Arab and Islamic Civilizations Department-American University in Cairo

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.”

29/04/2026

«أخبار الأدب» توثق ندوة أدب السجون الفلسطيني 📚🇵🇸

في تغطية مميزة لجريدة «أخبار الأدب»، رصد الكاتب د. محمود بركة تفاصيل الندوة التي نظمها قسم الحضارات العربية والإسلامية بالجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة حول أدب السجون الفلسطيني، والتي جمعت بين الكاتبين المحررين باسم خندقجي وناصر أبو سرور.

جاءت الندوة التي أدارتها د. دينا حشمت، أستاذة الأدب العربي بالقسم، ضمن نشاطات الموسم الثقافي العربي.

للقراءة الكاملة: 🔗 https://akhbarelyom.com/news/newdetails/4811090/1/%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%A3%D8%AF%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7

#فلسطين

بوابة أخبار اليوم الإلكترونية

28/04/2026

Please join us in congratulating Yumna Moussa (MA in Arabic Studies, 2026), recipient of the 2026 Nadia Niazi Mostafa Endowed Award in Islamic Art and Architecture.
Join us at the 2026 Graduate Student Awards in Arab and Islamic Civilizations to hear her award-winning thesis presentation:
“Ottoman Wikālas in Cairo: Islamic Architecture Beyond the Mosque,” supervised by Dr. Ellen Kenney and Dr. Noha Abou-Khatwa.

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

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

26/04/2026

Behind every great scholar is a community that supports them.
Today, we honor Nadia Niazi Mostafa, a devoted friend of AUC and parent of an AUC alum, who has supported the study of Islamic art and architecture at AUC for more than two decades. Her passion for this dynamic field began in the early 1980s, and in 1999, she established the Nadia Niazi Mostafa Endowed Award in Islamic Art and Architecture to recognize the best term paper or thesis.

Join us on Saturday, May 9 at 6pm for the 2026 Graduate Student Awards in Arab and Islamic Civilizations when we will be celebrating this year’s winner! 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)
📩 For more information: [email protected]

21/04/2026

Notre cheffe de département, Dr Amina Elbendary, partage sa vision de la recherche historique dans une nouvelle interview avec al-Ahram Hebdo. Elle souligne l'importance de l'« histoire vue d'en bas » pour comprendre le quotidien des gens ordinaires.
📖Découvrez l'impact de notre séminaire ici : https://french.ahram.org.eg/News/83915.aspx....................................................................................................
تحدثت رئيسة القسم، الدكتورة أمينة البنداري، مع الأهرام إبدو مؤخراً حول شغفها بالبحث التاريخي وتأثير السمينار السنوي للتاريخ الذي ينظمه القسم منذ ثلاثين عام. وسلطت الضوء على أهمية دراسة "التاريخ من الأسفل"، وهو نهج يركز على دراسة حياة وتجارب عامة المجتمع
اقرأ المقابلة الكاملة هنا:
https://french.ahram.org.eg/News/83915.aspx

« Les Dynamiques commerciales dans l’histoire du Moyen-Orient, 700-1900 » est le thème débattu au Séminaire annuel de l’Histoire à l’Université américaine du Caire. Entretien avec Amina Elbendary, maître de conférences, au département des civilisations arabe et islamique, l’une de...