Arab and Islamic Civilizations Department-American University in Cairo

15/09/2026

✨ Bringing Mamluk manuscript traditions to life!

This week, students in ARIC’s The Mamluk Manuscript Tradition seminar (taught by Prof. Abou-Khatwa) had the opportunity to learn from master illuminator Mr. Adel Hassan through hands-on practice, demonstrations, and discussion.

From intricate details to the patience and precision behind them, students experienced the art of Mamluk illumination up close.

13/07/2026

Discover the Architecture of the Early Islamic World!

ARIC 3271 | Building for Islam: Architecture of the Early Caliphates in Egypt and Syria

Join Dr. Noha Abou-Khatwa this fall for an exciting journey through some of the most iconic monuments of the early Islamic period in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan.

Explore the architecture and history of landmarks such as the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, while examining their religious, social, political, and cultural significance. The course also includes field trips around Cairo, offering students the opportunity to experience Islamic architecture firsthand and develop skills in analyzing monuments as historical and artistic evidence.

📅 Schedule: Monday & Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
📖 Course: ARIC 3271 (CRN: 14281)
👩‍🏫 Instructor: Dr. Noha Abou-Khatwa

This course fulfills the Humanities and Social Science requirement for the Core Curriculum.

01/07/2026

📚 Course Announcement – Fall Semester

Course Number: ARIC 5111
CRN: 13594

📌 Senior Seminar in Arabic Literature in Translation: 🌍Migration in Arabic Literature and Film

Stories, films, memoirs, reports, and images being produced today in and about the Arab World and wider Global South feature migration more and more as a defining feature of communal life. These representations highlight the agency of migrants, including the unnamed and marginal, while also accounting for the experiences of those who stay behind.

These stories succeed in refuting stereotypical and jingoistic accounts of migrants and refugees, but they do more than that. They allow us to see migration in all its complexity: as trauma, adventure, death sentence, rebirth.

✅ Open to graduate students and undergraduate seniors.

30/06/2026

✨ Fall Course Spotlight: ARAB 3197 – Selected Themes and Topics in Arabic Literature in Translation: 1001 Nights ✨

Course Number: 3197
CRN: 13754
Meeting Time: UW, 3:30–4:45 PM

In this course, students will:
🌍 Examine the rich history of The 1001 Nights while exploring the many modern interpretations that have kept these stories alive across centuries and cultures.
✍️ Learn about the named and unnamed authors who shaped this remarkable collection and the audiences who carried it from the pre-modern Indian Ocean world to Hollywood and Bollywood.

✅ Fulfills the Arab World Studies requirement for the Core Curriculum.

We look forward to seeing you this fall!

16/05/2026

Adam Talib's translation of Fatma Qandil’s Empty Cages continues to make waves and has just received two new shoutouts:

✨ The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (WRMEA) published an in-depth review of the novel, highlighting the emotional depth of Qandil's storytelling and Talib's translation. Check out the review here: https://tinyurl.com/9tcv9vns

✨ Mille World recently featured Empty Cages on their list of the "Best Translated Arabic Books of 2026." https://tinyurl.com/32a9rzrd

There are beach reads, and then there are books that completely alter the temperature of your summer. The kind you start on a sun lounger in the late

09/05/2026

Join us this evening, Saturday 9 May, 6.00pm at Oriental Hall, Tahrir Square Campus:

06/05/2026

We are just days away from the 2026 Graduate Student Awards in Arab and Islamic Civilizations. The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 9 at 6pm in Oriental Hall, AUC Tahrir Campus, and will be followed by this year’s Scanlon Keynote Lecture.

We’re thrilled to announce that this year’s Scanlon Keynote Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Nicholas Warner, Director of Cultural Heritage Projects at the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE).

His lecture is entitled "Reviving a Ruin: Conservation of the Shrine of Ikhwat Yusuf in Cairo". An unmissable opportunity to hear from a leading expert on the preservation of Cairo's rich architectural heritage.

Join us to hear from a leading expert on the preservation of Cairo's rich architectural heritage and to celebrate exceptional scholarship.

📍 When: Saturday, 9 May 2026 | 6–8 PM
📍 Where: Oriental Hall, AUC Tahrir Campus (Zoom link :https://aucegypt.zoom.us/j/91916315996)
📧 Info: [email protected]

03/05/2026

A massive congratulations to Zein El Azzouni, MA in Arabic Studies (2026), who is the winner of the 2026 George T. Scanlon Graduate Student Award in Arab and Islamic Civilizations!

We’re excited to hear Zein talk about her thesis titled "Decorated Wooden Ceilings Of The Burji Mamluk Period In Cairo” at the 2026 Graduate Student Awards in Arab and Islamic Civilizations on Saturday, May 9 at 6pm.

The award ceremony will be followed by the annual Scanlon Keynote Lecture, which will be delivered by Dr. Nicholas Warner (ARCE).

📅 Saturday, May 9, 2026
🕕 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 Oriental Hall, AUC Tahrir Campus (Zoom link available)
📩 Info: [email protected]

30/04/2026

Remembered by his colleagues and students as a true Renaissance man and the "doyen of Islamic archaeology," Professor George T. Scanlon was a dedicated teacher and mentor to AUC students for thirty-six years. In memory of his dedication to teaching and his multidisciplinary approach to the study of Islamic culture, the department awards the George T. Scanlon Graduate Student Award annually to the most distinguished MA thesis in Arabic Studies.
Join us for the 2026 Graduate Student Awards in Arab and Islamic Civilizations on Saturday, May 9 at 6pm to celebrate this year's honoree! The award ceremony will be followed by the annual Scanlon Keynote Lecture, which will be delivered by Dr. Nicholas Warner (ARCE).

📅 Saturday, May 9, 2026
🕕 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 Oriental Hall, AUC Tahrir Campus (Zoom link: [email protected])
📩 Info: [email protected]

29/04/2026

On April 9, MESAAS held the annual Professor Maan Z. Madina Visiting Scholar Lecture featuring Professor Adam Talib of the American University of Cairo. His talk, entitled: “The Voice Trap Arabic Court Poetry and its Archival Tradition.”