Happy 2008 to you all!

This will be my last posting for this year (even if I have both photos and links lying around to share - a christmas computer crash has delayed postings) and I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! As usual our world is undeservedly troubled and we can only hope for a better future.

See you again in 2008!

A holiday greeting from us!

This is in the intermission of a concert with the Swedish radio symphony orchestra, earlier this month, here in Abu Dhabi.

Gearing up for Christmas

Christmas preparations are underway also here in the Gulf, even if this week is more for the Eid. The weekend will contain a lot of baking and cooking for the holidays!

Eid Mubarak!

Slightly late, but still - I would like to wish all believers a happy peaceful Eid al-Adha.

Middle East reading

This is a Dagens Nyheter-review of Joseph Massad's book Desiring Arabs, posing the question of why the West has a repeated problem with Arab sexuality! The question pinpoints the sexualized view of the Arab world, regardless of where on the scale this "otherness" is perceived to be.

Not only on the Middle East, but very useful reading also on this can be found on this Swedish foreign policy-blogg "Utrikesbloggen". It is more of a magazine, actually, than a blog, and very newsworthy. It both has it's own columnists and republishes and links internationally pulished other articles.

Here is former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer on the Middle East, circuling around the Annapolis meeting. Swedish Foreign Minister Bildt comments here and writes himself here on the same topic (both before the meeting).

A controversial Iranian visitor has been to Sweden, here in an article from Dagens Nyheter.

Barry Rubin has published a new book on democracy issues in the Arab world - the publisher's description can be read here.

BBC here interviews Tom Segev, on a number of issues controversial to his native Israel. Here prime minister Olmert comments on related issues in the context of Annapolis on BBC.

A Svenska Dagbladet-editorial on potential developments in Saudi-Arabia, set in the context of European developments on the views of the rights of women.

Iranian women are in dire straits, and no more so than those extra vulnerable for social and economic reasons. Here is Layla, a child prostitute, highlighted by the BBC.

Women in Iraq are also facing difficult times, now highlighted especially in Basra.

Bitte Hammargren here writes on Internet-censorship in Syria, now directed against Facebook. The same topic is discussed here by English Al-Jazeera.

The emigration of Iraqis and their impact on the region and neighbours is discussed in this report.

Market streets

These are from the markets streets leading from Eminönü and the Yeni Camii up towards tha Grand Bazaar. Most of the streets are clothes, like in the photos.

And again we see how Klas has a store of his own in Turkey!!! ;-)

Arabic literature

I read about a UK foundation dedicated to presenting Arabic literature in English - a praise-worthy initiative, I must say! A number of Arab writers have met Western audiences successfully in recent years, but some encouragement to bring forth more is well-needer. There are few better ways than a good novel to get under the skin of characters one could not expect to meet in real life and gain a better understanding for their ways.

Initiatives are underway to promote translation also into Arabic, which is even less frequent today.

2 years of travel

Last week, this blog's second anniversary passed quietly. Right now, my photography is unfortunately not top priority, but I'll come back on that! Life is a bit busy with other things.... and very few trips are planned. But I will go on, and give you regular reading tips too!

Istanbul view

Some Istanbul panoramas. Taken from Beyoglu, with the Golden Horn on the left, and Kasimpasha below...

Reading the region...

Many regional developments to watch right now, most of them being closely interlinked - Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, the Annapolis meeting...

Worrying developments for Iran, in the shadow of the current crisis, are these, on the situation for women's rights activists.

Lebanon worries many right now, also here in the Gulf. No deal was made yesterday, reports Svenska Dagbladets Bitte Hammargren...

A Swedish angle on Iraq comes here - the possibilities to fly directly to the north are quite significant for many.

Expressens Anna Dahlberg follows Aftonbladets Johanne Hildebrandt in blogging directly from a trip to Iraq. As I have said before, I admire her for going to the scene to find out for herself. The same writer here on the upcoming Annapolis meeting, certainly not too hopeful. Important Arab countries such as the Saudis will attend though, reports BBC.

Swedish radio here investigates the consequences of the war threat for ordinary citizens in affected areas, this time in Turkey's south-east. Surprise! - the poor get poorer....

A voice on elections in Jordan also, to fill out the picture.

Helle Klein of Aftonbladet writes wisely on the roles of religion for peace and reconcilation - a topic no less important now than in the process she describes.

On this note, I really hope our prime minister spoke his mind clearly when met by comments such as these by French president Sarkozy...

On a more general level but no less poignant is this BBC story on financing of jihadists by oil money...

