Author Archives: Ani Karapetyan

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer For a week we had travelled through eastern Syria – from Palmyra to Deir el-Zor and beyond.  Our group of four which included myself, my daughter, our guide and driver, had toured a good number of Syria’s desert ruins.  Now, we were in Aleppo reposing in the elegant Chahba … Continued

By: Blanche Shaheen/Arab America Contributing Writer Ask any Arab from any continent what their favorite dessert is, and they will most likely respond: Kanafeh. This iconic pastry, spelled a myriad of ways, from knafeh to kanafa to kanafeh, is undoubtedly the most popular dessert among Arabs the world over. This dessert truly went mainstream when … Continued

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer The Arab geographer, Ibn Abd al- Munim, when describing Jerez de la Frontera and its countryside some 1000 years ago, wrote that Jerez’s countryside is beautiful to behold, containing olive groves, fig trees and vineyards.  It appeared to us as we drove into town that with the exception of … Continued

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer Perhaps no other city in the world has so many appellations as the cosmopolitan city of Dubai, the commercial heart of the United Arab Emirates.  Due to the romantic setting of its Creek with its abras and dhows (traditional Arab sailing ships), some travellers label it ‘The Venice of … Continued

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer Many travelers who relish the taste of fine foods, and have visited Tunisia, praise in glowing terms it’s delightful cuisine. This is especially true if they have had the good fortune to be invited for a meal in a Tunisian home. A delectable home-cooked repast lovingly prepared and served … Continued

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer It is said that to visit a hammam (traditional bathhouse) in Damascus will not only make you cleanse your body but will also give you an elated feeling of comfort and relaxation.  For many of the uninitiated, once tried is rarely forgotten.  The medieval hammams, especially in Damascus, are … Continued

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer “I’m going to show you the most fantastic sight in Jordan.”  Amin, our Palestinian friend, working in Abu Dhabi and now home on holiday, was ecstatic as he went on to describe the tourist attributes of the northern Jordanian mountains.  “For me they are the top spot to visit … Continued

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer The autumn leaves of striking colours gave the countryside an enchanting atmosphere as we drove on the winding Fraserburg Road in the heart of the Muskoka resort area in the Canadian province of Ontario. My colleague and friend James Peters, professor at the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, was taking … Continued

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer Pleasing to the sight smell and taste, basil has been known for centuries, in a number of Near Eastern and Mediterranean countries, as an herb of kings. In these lands, since the dawn of civilization, it has been prized above all herbs and spices. The Greeks in the ancient … Continued

By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer “Let there be no violence in religion”, and “Fight against the unbelievers until they cease persecuting you, but if they desist, then let there be no hostility.” These Qur’anic words were taken to heart when the Arab-Muslims occupied the Iberian Peninsula and formed their state which they called al-Andalus. … Continued

By: Blanche Shaheen/Arab America Contributing Writer As first generation Arab Americans, my siblings and I were not exposed to nachos until we saw everyone eating them at a middle school sports rally. Like most children, we didn’t really have high culinary standards, so salty, crunchy chips drowning in a fake cheesy sauce hooked us immediately. … Continued