Sri Lanka’s Muslims, though religiously obliged to observe a moon long fast, are not as abstemious at other times. They have their feasts and festivals which they look forward to with much delight. This is especially so of the Muslims of Colombo who have two great festivals and plenty of weddings to celebrate. In the olden days they found occasion …
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Jazan Heritage Village brings centuries of tradition in one place
JAZAN: Jazan Heritage Village, at the southern Jazan corniche, is a cultural landmark that captures the ancient history of Jazan, linking it to its flourishing present. Visitors to this village can see the province’s past displayed through live symbols of the cultural and civilizational diversity of the region’s different environments and terrains. The village was established in 2009 based on …
Read More »Muslim Contribution to Sri Lankan Culture By Asiff Hussein
Little is it known that Sri Lanka’s Muslims have made a big contribution to Sri Lanka’s cultural life. They significantly influenced local culture in matters of food, dress, jewellery and pastimes, testifying to the close relations that existed between Muslims and other communities of the island, especially the Sinhalese and Tamils. Sri Lankan Moors, descendants of Arab merchants who espoused …
Read More »Why You Should Be Decking the Halls For Ramadan?
While Muslims in the US enthusiastically pull out their stored Rubbermaid tubs marked “Ramadan/Eid,” packed with strings of paper lanterns, electric lights and glass ornaments bought, others find this “new” tradition to be a questionable innovation or another capitalist trapping. It may seem that converted Muslims have simply transferred their old traditions and newly immigrated Muslims have copied their neighbors’ …
Read More »Gardening: An Islamic Philosophical Architecture – By Klaudia Khan
If heaven, the ultimate reward that we are striving for, is described as “gardens underneath which rivers flow”, then what places on Earth could give us better foretaste of Paradise than gardens? Gardens, and specifically traditional Islamic gardens, are the reflections of heaven on Earth. But they are also much more: they are the places where our minds can rest …
Read More »Fezzes and Surattu Toppis
Headdresses of the Muslims of Old By Asiff Hussein Surattu Toppi The ordinary headgear of the Muslims of Sri Lanka in the olden days was a white skullcap. However the head-dress usually worn by the more affluent Muslims was an altogether different type of head-gear. It was a costly multi-coloured, truncated conical brimless hat or cap made of straw or …
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