"Aramco World" - magazine of "Arab and Islamic cultures"

For a number of years now I have had a free subscription--they're free for the asking, you "renew" every couple years to indicate continuing interest--to Aramco World. The magazine began publishing in 1949 and yes, it is a publication of the oil company. For anyone with an interest in Arab and Islamic cultures, it is a fascinating view into a too-rarely seen world.

They take their mandate seriously and every issue covers yet another unexpected (at least to me) corner of the world. I'm always impressed by the enormous range and variety of subjects covered. The last issue (it comes out every other month) had stories on "Cave Artists of Sulawesi," Byzantine coins, an early 20th century Egyptian photography studio, and a 12th century traveler from Al-Andalus. The newest issue arrived yesterday and features an intriguing look at Suriname in South America, among other things. The magazine is a very high quality production: beautiful paper, wonderful photographs and illustrations, and great writing. The articles are by freelancers and the quality is uniformly excellent. Even articles that I expected to bore me are generally so well-done that I find myself reading the whole thing.

So why am I posting on LTH? Simple: every issue includes an article on food. The current issue, for example, has a beautiful piece on Uzbeki flatbread. The previous issue, which is, at the moment, the "current" issue online features a story on "The Capital of Baklava," Gaziantep, Turkey. Recent past subjects: food in Dubai, saffron, chile peppers, Nonya cuisine, ice cream, and a historical overview of Islamic cuisines. As I wrote above, if you have even a passing interest in "Arab and Islamic cultures and connections," I strongly recommend signing up for the subscription. You can view each issue online for free but it's nicer to have the paper copy, I think. (If you look at the website, don't pass up the indices: there is a detailed and extremely lengthy subject index--check out the dozens of articles listed under 'Food'--as well as a geographical index.)

Gypsy Boy,
I just read the entire Fabled Flatbread story. What a treat.
You're right, great writing and photos. I look forward to being transported to another world again soon.
Thanks for posting.

I'm so glad you posted on Saudi Aramco World. I've been a fan for years, have recommended it to friends, but never thought about mentioning it here. As you say, the editorial and production standards are extremely high, and that extends to food coverage. I was particularly fond of a recent article on the surprisingly distinct cuisine of Oman. It's refreshing that the magazine is free of any political slant or commercial promotion. Truly one of my favorite publications.

Rene G wrote:I'm so glad you posted on Saudi Aramco World. I've been a fan for years, have recommended it to friends, but never thought about mentioning it here. As you say, the editorial and production standards are extremely high, and that extends to food coverage.

Ditto.

Peter (Rene G) initially brought Saudi Aramco World magazine to my attention a few years ago when I was researching about haleem. This fantastic magazine is an unwaveringly impartial source that is dedicated exclusively to all things related to the Arab and Muslim worlds.

If you've never gone to their website, it offers first-rate virtual walking tours of The Alhambra, the Suleymaniye Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock/Al-Aqsa Mosque. These tours are absolutely worth checking out.

The website has a 55-year old archive of back issues, starting from 1960.

I anxiously await each issue and routinely read it from cover to cover.

Thanks so much for sharing, David (Gypsy Boy).

As an "Aramco brat" (and childhood friends with the daughter of their then managing editor) I'm thrilled to see Aramco World getting some love on one of my favorite forums. It really is an amazing magazine...the breadth and depth of their coverage can't be beat.

Sounds great! I've just subscribed--tnx for the info!!

Geo

Geo wrote:Sounds great! I've just subscribed--tnx for the info!!

Geo

this was a timely reminder that i've been meaning to subscribe- so i just did. thanks!

Rene G wrote:I'm so glad you posted on Saudi Aramco World.

In the interest of complete and total accuracy, the name was changed to Aramco World at the beginning of 2015. Glad to be able to share such a wonderful resource with others. I'm pretty confident you'll enjoy it.