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Volume 43, Number 5 September/October 1992

In This Issue

September/October 1992
The Art of Islamic Spain
Written by Patricia, Countess Jellicoe
Photographs courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Muslim Spain, for 700 years the occidental frontier of Islam, gave birth to a complex and original mixed culture whose exquisite art and architecture bear witness to power and opulence, but also to restraint and faith.

 
Berber Silver, Arab Gold
Written by Caroline Stone
Photographed by Francesco Venturi

In the rich variety of North African jewelry all the layers and distinctions of society are reflected in metal and stone. Men and women, married and unmarried, Berber and Arab - for each, there is an appropriate treasure.

 
Heaven's Gate
Written by Zayn Bilkadi
Illustrated by Penny Williams-Yaqub

"There is the truth of legends and there is the legend of truths," great-grandmother Mammati Fatma said, and Sidi Bou Said - simultaneously fishing village, tourist center and historical monument - is home to both.

 
Recalling the Tales
Written by Piney Kesting
Photographed by Katrina Thomas

Many Arab folk tales recorded even 130 years ago, from Morocco to Iraq, are still current in homes and teahouses, a Palestinian-American folklorist found - as well as in her own warm memories of home and family.

 
A Study in Blue and White
Written and photographed by Charles O. Cecil

Blue doors, whitewashed houses and beautiful views of the sea - and of history - attract tourists and Tunisians alike to the cobbled streets and contemplative charms of Sidi Bou Said, still today "the seat of reconciliation."