and life. Nadia's story is for every business owner who has ever jumped without a net, and for every reader who has found solace in the aisles of a bookstore."—Emma ...

Some journeys exist in the mind. Bir Bahadur Singh is haunted by the longing to return. Forced to leave his village in Pakistan during Partition in traumaticcircumstances, he makes the journey back, fifty-four years later, to pick up the connections from that long past time. In that wrenching journey, he meets his old friend who now lives in his childhood home and exchanges banter with him and with many other lost acquaintances. For those few hours Bir Bahadur is there, the past com...

After years of diplomatic isolation Syria is emerging from the cold. Its government is a key Middle Eastern player, and will be a major element of any possible comprehensive Middle Eastern peace deal. To visit Syria is to become acquainted with one of the most rewarding destinations in the Middle East. Its historic attractions are stunning, and the Syrians are proud and gracious hosts; you can expect to be treated like a person and not just a tourist. Of course, there are always thorns wit...

Roger Housden traveled to Iran to meet with artists, writers, film makers and religious scholars who embody the long Iranian tradition of humanism, the belief in scholarship and artistry that began with the reign of Cyrus the Great. He traveled to the mountains of Kurdistan to learn from Sufis, whose version of Islam exhorts nothing but tolerance and love. From the bustle of modern Tehran to the paradise gardens of Shiraz to the spectacular mosques and ancient palaces of Isfahan, Housden m...

Arm yourself with maps and all the information you need for walking through Cairos famous and ancient Islamic cemeteries, viewing their beautiful monuments, and meeting the people who call these sacred places home.Jeffrey A. Nedoroscik, the author of The City of the Dead: A History of Cairos Cemetery Communities, traces the history and growth of these burial grounds in this detailed guidebook. Whether you are an adventurous tourist or a scholar, youll have the necessary to...

The first book about Arab and Jordanian culture from an Arab perspective, Diwan Baladna (Our Country's Meeting Place) delves deep into the traditions of the Arab peoples of Jordan. Diwan Baladna explains Arab culture from an Arab's perspective in a light and humorous, though informative and well-researched way. Written by a native of Jordan, Diwan Baladna is a valuable guide to anyone interested in Arab studies or visitors to the Middle East.

THE CITY OF THE DEAD is a mysterious area of Cairo that many Egyptians are aware of but not intimately connected too. This book provides a historical evolution of a residential cemetery more than four centuries old. Beneath a modern multilane highway lies a vast intricately connected ancient necropolis that stretches over three kilometres.The primary focus of the book is to analyze, understand, and to share the unique history and culture of this hidden, yet dynamic city with the ou...