Saturday, October 25, 2014, 8:00 - 9:00 pm
Location: Ismaili Centre Toronto, 49 Wynford Drive, Toronto
Cairo at the Heart of the Grand Tour: Medieval Travellers from Spain to China
Alice Hunsberger, American Federation of Arts
Spanning the globe from Spain to China, the medieval Islamic world offered a large landscape in many ways socially, morally and culturally cohesive, while also remarkably varied from region to region. The religious command for all Muslims to travel to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage combined with the Prophet Muhammad’s directive that Muslims seek knowledge everywhere, “even unto China”, to make long-distance travel into a societal norm for all and a personal goal for many. Travelers crisscrossed kingdoms and empires, following their internal maps of what was valuable, noteworthy or necessary. Fulfilling another Islamic value, to spread knowledge, many travelers wrote about their journeys and have given us their chronicles of the great and the ordinary, the fabulous and the depraved. Some are joyous, some scientific, but all move along with eyes wide open to record the wonders of the world, both manmade and God-given. Great cities were growing up and growing more, some on ancient sites and some as grand examples of new city planning with architectural and social innovations. Travelers made sure to include Cairo on their itineraries. Come join one of the leading authors on medieval travel, as she explores the pathways of these journeys, with an illustrated lecture on Cairo as beacon, inspiration and resplendent goal of intercontinental travelers a millennium ago.
Pre-registration is required. Tickets will not be available for sale at the door.
Note: This lecture will be held at the Ismaili Centre Toronto, 49 Wynford Drive, Toronto. Paid parking will be available.
Register for this lecture only Pre-registration is required. Tickets will not be available for sale at the door.
Tickets: https://www.rom.on.ca/en/activities-pro ... llers-from
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, November 19, 2014, 8:00 - 9:00 pm
Location: Ismaili Centre Toronto
Looking for Women in Medieval Cairo: Imagined Histories and Historical Realities
Delia Cortese, Middlesex University
This lecture takes us on a virtual journey in search for women in medieval Cairo Cairo in the Fatimid period from 969 to 1171. Dr. Cortese unpacks anecdotes, literary conventions, historical accounts and forged stories to shed light on women’s participation – whether real or perceived- to the political, economic, social and cultural life of the time and place they lived in.
Register for this lecture only Pre-registration is required. Tickets will not be available for sale at the door.
Note: This lecture will be held at the Ismaili Centre Toronto, 49 Wynford Drive, Toronto. Paid parking will be available.
Register for this lecture only Pre-registration is required. Tickets will not be available for sale at the door.
Tickets: https://www.rom.on.ca/en/activities-pro ... tories-and
Presented in Partnership by the Royal Ontario Museum and His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Canada.