Category: Diverse

By Oula Mahfouz When the old Damascus house is mentioned, an image of a place filled with the scent of flowers, especially jasmine, iris and Damascus roses, immediately comes to mind. The origin of the Damascus rose is disputed, but it spread from Damascus all over the world and took its name from this city. Poets and writers have sung its praises and it has been mentioned in legends. It first spread in Europe. Drawings of the rose can still be found on the tiles of the Alhambra in Granada in Andalusia. Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil brought it from Damascus. He… Read More

Von Oula Mahfouz Wenn vom alten Damaszener Haus die Rede ist, entsteht sofort ein Bild eines Ortes, der von dem Duft von Blumen, besonders Jasmin, Iris und Damaszener Rosen, erfüllt ist. Der Ursprung der Damaszener Rose ist umstritten, doch verbreitete sie sich von Damaskus aus in alle Welt und bekam von dieser Stadt ihren Namen. Dichter und Schriftsteller haben sie besungen, und sie wurde in Legenden erwähnt. Zunächst verbreitete sie sich in Europa. Zeichnungen der Rose finden sich immer noch auf den Fliesen der Alhambra in Granada in Andalusien. Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil brachte sie aus Damaskus. Er brachte auch Oliven,… Read More

By Michael Seifert All newborns could learn any complex spoken language in the world. However, cultural differences are already apparent in the first sounds that babies make. This is proven by the long-standing research findings of Professor Kathleen Wermke from the University of Würzburg, which she recently summarised in the book “Babygesänge. How crying becomes speech”. The head of the Centre for Pre-Linguistic Development and Developmental Disorders and her team have observed, for example, that French babies actually cry with an accent. Their melody line runs from low to high, while babies of German-speaking mothers cry with a falling melody,… Read More

Always on April 1, people in Germany make an effort to “send other fellow human beings into April.” They tell or write then invented story or fantasy information to mislead the listeners or readers. These so-called April Fools’ Day hoaxes occur in the office, in the family, at school, but also in newspapers or on the news. The hoax is usually resolved with a shout of “April Fool’s Day.” There is no clear reason for the April Fool’s joke and why it falls on April 1. What is clear, however, is the fun associated with these April Fools’ Day pranks.… Read More

Nouruz marks the start of the new year in Iran and Afghanistan. It is always a big celebration. But this year and in 2025, things are different. The reason: New Year’s Day on March 20 falls during the fasting month of Ramadan, which this year lasts from the evening of March 10 to the evening of April 9. Ramadan shifts by ten to 12 days every year according to the Islamic lunar calendar with only 354 days from the perspective of the solar calendar. Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan. All… Read More

By Oula Mahfouz and Arne Schick1 Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient for the formation and maintenance of healthy bones as it regulates the absorption of calcium, the main component of bones. It also influences numerous functions in the body’s cells that, for example, inhibit inflammation, protect against cell damage or support the immune system, muscle function and brain cell activity. Natural sources of vitamin D are limited, but we can absorb it from fatty fish or through the conversion of chemical substances in the skin under direct sunlight. The amount of vitamin D produced depends on several factors, including… Read More