Culture & Heritage

Tucked away in the southwest corner of Sri Lanka’s coastline, away from the hustle and bustle of the busy town of Galle lies the quaint old peninsula that is the Galle Fort. Originally built by the Portuguese and then modified by the Dutch in the 17th century, this little enclave shot to fame after it was declared a World Heritage …

Malaysia is a beautiful country that, like Modern Turkey, is a good example of how development can take place in the Muslim World while retaining one’s religious values.

Sri Lanka’s Muslims are heirs to a rich culinary tradition which has its ultimate origins in Arabia, India and the Malay world. Their cuisine is in a sense ‘international’. Here’s a brief survey of some of their more prominent foods and drinks and their origins. Buriyani A favourite rice dish which figures prominently in local Muslim feasts is the buriyani, …

Maradana’s infamous fame It is said that Maradana got its name from Maran-stan which is Tamil for “place of trees” which with time turned into Maran-dhan or Maradana. During the Dutch period the first cinnamon cultivation was in Maradana. It is recorded that in 1789 the Disave of Colombo, Cornelis de Cock, was responsible for laying out the first cinnamon …

Arwi or Arabic-Tamil (ل س ا ن ا ل أ ر و ي lisā n-ul-arwī அ ர ப ு -த ம ி ழ ் arabu-tamil) is an Arabic-influenced dialect of the Tamil language written with an extension of the Arabic alphabet, with extensive lexical and phonetic influences from the Arabic language. Arwi was used extensively by the Muslim minority of …

Imam Bukhari is a name that creates a sense of reverence and respect in every Muslim’s heart. He was one of the greatest scholars of Islam and the founder of Hadith science. His prestigious compilation named Jame Al-Sahih is regarded as the second authentic book of Islam after the Holy Qur’an. It was in the second century Hijrah (Islamic calendar) …