ayuun-ich

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

Enjoy this ever so slightly psychedelic number by Kuwaiti singer Abdalkariim Abdalkaadr entitled ana radayt li-:ayuun-ich. And last but not least, istaanis bi l-wiikind!

	عيوني	:ayuun-ii	My eyes
	عيونك	:ayuun-ik	Your eyes (>m)
	عيونچ	:ayuun-ich	Your eyes (>f)
	عيونكم	:ayuun-kum	Your eyes (>pl)
	عيوننا	:ayuun-naa	Our eyes
	عيونه	:ayuun-ah	His eyes
	عيونها	:ayuun-haa	Her eyes
	عيونهم	:ayuun-hum	Their eyes

ta3aawun

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

"Janangir presenting Prince Kurram with a Turban Ornament," Payag, c.1640

There is a house in Kuwait known as a "keeper of memories." It's a building where majmuu:at al-fan of Sheikh Nasser and Sheikha Hussah Al-Sabah is kept, and it's name is Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyah.

In al-majmuu:ah, there are hundreds of ashaa' telling the stories of our ancestors who live on in their brushstrokes upon lawHah or in their imprint upon a piece of Hajar.

These stories begin as all great things do - with a dot.

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From that first moment begins a lifetime of work. Dots find others and become lines. Lines wrestle with one another until they find their path. And they finish by forming a harmony. 

LNS 105 S

Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyah is of course a matHaf but also a mukaan where these precious works can find shelter. A work such as a verse from the Qu'ran, ground by hand into an emerald. 

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It's also a mukaan where the small yet powerful ashaa' that formed our civilisations can be admired. Such as an extremely rare dinar coin made from solid dhahab, embossed with the words of ash-shahaadah dating from 700 AD. It's one of four in the world. 

On 17th May, it's yawm al-:aalamii li l-mataaHif around the world. This year marks Kuwait's second participation, with Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyah hosting a programme of free events for the family. The talks about Kuwait's cultural heritage are an ideal opportunity for a ta:aawun between the museum and local community. 

Amricani Cultural Centre
17th May, 1 - 7pm
Click for directions

مجموعة الفن	majmuu:at al-fan	The art collection
اشاء	ashaa’	Objects
لوحة	lawHah	Canvas
حجر	Hajar	Stone
متحف	matHaf	Museum
مكان	mukaan	Place
ذهب	dhahub	Gold
يون العالمي لي المتحف	yawm al-:aalamii li l-mataaHif	International Museum Day
شهادة	shahaadah	First Pillar of Islam

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muz3ij

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

The one with muz:ij...

Wherever there are humans, there is al-iz:aaj. But what is taarikh al-iz:aaj and where did it come from?

Let's start at al-bidayyah with the Big Bang. It was probably the last moment biduun Hiss that the universe has known.

Fast forward 380,000 years and the universe was resonating. Ancient peoples exploited al-iz:aaj - the space inside Stonehenge has the acoustics of a modern concert hall. But it was in cities that humans became really muz:ij.

Today it is estimated that half the urban population of Europe suffers from excessive iz:aaj. Small apartments and terraced housing doesn't help. One friend had yiraan living above him who were constantly arguing and throwing things. My friend patiently put up with this for four years, but when they finally moved out, different yiraan moved in to the apartment underneath with state-of-the-art subwoofers and a taste for samba.

When the iz:aaj around you becomes too much, here's a Kuwaiti Hikmah for aural relief:

الازعاج	al-iz:aaj	The noise
تارخ الازعاج	taarikh al-iz:aaj	History of noise
البدية	al-bidayyah	The beginning
بدون حس	biduun Hiss	Silent
يار	yaar	Neighbour (m)
يارة	yaarah	Neighbour (f)
يران	yiraan	Neighbours
حكنة	Hiknah	Proverb
إكل ما تشتهي	ikil maa tishtihii	Eat whatever you want
و إلبس ما يعجب الناس	wa ilbis maa ya:jib an-naas	But dress to please (loose equivalent of English proverb "if you can't beat them, join them")

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ash-sh3aar

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

The one with ash-sh:aar

shi:aaraat often seem Sghaar and unimportant, but they can make or break an-najaaH of a company. Take for instance, the KDD sh:aar. The "Kuwait Danish Dairy” was a successful collaboration between Kuwait and Denmark, selling ice creams and juices across the Gulf. The KDD sh:aar was nothing short of iconic in Kuwait. And then, there was kaarithah.

In 2005, a series of highly provocative cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed were published in a Danish newspaper. The gesture was received with Sadmah, particularly in the Middle East and large-scale boycotts of Danish goods began.

KDD's managers considered changing their name (since their business ties with Denmark had ended 22 years previously), but everyone knew ash-sh:aar. It was too powerful to change. And if they did, they would likely lose their customers anyway. So KDD carried on as it was. And sales of KDD products dropped by 95%.

Today, KDD has bounced back. Trust has been re-established with its clientele, and the Mohammed Cartoons as they were known, are a thing of al-maaDii. Most people agree that their products are still the very best. Nothing tastes quite like that barrid sandawiich.

شعارات	shi:aaraat	Logos
صغير	Saghiir	Small
صغار	Sghaar	Small (pl)
النجاح	an-najaaH	The success
كارثة	kaarithah	A disaster
صدمة	Sadmah	Shock
الماضي	al-maaDii	The past
برد سندويچ	barrid sandawiich	An ice-cream sandwich

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