Author Archives: emily

Photo by Emily O'Dell

“Speak softly, but carry a big can of paint.”
― Banksy, Wall and Piece

Photo by Emily O'Dell

When I was looking for a quote to accompany these photos, I found this website of Banksy’s images–czech it out…

Learning Hieroglyphs in Beirut

Excavating hieroglyphs in Egypt (Photograph by Marianne Barcellona)

My students and I have been taking our love of learning hieroglyphs out of the classroom and into the world–the best classroom of all.  Recently, we deciphered more complex grammatical sentences on the inviting grass of our palm laden campus, and soon we will be jetting off on yet another field trip to go see traces of hieroglyphs that the ancient Egyptians themselves left behind in the Levant…

Be a scribe, and be spared from soldiering!
You call and one says: ‘Here I am.’
You are safe from torments.
Every man seeks to raise himself up.
Take note of it!

— Papyrus Lansing

Photo by Emily O'Dell

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and the sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path.

Emily O'Dell hiking in southern Lebanon

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of the seasons.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Now I realize that the trees blossom in Spring and bear fruit in Summer without seeking praise;
and they drop their leaves in Autumn and become naked in Winter without fearing blame.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Your house shall not be an anchor but a mast.
It shall not be a glistening film that covers a wound, but an eyelid that guards the eye.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face. But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity, and you are the mirror.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Yes, there is a Nirvana; it is in leading your sheep to a green pasture,
and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Like the seeds dreaming beneath the snow, your heart dreams of spring…
I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized,
than lord among those without dreams and desires…

Photo by Emily O'Dell of lunch at Auntie Salwa's in Beirut

For some home-cooked, organic Lebanese food, I headed yesterday to Auntie Salwa’s, where Auntie Salwa herself rotates in new fresh dishes every day…you can choose their dish of the day, or pick five different dishes to taste. Eating in their quaint little cafe, while sipping on some fresh-squeezed orange juice–is pure delight…

Photo of Chicken Fatteh by Emily O'Dell

Perhaps my favorite Lebanese dish is Chicken Fatteh–a combination of chicken, yogurt, chickpeas, pinenuts and fried, shredded bread. So hop on a plane to try some for yourself, or just look up a recipe online and get cookin’–you won’t be disappointed!

Photo by Emily O'Dell

And of course there’s always old stand-bys like hummus–served here with meat and pinenuts…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…and babaghanoush–which just can’t be beat. The food of Lebanon–just one more reason to get on a plane, and come see Lebanon for yourself!

Walking past these old homes in Beirut in need of repair…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

it’s hard not to dream of buying one–to restore some heyday charm.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

But all over Hamra–people are doing just that.

Like at Bagatelle, one of Hamra’s hottest restaurants…

where you can eat a fresh quinoa salad-sip on a frozen mint lemonade-and marvel at its renovated rooms.

Behold, just some of the untold beauty of Beirut…

On my stroll this evening to one of my favorite cafes in Beirut…

Cafe Dar in Beirut photographed by Emily O'Dell

I passed by the Cupcakery…

…where I just had to get a treat…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…and as I wandered from cafe to cafe…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…I found more graffiti that had escaped me…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…just a few blocks from my house…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…the walls were talking…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

So how can we ever feel alone?

Photo by Emily O'Dell

When the whole city speaks…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Where have you seen Hamra before? Well, maybe on Homeland. But–as I’ve pointed out before–the real Hamra is a world away from Homeland. Instead of those masked gunmen on a dusty road, you’ll find H&M, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Radio Shack…and oh so many cafes and cocktails…

Hamra, once the intellectual watering hole of Beirut in the 1960s and 1970s…is still bustling with activity and nightlife today…and on almost every street corner…

…you’ll find some graffiti…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…where you least expect it.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…to promote upcoming events…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…make a political statement…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…and surprise the eyes with unexpected art in all directions…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Currently, there are no laws on the books against spray painting in Lebanon…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…but recently a Lebanese painter and poet was charged with disrupting the public order…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…because one of his images may have crossed that unmarked line.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

