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Category: Diverse

From independence to liberation: the Syrian flags

By Oula Mahfouz On Sunday, December 8, 2024, Syrian people around the world celebrated the fall of the Assad regime. They raised a flag with the three colors green, white and black – with three red stars in the middle. But what is the story behind this flag? The independence flag: the beginning and its meaning This flag, known as the flag of the Syrian revolution, has deep roots in the country’s history. It was first introduced by local authorities under the French Mandate administration on January 1, 1932. This flag became known as the “Independence Flag” and became the… Read More

The land of blackness is the land of palm trees

by Sameer Ibrahim Iraq is considered one of the countries with the most palm trees in the world, with around 22 million palm trees. Historians say that the cultivation of date palms began around 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia. As recently as the 1970s, there were more than 30 million palm trees in Iraq, but wars and neglect have reduced their numbers by millions. The palm tree was sacred in ancient civilizations because of its vital importance. In the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, there is a seal from the Akkadian period dating back to 2730 BC, depicting two men… Read More

The bandura: an instrument of Ukrainian identity

By Yana Rudenko The Ukrainian bandura is a lute-like instrument with up to 65 strings, including up to eight melody strings and many accompanying strings. It resembles both a lute and a zither and is therefore also called the ‘Ukrainian lute zither’. The bandura is played with both hands and combines the playing styles of both plucked instruments. The historical development of the bandura also reflects the history of the Ukrainian nation, which goes back many centuries. Originally, the bandura was played by blind minstrels who travelled from village to village singing epic ballads and historical songs. The instrument was… Read More

Science in exile: An evening on the situation of Ukrainian researchers and students

By Yana Rudenko The living conditions of Ukrainian researchers and students in exile were the focus of an event in the historical reading room of Tübingen University Library at the end of July. The evening focused on the experiences of academics who were forced to leave their homeland due to Russian aggression. The event was part of the traveling exhibition “Poser pour la Liberté/Standing for Freedom”, which shows portraits of scholars in exile and was on display in the foyer of Tübingen University Library. The event was organized by the Research Department II of the Faculty of Humanities, Slavic Seminar,… Read More

Why Arabic calligraphy is art, culture and identity at once

By Oula Mahfouz Calligraphy or calligraphy literally means “the art of beautiful writing”. The term comes from the Greek and is made up of “kalos” for beautiful and “graphein” for writing. According to scholars, Arabic calligraphy is not only a means of writing, but also an art. It reflects the beauty of the Arabic language and expresses Islamic culture. Today, Arabic calligraphy is used in many artistic and design fields. Traditional writing instruments such as bamboo cane and ostrich feathers are used for Arabic calligraphy. Some of them are still used today in addition to modern tools. Arabic calligraphy has… Read More

News from LUCA, the ancestor of all living creatures

Evolutionary biology assumes that all organisms living today have a common ancestor. This is because today’s organisms have many similarities, including the fact that they use the same genetic code. An international research team has now presented new findings on this potential common ancestor, called LUCA, which stands for „Last Universal Common Ancestor“. This common ancestor of all living beings today is thought to have lived much earlier than previously assumed, namely around 4.2 billion years ago. An international research team led by the University of Bristol in England traced the family tree of species back to their presumed beginnings:… Read More

The Kufiya: A cultural heritage between tradition and resistance

By Oula Mahfouz The kufiya, known in Germany as the “Palestinian scarf”, has become particularly topical in Berlin as a result of the war in Gaza. In October 2023, the education administration in Berlin gave school headmasters the option of banning the wearing of the kufiya at school if it could jeopardise “school peace”. Wearing the kufiya was also banned at some demonstrations against the war. How did the kufiya acquire this political significance and where does it actually come from? The shapes and patterns of garments change over the centuries and always carry historical, social and religious meanings. All… Read More

“Tübingen ears” generate electricity

The “Tübingen ears” are solar panels installed on open spaces that convert solar energy into electricity. Two of them are already located on the slip road of the B27 motorway near Lustnau. The third, the Traufwiesen solar park, is currently still under construction. By the summer, 15,000 photovoltaic modules will be installed along the B27 motorway in the direction of Stuttgart. They are expected to generate 8,800 megawatt hours of electricity per year—as much as 1955 families of four would consume in the same period. This is reported by the Tübingen municipal utility, which is building the plant in cooperation… Read More

Damascus: the home of roses, iris and jasmine

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

How baby songs become language

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

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