239: Thanks in the Arab World
Stories of Our City
Although the holiday of Thanksgiving is only officially celebrated in a few countries in the world, people everywhere have something to be thankful for. For this episode, we sat down in Amman, Jordan, with a few English language students from various countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa to ask them what they are thankful for. We hope their answers encourage and inspire you to also count your blessings, joining their multinational chorus of thanks from around the world.
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238: One More Cup of Coffee
Stories of Our City
Homsi Mills, a family business founded in 1942 and currently run by brothers Majdi and Abu Azz Al Homsi, is reportedly the oldest establishment that sells coffee in the city of Amman, Jordan.
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237: The Sandman
Stories of Our City
Having learned the Jordanian craft of bottled sand art from his father, Abdullah now hopes to pass it on to future generations to help preserve this artistic custom for years to come.
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236: Livin' On a Prayer
Stories of Our City
Prayer beads are used by adherents of various religions worldwide, including Muslims. Khalid and his family have been working in the field of making, repairing, and selling prayer beads (misbaha in Arabic) for generations.
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235: Against the Grain
Stories of Our City
Like many fellow natives of the historic town of Bethlehem, Khader Shebat practices the trade of olive woodcraft as he seeks to share this artistic and traditional craft from the Holy Land with the world.
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234: The Tea Party
Stories of Our City
For Ibrahim Al-Ahlas, owner of Rahaf Tea in Amman, Jordan, tea is more than a beverage—it’s a culture. A culture that he celebrates and shares with both locals and expats alike.
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233: Resculpting History
Stories of Our City
Rewriting history is far from a thing of the past. And presently, Bassem Nabeel, a content creator in the Middle East, is putting a new take on the concept by combining his love for both sculpting and history in presenting neutral analysis of historical figures as he sculpts them in stop-motion videos.
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232: A Bright Idea
Stories of Our City
It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. Zidane Mitoubssi (Zee-dan Mit-wub-see) was a newly graduated college student entering a workplace for which he found himself somewhat unprepared. And then he and a friend had a bright idea.
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231: Out of the Ruin
Stories of Our City
Beauty is worship, according to Kamal Aldeen Abu Halaweh. And ruin is just an ingredient for making something beautiful.
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230: A New Life Cycle
Stories of Our City
For Radwan Hashem, cycling is more than a sport—it’s a lifestyle. After undergoing a series of knee surgeries, the bike became a lifeline for him—as well as a teacher.
info_outlineMany across the Arab world use the fully ripened fruit of the luffa genus of vegetables, of the cucumber family, as a soap sponge. But more than a decade ago, retired copywriter and editor Ibrahim Alfar, of Amman, Jordan, began exploring the application of luffa in other ways.