April 17, 2018

Today, World Book extends Arab American Heritage Month to Canada, where the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto is featuring an exhibition called The World of the Fatimids. The Fatimids, often written as  Fātimids, were a dominant Arab culture that ruled much of northern Africa and parts of the Middle East from A.D. 909 to 1171. The World of the Fatimids exhibition, which began in March 2018 and runs through early July, features rare items of art and luxury, as well as a program of films and lectures that concentrates on the culture’s influence on Cairo, the erstwhile Fātimid capital and current capital of Egypt.

This carved ivory oliphant (hunter’s horn) is part of The World of the Fatimids exhibition at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Ontario. Credit: © The Aga Khan Museum

The Fātimid dynasty was a line of Muslim rulers who claimed descent from Fātimah, a daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, and her husband, Alī ibn Abī Tālib, a cousin of the Prophet. The dynasty and its followers belonged to the Shī`ah branch of Islam and to a sect called the Seveners. In 909, they gained control over land that had been held by the larger group of rival Sunni Muslims and rose to power in north Africa. At various times, the Fātimid empire included Sicily, Syria, and parts of Arabia and Palestine.

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From the 900′s to 1171, the Fātimids ruled an empire that covered North Africa and much of the Middle East.  Credit: WORLD BOOK map

For many years, the Fātimids made their capitals in what are now the cities of Al Qayrawan and Al Mahdiyah, Tunisia. But after winning control of Egypt in 969, they founded a new capital, Al-Qahirah (Cairo). There, they built many beautiful buildings and established al-Azhar University. Today, this university is one of the oldest in the world and the most influential religious school in Islam. The Fātimids also established great libraries in Cairo and in Tripoli, Lebanon.

The Fātimid rulers were good leaders, but internal conflict eventually broke the dynasty apart. Members of the court struggled for power in the 1160′s, and Nūr al-Dīn, a Syrian leader, became involved. The last Cairo ruler asked Nūr al-Dīn for protection against an invasion in 1168. Nūr al-Dīn sent a strong force that included Saladin, a great warrior who overthrew the Fātimid dynasty in 1171. Today, Shī`ites (followers of Shī`ah Islam) who remain loyal to the Fātimid dynasty are known as Ismā`īlīs (Ismailis).

Aga Khan is the title of the Ismā`īlī imām (spiritual leader). Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum, a creation of the Aga Khan Development Network run by Aga Khan IV (1936-…), opened in 2014. The museum houses collections of Islamic art and heritage and shares formal gardens and a park with the Ismaili Centre Toronto.

April 12, 2018

In appreciation of Arab American Heritage Month in April, World Book pays a visit to the Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn, Michigan. The AANM is the first and only museum in the United States devoted to Arab American history and culture. Arab Americans are Americans who have roots in the Arab world—that is, the areas where people speak the Arabic language and share other cultural traditions. The Arab world includes much of the Middle East, the region that spreads across southwestern Asia and northern Africa. Arab American accomplishments, as well as the traditions of the Arab world, have strongly influenced life and culture in the United States. Americans of Arab descent have made significant contributions to virtually every field and profession.

The Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Credit: Doug Coombe, Arab American National Museum

The Arab American National Museum, which opened in 2005, shares the experiences of Arab Americans through stories of immigration and assimilation and exhibits on Arab American art, culture, and history. Part of the AANM’s goal is to dispel misconceptions and promote cultural understanding between Arab Americans and their fellow citizens. The AANM’s location in Michigan reflects the state’s high percentage of Arab American citizens in the population—1.69 percent, the most of any state in the country. California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York also have large numbers of Arab American citizens. The AANM is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and is a founding member of the Immigration and Civil Rights Network of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, an organization dedicated to human rights around the world.

The Coming to America exhibit at the Arab American National Museum. Credit: Arab American National Museum

The AANM collections include art, artifacts, documents, personal papers, and photographs connected to the Arab American experience. Four themed permanent exhibits represent the central core of the museum: Coming to America, Living in America, Making an Impact, and Arab Civilization: Our Heritage. An AANM traveling exhibit, “What We Carried: Fragments & Memories From Iraq & Syria,” is currently touring other U.S. museums. The AANM also sponsors conferences, performance art, film festivals, craft classes, diversity training, and other events and programs. The museum’s Russell J. Ebeid Library and Resource Center keeps the single largest collection of Arab American material in the United States.

Like other immigrants, Arabs came to the United States seeking better opportunities. The first significant number of Arab immigrants arrived between 1880 and 1920. The numbers dropped sharply because of restrictive immigration laws passed after World War I (1914-1918). Those laws were changed in the 1960′s, and the Arab American population has increased rapidly since the 1970′s.