Praying is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims pray five times a day. One of the prayers is called 'duhr' noon prayer. On Fridays Muslim men are ordered in The Quran to gather together in public for this noon prayer. The Friday prayer is preceded by a sermon given by a Muslim scholar. The idea of Friday prayer is not only the regular daily prayers, but it also provides an opportunity for Muslims to gather together weekly in order to discuss their important life issues. Listening to this … Read more
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Alkhiamiah Alkhiamiah traditional fabric handicraft
The 'Khiamiah' handcraft is one of the oldest crafts, that emerged in Muiz street in Cairo. This craft became most famous during the Fatimid period in Egypt. The 'Khiamiha' craftsmen were actually part of the fabric industry in Egypt. The tools used in this craft are the 'costiban' - which is a copper piece the craftsman wears on his middle finger to protect it from the needle - blades, pencils, colored strings, scissors, needle, talc powder, colored fabric and hard paper. The stages of the … Read more
Bookbinding Traditional hand-made bookbinding
There are several types of bookbinding, ranging from normal to luxurious forms. Bookbinding can be done with paper, leather, gauze, light metal sheets and wood. There are various tools and materials linked to this industry including; paper, cardboard, leather, glue, mixture of water, flour and alum, linoleum, iron, gold solution, gauze, pins, cutter, puncher and sponge. The stages of the bookbinding process are as follows: gathering the book sections, assembly and knitting, hammering, 80 gm … Read more
Tagine Earthenware Pot A valuable multi-purpose cooking pot
Tagine is a historically Berber dish from North Africa that is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish, known as Tavvas, is found in the cuisine of Cyprus. The traditional Tagine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay, which is sometimes painted or glazed. The Tagine is used to bake staple bread. Each and every Algerian family has a Tagine, usually bought from rural villages where old women prepare them from clay and sell them. Tagines are also used and made … Read more
Climate Mitigation Reducing emissions and stabilizing the climate.
Climate change mitigation involves actions that limit the magnitude and/or rate of long-term climate change. Climate change mitigation generally involves reductions in human (anthropogenic) emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Mitigation may also be achieved by increasing the capacity of carbon sinks, e.g., through reforestation. By contrast, adaptations to climate change are actions taken to manage the eventual (or unavoidable) impacts of global warming, e.g., by building dikes in response to … Read more
Adaptation to Climate Change Building resilience to climate change
Adaptation to climate change is a response that seeks to reduce the vulnerability of biological systems to the effects of long term perturbations. Climate change adaptation is especially important in developing countries as those countries are predicted to bear the brunt of the effects. That is, the capacity and potential for humans to adapt (called adaptive capacity) is unevenly distributed across different regions and populations, and developing countries generally have less capacity to adapt. … Read more
Tamena Healthy Algerian roasted semolina
Tamena is a very famous Algerian pastry, traditionally served at the time of birth, when a new baby is born. It is a paste of roasted semolina (milled wheat), golden but not brown, honey and melted butter. Tamena is an important cultural gift that every family serves to people who come to congratulate the new born baby. In rural villages in Algeria, it is prepared and placed into pots and sold locally. Sales increase the local economy and can also be exported to other regional places. but it is … Read more
Souk Seasonal open-air market place
Generally a Souk is a market or a part of a market in an open space that exists especially in North Africa and the Middle East. The idea is having a Souk that opens one day per week for people from all the regions around, on a weekend for example. People bring what they make (Tagines, Tamena, cotton made stuff…) to sell them or whatever they have to sell. It raises the economy of the village and enables people to reconnect and relax while seeing, buying and selling goods. A Souk or Souq entails … Read more
Rain Barrels Use of Rain barrels as rainwater collectors
A rain barrel is a water tank used to collect and store rain water runoff, typically from rooftops via rain gutters. A collection system can yield 623 gallons (2358 litres) of water from 1 inch of rain on a 1,000 square feet (93 m2) roof. Rainwater tanks are devices for collecting and maintaining harvested rain. Rainwater tanks are installed to make use of rain water for later use, reduce mains water use for economic or environmental reasons, and aid self-sufficiency. Stored water may be used … Read more
Baskets from Olive Tree Twigs Weaving baskets and bowls from Olive tree twigs
Olive twigs are very sturdy and strong. Currently, most pruned olive trees generate so many clippings and cuttings that farmers are burning them without knowing how to best use them in other ways. A traditional method prevents cuttings from being burnt by soaking them in water in big barrels to make them supple and then using them for weaving. Knowledge is passed on from one generation to another of the traditional craft of weaving sturdy and beautiful baskets from olive twigs. This has … Read more