The landscape of our neighborhood is constantly changing–murals come and go…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…there are new manifestos to proclaim–new concerts to announce–and new images to create.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

The street art of Hamra keeps things fresh–we’ve got a conversation going. The day to worry, perhaps, is the day the graffiti stands still. For now, these night artists are still stalking the streets, making themselves–and their art–be known…

Just a quick post on this beautiful Saturday morning to share my ever burning love of Beirut…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…often called the Miami of the Middle East…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…but comparing it to “Miami” or “Paris” doesn’t do it justice–because Beirut is a world of its own–and so is Lebanon.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

But to understand–you’ll just have to hop on a plane–and see it for yourself.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

Because what you won’t see in the media, are the cabins of Jezzine…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…the lush, rolling hills of the south…

Photo by Emily O'Dell at Baalbek

…and you’ll certainly never “tyre” of the endless ruins in all directions…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…but still be sure to stop for a seafood lunch in Byblos…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

…and at night…before the requisite partying begins, feast on some pain perdu–French toast with vanilla ice cream– that will leave you giving thanks for being alive…

Photo by Emily O'Dell

So don’t believe all the Homeland hype. Life here in Lebanon is–for many–just one non-stop party (“Top Ten Bars in Beirut”: http://travel.cnn.com/10-best-bars-beirut-822916). Because that which does not kill you–might just make you party. And I can’t think of a more beautiful place–to celebrate being alive…

“Loaded like donkeys with our new yoga mats — still in the plastic wrap — we hiked up the hill…”

Emily O'Dell bringing new yoga mats to help teach a yoga class for refugees in Beirut

To read my latest story “Refugee Yoga in Beirut,” posted on NPR’s blog for the inspiring program “On Being,” please go here.

Photo taken by one of the refugee yoginis of another yogini in the yoga class co-taught by Emily O'Dell in Beirut

“Though every yoga class ends in shavasana, it’s unsettling to lie in corpse pose in a refugee camp, with a war next door…”

Photo by Emily O'Dell

“It was nearly impossible to tell Ayatollah Khomeini from Ayatollah Khameini, as we sped past their cardboard cutouts over the highway…”

Photo taken by Emily O'Dell on the road to Baalbek

To read my latest story–about visiting the ruins of Baalbek in Lebanon–please click here.

Emily O'Dell with AUB students at Baalbek

Even though the government of Lebanon fell yesterday, my colleague and I were resolute in taking some students all the way to Baalbek to survey the impressive ruins.  And once again, I ran into some lions…

Professor Emily O'Dell at Baalbek in Lebanon

The students were given a map of the site, and encouraged to go explore the landscape on their own…they were also provided with old paintings by David Roberts, and different blocks and architectural features to find, in a scavenger hunt of sorts to keep their eyes open for inscriptions, tells, trenches, and temples…

Engraving by John Pye based on a painting by David Roberts

If you look at the image above, you’ll also recognize the same image below…

Emily O'Dell at Baalbek in Lebanon

And lurking behind those columns, is the marvelous temple of Bacchus…which we reached just as a giant rainstorm was also reaching the site…

Emily O'Dell in front of the temple of Bacchus at Baalbek in Lebanon

Students were provided with the painting below by David Roberts, to compare the temple today with the way it was back in the 19th century…

David Roberts rendering of the Bacchus Temple at Baalbek

Inside, we discussed what materials would have been used for the roof, and collectively wished they were still there–since just minutes upon entering, the rain began to descend upon our heads…

Emily O'Dell in the Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek in Lebanon

After a relaxing lunch in town, we got back on the bus, and headed back to Beirut.  Little did we know–the next day a spate of kidnappings by armed gunmen would be striking the Beqaa–and Baalbek–forcing the army to send in the troops…

To read more about it, please go here: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Mar-25/211347-army-deploys-in-baalbek-region-after-arsal-labweh-kidnappings.ashx#axzz2Oih1Pn9z

Emily O'Dell leading an African safari

This summer, I was very fortunate to lead a safari for Columbia University through East Africa, where we saw hundreds of elephants–from weeks-old babies to elderly matriarchs–in their natural habitat during the great migration.  Having witnessed these majestic mammals in person across the Serengeti-Mara, it is with a heavy heart that I’ve been reading about the increasing slaughter of elephants across Africa these past few weeks in articles like the ones below.

