From my Astronomy Course: We are made of star-stuff

The stars you see at night live and die, just like us.
They are born (from nebulae, or clouds of gas, dust and matter), they live (by Stellar Nucleosynthesis that allows them to generate energy through nuclear reactions), then die…and just like us, they die in different ways…
Some die of ageing, eventually shrinking and turning into cold dim bodies known as White Dwarfs (before losing all heat and becoming Black Dwarfs).
Some seem to suffer a massive accident, exploding into a Super Giant then contracting to become compact stars made up only of neutrons, known as Neutron Stars.
Some others seem to commit suicide becoming Black Holes that cannibalize other stars.
Some go crazy and spin around their axis hundreds of times a second, becoming Pulsars.
It is a strange universe that we are living in, and yet, we only see these massive stars that resemble nuclear furnaces as twinkling dots in the night sky, and that alone is magical enough.

I leave you with this quote by Carl Sagan:
“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star-stuff.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos

Cultural Dialogue after the Arab Spring: My Scholarship Report Published (Jan 26th)

The Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) published a short version of my scholarship report that documents the symposium on ‘Cultural Dialogue after the Arab Spring’, co-organized on 28 October 2011 by the ifa and the Institut Carlemany d’Estudis Europeus (ICEE) of the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC) in Barcelona:

http://www.ifa.de/fileadmin/pdf/stipendienprogramm/symposium_report_mediterranean2011.pdf

Astronomy Course in Cairo: Introduction to Astronomy (Jan 23rd)

I would like to thank all those of you who attended my course on astronomy in Cairo (January 23rd). The one-day crash course tackled the following topics:

1- Basic Terminology and Concepts
2- The Cosmic Model through the Ages
3-The Constellations & the Zodiac
4- The Solar System
5- Stars & Nebulae
6- Galaxies, Galactic Groups, Superclusters
7- Extraterrestrial Intelligence
8- Colors of the Universe…Music of the Spheres

Historic Cairo Storytelling Walk: Khoshqadam & Around (Jan 21st)

This walk (January 21st), organized for Pen Temple Pilots, was intended to introduce the participants to some of Historic Cairo’s forgotten monuments, explaining everything from a living heritage perspective.

The itinerary:

Al-Ghuriyya, al-Tawaqjeyya, al-Tarbeaa, al-Sharaibi, al-Gawdariyya, Darb Saada, al-Mangala, Khoshqadam, al-Siba’i, al-Dardiri, al-Tablita.

The monuments visited:

The Ghuri Complex – Mamluk, 1505

Wikalat al-Sharaibi – Ottoman XVIII c.

Mosque of Ali ibn Arabi – Ottoman XVIII c.

Bayt Mohamed al-Mahrouqi – Ottoman XVIII c.

Sabil-Kuttab and Mosque of Assanbugha – Mamluk, 1370

Mosque of Baybars al-Khayyat – Mamluk, 1515

Bayt Gamal al-Din al-Dahabi – Ottoman, 1637

Al-Dardir Hall – XII c.

Sabil-Kuttab Suleiman al-Kharbotli – Ottoman, XVII c.

Sabil-Kuttab Zein al-Abedin – Ottoman, XVII c.

Launching my Blog for Art & Culture News & Activities

Hello!

Following some 10 years of cultural activism, I finally decided to start this blog to keep my friends (and everyone) updated about the cultural activities that I organize. This blog will also be used to announce new events and to archive all the events that I conduct (Guided Walks & City Tours, Tertulia, Lectures, Presentations, etc.) and the courses that I give (Art, History, Language, Culture, Astronomy, etc.). Reserving for any activity directly through my blog gives you priority and guarantees a discount.
As a cultural manager and professor of cultural management, I look forward to fruitful interaction with passionate people…passionate about culture.

Camel