Also general and current is this Dagens Nyheter op-ed on the common historic denominators of our world's wars. It seems that British decolonization has left us quite a legacy to tidy up - and I'm not sure we are doing a better job of it now, unfortunately... Burma was mentioned in the previous link, and I was saddened by these news, indicating that commercial interests take precedence over people and politics.

And here an insightful angle on the Swedish debate on the anti-prostitution law, uniquely penalizing buying, not selling, sex.

But for something completely different, a Svenska Dagbladet story on an ancient shipwreck found in Swedish waters! Another historic find, this time in Rome, is shown here, the cave of Romulus and Remus.

Weekend events

A weekend event outside Stockholm, near my family home, is this workshop/information point on climate-smart opportunities. Thanks Jessica and friends for pointing it out to me!

Tomorrow is also Buy nothing day, on manifesting consumer power. Here is as British link on activities. I have to confess to being increasingly tired of acquiring possessions, at the same time as shopping is a large looming activity...

Today I ran into this "walkathon" Walk UAE 2007, for World Diabetes Day. Even abaya-clad women joined in the walking, otherwise rarely seen here in the Gulf - when hundreds of people walked by, (almost) all in identical t-shirts and caps, my eyes nearly popped!

Saturday update - an event from earlier this week that I want to give attention to was the Swedish Human Rights Days - at a Stockholm exhibition/fair venue. Several friends and colleagues were there, I know!

Istanbul markets

The two classic indoor markets in Istanbul, the Spice or Egyptian Market (Misir Carsisi) above and the Great or Covered Market (Kapali Carsi) below. Note the vaulted ceilings...

Outside Yeni Camii

A last look at Yeni Camii from the outside, before diving into the bazaar streets up towards Kapali Carsi.

Istiklal art deco

Opposite Richmond hotel in the far Tünel end of Istiklal there has been an art deco cafe for years. Less than a year ago, it was bought by an international coffee chain. But look how well-kept the interior still is! They have really preserved the old charm of the place. Here you can see the ceiling and the wall decorations.

Inside the Yeni Camii

The pictures are a little dark, but I think they give you a fair idea of the inside of the Yeni Camii. It is not as magnificent and calm and majestic as the Suleymaniye, but still impressive.

Reading in November

Today I start with a BBC-report on the road to reform in Saudi-arabia, in connection with a Saudi royal visit to the UK.

More than ten days ago, Iraq's neighbours (plus!) met in Istanbul to discuss Iraq's security. Also the issue of the PKK's presence in northern Iraq was addressed. A Kurdish love story in the shadow of war is told by the BBC from northern Iraq. The potential of the Kurdish issue to impact on the region as a whole is discussed by Gulf news. Al Jazeera reports on the developments on Kirkuk, concerning population and the planned referendum on the future. Also Mosul is contested, which BBC highlights here.

Reminding of a now blown-over (perhaps...) political scandal back home - on the relations between journalists, lobbyists and politicians. The restaurant where a close scandalized encounter took place is now advertising it jokingly.

Reminding you of an interesting speaking forum in the Middle East region, the Doha debates. Also from Qatar is a story on how to bridge a religious divide. Another important voice in the region, at the forefront of the changes in journalism and its impact in recent years, is al Jazeera, discussed here.

Fears for the situation of the region is voiced in Bahrain.

On trafficking and the sex trade in Israel BBC reports here.

Svenska Dagbladets Bitte Hammargren sorts out the different threads and tracks in the current fears of a potential war on Iran and highlights the ambivalence of also some Swedish politicians on some questionable parts of exile politics. You can hear the writer also on Swedish radio from Beirut this week, talking to correspondent Cecilia Uddén!

And finally for today, a review on a recent book on Ryszard Kapuściński.

Yeni Camii again

More details from the courtyard of the Yeni Camii, inside views to come!

Martin Adler Prize

The first Martin Adler Prize, in memory of the Swedish photojournalist killed last year in Mogadishu, has been handed out.

In the courtyard outside Yeni Camii

We have passed Yeni Camii (the new mosque, "only" about 400 odd years or so...) on every visit to Istanbul and shopped in the adjoining Misir Carsisi on numerous occasions but actually never been inside before. It was nice, very nice, though not quite as awesome as the Suleymaniye - my alltime favourite. We came during prayer times and so hung out in the courtyard for a bit, taking photos and watching latecomers perform their ablutions at the fountain in the centre of the court.

Favourite mosque

You know this already, my favourite Istanbul mosque is the Suleymaniye. Here are pictures taken from the Galata bridge.