Photo by Emily O'Dell

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/opinion/sunday/slaughter-of-the-african-elephants.html

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/03/10/opinion/sunday/20130310-elephant-4.html

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/more-proof-that-rules-alone-wont-save-threatened-wildlife/

Photo by Emily O'Dell

There must be a way to stop this senseless slaughter–before it’s too late…

Professor Emily O'Dell with her AUB students on a field trip to Byblos in Lebanon

I took my students this past week-end to Byblos on an interactive field-trip to investigate Byblos’ cultural heritage…we started out in the legendary port, before hiking up the hill to the 12th century Crusader castle…

Professor Emily O'Dell with her AUB students in the Byblos royal tomb of Abi Chemu in Lebanon

In addition to our playful tomb-raiding, we deconstructed the site management planning, the area’s preservation status, and the ancient and modern landscape around us and beneath us…

AUB students in the tomb of Abi Chemu at Byblos in Lebanon on a field trip with Professor Emily O'Dell

The students, as you can see below, played the role of “tour guide” for different sections of the site–from the obelisk temple to the temple of the goddess Baalat Gebal and beyond.  They became fully integrated into the site as producers of knowledge–not just consumers of knowledge…

AUB students in front of the Crusader castle at Byblos on a field trip with Professor Emily O'Dell

In the Roman theater, the students listened to a presentation about the history of the theater of Byblos, and learned about what made this theater different from other ancient theaters of the time–particularly the fact that it was not built on a slope.  We’ll be viewing the missing theater mosaic of Bacchus in the National Museum in several weeks.

AUB students on a field trip at Byblos--where they "play" the role of tour guides for each other

The students were particularly intrigued by the site’s source well, which is surrounded by large sustaining walls of irregular stones.

Professor Emily O'Dell with her AUB students at Byblos

And our hunt for the elusive Persian lion, as you can see below, was successful–if you go to Byblos–we wish you luck in finding it–it’s well worth the hunt!  While the Persian period is often neglected in the study of the history of Byblos, we weren’t going to have our delicious sea-side lunch without paying our proper respects to the lion, and studying the ruins from the Persian era which tourists often miss…

Emily O'Dell with the Persian lion at Byblos

Of course, how could I not but think of my other favorite Persian lion–the one that almost ate me for lunch at Persepolis in Iran…

Professor Emily O'Dell at Persepolis in Iran

Or my rendez-vous with that stoic-faced lion in the Egyptian desert near Medinet Maadi…

Emily O'Dell in Medinet Maadi in Egypt

Or the real lions I spotted this summer when leading a spirited safari through the savannah in Kenya and Tanzania…here, kitty, kitty…

Emily O'Dell leading a safari through Kenya and Tanzania--see the lion feasting on a bloody kill just outside the window?

After my students and I congratulated ourselves on finding the camouflaged Persian lion of Byblos, we called it a day, and dined on shish taouk and fresh fish near the port…what better way for students to learn, than on the stage of history itself?  Perhaps it goes without saying that we’re already planning our next great escape…stay tuned to see where we end up…

Yesterday, I gave a public talk on “Transsexuals, Clones & Gametes: Adjudicating Bodily Difference in Iranian Islamic Jurisprudence,” at the Sexual Sovereignty: Citizenship, Governmentality, Territory Conference at the American University of Beirut organized by Dr. Jasbir Puar.  To read about this conference, please click here: http://www.aub.edu.lb/news/2013/Pages/sexuality-conf.aspx.

My article on this topic, which will soon be published and is a continuation of my post-doctoral research at Harvard, investigates the adjudication of transsexuals, clones and gametes in Islamic law, and surveys a range of opinions from Iran, Iraq and Lebanon on how these “othered,” “altered” and non-normative bodies should be conceived, assembled, reproduced, and judged in legal terms, fatwa documents, and physical reality.  Details on this stimulating conference are below…