Spanish-born conductor Jordi Savall is familiar to audiences in the UAE as he performed his Ibn Battuta: The Voyager of Islam concerts at the Abu Dhabi Classics series in 2014 and 2015. His latest album, Granada 1013-1526, continues his exploration of music and history.
It’s a journey through 500 years of the history of the Andalusian city, from its foundation by a Berber king in 1013 to its defeat as the last place of Muslim rule in Iberia in 1492 and the years after.
Javall plays the viol (a predecessor of the cello in use during this era) on the album and is joined by leading musicians from the Arab world, including Syrian singer Waed Bou Hassoun and Moroccan oud player Driss El Maloumi. Both Hassoun and El Maloumi also participated in the Ibn Battuta project.
The album is a musical portrait of a time when modern-day Spain was on the border between the Islamic and Christian worlds. The 24 tracks are all based on original court and folk poetry in Arabic and medieval Spanish from the 12th to 15th centuries.
Standout pieces include Lama Bada yatathana (When she starts to move), a classic Arab-Andalusian song, still sung in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Jordan. With the beguiling voice of Hassoun it sounds as fresh as ever.
Also, there is a moving Pero que seja a gente (Although they are people), attributed to King Alfonso the Wise, the early Roman Catholic king of Castile, León and Galicia, who founded an orchestra featuring Christians, Muslims and musicians from other religions.
Harsh reality sets in with Viva el Gran Rey Don Fernando (Long live the great King Ferdinand), an ode to the Christian king. Ferdinand, along with his wife Isabella, conquered Granada in 1492 and began the persecution of Muslims and Jews. He also sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas. Diario de abordo de Cristóbal Colón is a piece based on his ship diary. For the last piece, the album returns to a more sombre mood, deploring the fate of the Spanish Muslims in Lamento andalusí, and is taken from a text by the great Arab-Andalus 11th-century poet Ibn Zaydún.
On this album, named after the city that epitomised Islamic-Spanish culture, Savall continues his intriguing search for common traces of cultures and shared history though music.
Neil van der Linden curates music events in the Mena region.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
India cancels school-leaving examinations
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
The specs
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Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
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