Pera Palace

I have previously shown you classic Middle East hotels we have stayed in, the Cecil in Alexandria and the Baron in Aleppo. My husband was very interested in Istanbul's Pera Palace also, but the last year it has been closed for a wellneeded renovation. Maybe we will have more chances! Also on the list for the future is the American Colony in Jerusalem...

Radio favourite

I'd like to push for Swedish radio's current "Uddén i P1" where their very knowledgeable and insightful Middle East-correspondent gets 4 afternoons to broadcast live for 45 minutes from different Middle Eastern cities. Cecilia Uddén has a long background in reporting the region and also started my favourite radioprogramme Konflikt.

Kediköy? ;-)

No, there is no such place that I know of - it would mean "Cat's village" in Turkish. But cats are abundant, and this one we found in a fish market street...

Pastirma

We went to Misir Carsisi in Eminönü, next to the Galata Bridge, and bought Iranian saffron and Kayseri bastirma also. Here you can see them slicing the pastirma (an original Turkish pastrami) for us.

Food markets

I love looking at and browsing food markets, as you know - here is another contribution to this theme!

(Late) Halloween reading from a scary world

As usual, I think we will have a large amount of links on Turkey and Turkish politics. Here is for instance an article on a conference last week on the agenda of the Gülen movement. Also Dagens Nyheter's Per Ahlin writes on the importance of Turkey for the future of Europe. A variation of the theme was found in Dagens Nyheter here.

Touching on the tension between Turkey and the Kurds, now manifested in the threats of military action against the PKK in northern Iraq, BBC here describes Kurdish feelings across the border. Another BBC-article from inside Turkey on the same theme here. Dagens Nyheter here illustrates the same topic.

Mainstream Kurdish politicians in Turkey here with Svenska Dagbladet discuss the effects of the PKK:s actions for the Kurdish people.

Here is a debate article from Aftonbladet by a Kurdish-Swedish comedian asking for Swedish and European support for the situation of the Kurdish people. Another article from Expressen in this discussion states that a Turkish invasion would be illegal in international law.

A report from the Istanbul Book Fair, can be a contrast to the previous items.

An essay on the role of Britain in Iraq's recent history can be the last item on Turkey/Iraq, also this from Svenska Dagbladet.

But I can't refrain from mentioning the Aftonbladet's team behind webreporting from Iraq (previously feature in this blog) have been nominated to Sweden's most important journalistic pize.

Svenska Dagbladets previous (and highly praised) Middle East-correspondent Cordelia Edvardsson has published a collection of texts as a book - and Dagens Nyheter has here met and interviewed her. Also Aftonbladet's Helle Klein writes on the recent book.

Ghassan Kanafani has been republished in Swedish - reviewed here by Aftonbladet.

A Swedish review of the film on the fate of Daniel Pearl, A Mighty Heart, praising Angelina Jolie's interpretation of Mariane Pearl.

Also from Svenska Dagbladet is an article on trafficking for sexual purposes in dubai, mainly of Moldovan women.

A debate on the existence and effect of political blogging has taken place in Sweden. Also from the Swedish political debate, a (perhaps marginal comment) on an ongoing political "affair".

Istanbul traffic

Yes, traffic in Istanbul can be very crowded and cramped - hadn't you noticed? But somehow it usually flows, even if I guess we have all experienced when it is just blocked, too... A lot of yellow taxis are another typical sign of Turkish traffic!

Fish lunch on the Golden Horn

We had one full day in Istanbul in early August, doing all the things we love or never had the chance to do before. A new-found favourite was a fish lunch of "balik ekmegi" under the Galata bridge. Nearby fishing boats served the same also, for the first time in many years.

Golden Horn

Having taken a look at my current life in the Gulf, I want to return to some pictures from the summer. These shots are from Istanbul, looking over the Golden Horn, taken early in August, during my last days in Turkey (at least for this time!).

Book recommendation Afghanistan

I recently read Khaled Hosseinis second novel from Afghanistan, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which I really appreciated! For once a novel from Afghanistan carries a glimmer of hope also, despite the poverty and lack of opportunity that permeates the people depicted. I also saw this review of it, from Aftonbladet, so apparently it's translated to Swedish also. It is quite interesting actually, how much more, both literature and non-fiction, is translated into Swedish, compared to only 10 years ago or so.

You can also see Khaled Hosseinis first novel, The Kite Runner.

Wednesday update: the Swedish translation can be purchased from the webshop of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan.