Category Archives: Blog

Samosas on the steppe! I had a delicious Indian dinner tonight in Ulaanbaatar at Namaste — one of the best restaurants in town…

I’m happy to share with you my new Huffington Post article on art in Qatar — Curating Qatar: Museum Marvels in Doha.

Here’s a link to my new Huffington Post article on the Great Mosque of Xi’an in China — a majestic fusion of Islamic and Chinese architecture.

Today on World Refugee Day, I’m thinking of all the Syrian refugees around the world — especially the Syrian refugees in Beirut with whom I worked as a professor, yogini, mentor, volunteer, and advocate. Unfortunately, there is no end in sight to the war — not to mention the ongoing suffering of millions of Syrian refugees now scattered around the globe.

Now that I live in the Sultanate of Oman, I have become more aware of the large number of Yemenis who have become internally displaced next door in Yemen because of the war there. Thus, on this World Refugee Day, my thoughts are with all of the refugees around the world who have had to flee their homes, but also with the millions who have become displaced by the devastation of war in their own countries and cannot leave.

It’s always such fun to go out shopping in Ulaanbaatar — you never know what incredible hats you might find!

Early this morning in Ulaanaabatar, I was very excited to check out the amazing caravan of old cars making the long trek this summer from Peking to Paris. Since I used to go to old car shows as a kid, I was delighted today to see two of my passions combined on the steppe — Mongolia and vintage cars.

The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge began on June 12th at the Great Wall of China outside Beijing. I was lucky to catch the cars while they were still in the beginning stretch (and not yet in pieces — though some axles were in need of repair). Organized by the Endurance Rally Organization, the race will finish on July 17th at Place Vendome after passing through 11 countries.

I had the chance to speak with some of the drivers, and they told me that they really enjoyed driving through the Gobi desert. Having driven through the Gobi desert myself last year in a 4×4, I have a hard time imagining these vehicles surviving the desert’s razor-sharp rocks. “Didn’t your cars break down in the sand?” I asked. “Of course, but that’s part of the fun!” one replied. The cars will now be making their way into Russia and Belarus on their way to the Alps.

Though the terrain is truly treacherous, participants are not allowed to tack on modern-day contraptions to hold spare parts — all cars must appear in period-style. There are 50 cars in the 8,500 mile race dated pre-1942 in the Vintageant class, and 60 cars in the Classic class dated pre-1977. Competitors in this unusual event hail from 24 different countries, with the largest number coming from the United States (21 teams!).

The cars stayed in the heart of Ulaanbaatar for less than an hour this morning before continuing onwards. I was very grateful to catch a brief glimpse of the race and the adventurous competitors — along with a crowd of intrigued Mongolians on their way to work and college graduation. Best of all was getting to hop behind the wheel of one of the cars — a unique and thrilling way to start my day in Mongolia.

Here’s a link to a New York Times travel article on Hershey Park — home to my favorite roller coaster as a kid…

I rolled out of bed this morning in Ulaanbaatar to read the newspaper and found Clinton and Trump — no escape!

Ramadan Mubarak to all of those observing Ramadan around the world! While it’s a joy to be in the Sultanate of Oman for Ramadan, I can’t help but miss serving up Ramadan dinners every night in Beirut to hundreds of Syrian refugees with the Lebanese Red Cross and Makhzoumi Foundation as I’ve done the past three years. Even though I won’t be able to serve in the same way this year, I’ll still be keeping beloved Syria and all the Syrian refugees — young and old, abled and disabled — in my heart all month long…

I was treated to a Sufi surprise in Qatar, when I encountered this whirling dervish at dinner in Doha. Since I’ve studied and taught tanoura in Egypt and sema in Turkey, I was delighted to see him perform both whirling forms.

Pure joy to roll out of bed for a scrumptious breakfast at the serene Ritz Carlton Sharq Village in Qatar, before setting out to enjoy life in Doha…

Since my latest academic publication focuses on disability in Iranian cinema (“From Leprosy to The Willow Tree: Decoding Disability & Islamic Spirituality in Iranian Film” in Disability & Society), I was elated to hear that the winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year was I, Daniel Blake (a film about a disabled carpenter struggling with the inhumanity of austerity), while the Iranian film The Salesman received the awards for Best Actor and Best Screenplay. As an admirer of Iranian cinema and a professor who has published on the development of the Iranian film industry (“Iranian-Russian Cinematic Encounters” in the book Iranian-Russian Encounters: Empires and Revolutions since 1800), I am delighted that Asghar Farhadi’s latest film received such high praise at Cannes — and I can’t wait to see it for myself soon. One day I hope to shoot a Persian script of my own in Iran with an Iranian director and crew — it would be a dream come true…

Every day, I feel very grateful to live and teach in the Sultanate of Oman — “a peaceful oasis in a burning region.”

My hiking friends and I spent the week-end at Al Bustan, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in Muscat to rest & unwind–such peace!