2015 | Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies

The adhan is the Muslim call to prayer, an invitation to sacred space traditionally performed by a muezzin at a mosque five times each day. Cairo has thousands of mosques, and with countless muezzins chanting the call simultaneously there is a holy cacophony that reverberates through the city’s soundscape. Enter the Ministry of Religious Endowments with the concept of a unified adhan, a single call from one muezzin broadcast from a central studio to a network of mosques, each relaying the adhan through its own sound system. This beautiful and timely film is full of rich details of everyday life and maintains a quiet respect for the range of opinions voiced on either side of this somewhat unpopular edict. In a culture still unsettled by recent revolution, the idea of any kind of unification is controversial, and the loss of local traditions and individual voices is deeply felt.

For more information about the film and multimedia project, click here.

NCSCOS Essential Standards: WH.H.8.2

‘1001 Inventions and the World of Ibn Al-Haytham’ is a new global campaign produced by 1001 Inventions and King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in partnership with UNESCO and the International Year of Light 2015 to celebrate the 11th-century scientist Ibn al-Haytham, promoting light science and its applications for humanity. It is the fascinating story of a brave young scientist from 11th century Arabia.

1001 Inventions presents this new, first-of-its-kind experience exploring Ibn al-Haytham’s inspirational story, and introducing the birth of Light Science and Experimental Science to engage the public, particularly children and family audiences, in a simple yet highly interactive and spectacular way.

NCSCOS Essential Standards: 6.C.1.2, WH.H.2.5, WH.H.3.1