Culture & Heritage

  The archival illustration from a German publication dated 1909 shows Sri Lankan fishermen processing pearl mollusks. (AN Photo) First Arabs arrived in Sri Lanka in the 3rd century B.C. and dominated its trade Pearl fishing in Sri Lanka began to struggle in the 19th century, under British rule  When Ibn Battuta arrived in northern Sri Lanka, the ruler of …

  The Saudi Culinary Arts Commission has announced the ‘National & Regional Dishes Narratives’ initiative – a national initiative which seeks to identify and celebrate local dishes in Saudi culture across various regions in the Kingdom. In addition to identifying a national dish, the initiative will also include a study of the dishes that best represent each region of the …

The Memons of Sri Lanka like the Bohras are a highly cultured community of Indian origin. They are Sunni Muslims following the Hanafi school of Muslim Law who originated from Western India, especially from the Kathiawad Peninsula before making our beloved country their home. Their settlement here took place during the British colonial period when they arrived here as textile …

The Grand Mosque Tour held at Kattankudy’s Al Aqsa Mosque was a resounding success with around 500 visitors of other faiths participating in the event. The Mosque Tour organised by the Centre for Islamic Studies Harmony Center in association with the Trustees of Al Aqsa Mosque and local organisers involved a host of activities including a Guided Tour of the …

By Asiff Hussein, Vice President, Outreach Centre for Islamic Studies Harmony Center Muslims in Sri Lanka have a long and colorful history of over a thousand years and have lived in different parts of the country in harmony with the Sinhala and Tamil communities. Early Muslims came to Sri Lanka as traders and won the hearts and minds of Sri …

  Ali Haydar was part of the Zawi Zayd clan within the Sharif dynasty that ruled over Mecca for centuries (Kronik Kitap) Arab aristocrat’s career saw him serve as an Ottoman lawmaker and the empire’s go-to man in the Hejaz region Ottoman sovereignty over the Muslim holy city of Mecca began in 1517 after the conquest of the Mamluk Empire under Sultan Selim …