Sana’a, the Ancient Capital of Yemen

June 3, 2009 ·  

Situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,200 meters, Sana’a is the capital of Yemen. The old city of Sana’a has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1986 and the reasons for this are clear. The city has 103 mosques, 14 hammams and over 6,000 houses, all built before the 11th century AD. These multi-storied tower-houses, built of rammed earth (pisé) and delicately decorated, are home to approximately 50,000 people. The main souk in Sana’a is the Suq al-Milh. Although the souk’s name means... [Read more]

The Road to Shiloh, Israel

February 8, 2009 ·  

Shiloh is so full of history, the kind I have poured hours over while reading and mail-exchanging with David Rubin, former mayor of Shiloh and author of God, Israel and Shiloh. I had a need to be there in the Biblical heartland and experience the walk up to the place where the Ark of the Covenant once rested for 369 years; stand in the synagogue where childless Hannah gave birth to her son Samuel, who became the great Prophet of Israel; and be where hero Joshua divided the land among the ten tribes. My kind of... [Read more]

Shams Ensemble with Whirling Dervish

January 19, 2009 ·  

This incredible performance comes to ITKT by way of Iran. I was fortunate enough to catch the Shams Ensemble on a recent tour of the US in Los Angeles at the Ebell Theater. The group was started by Kaykhosro Pournazeriin 1980 and was the first musician to compose music for the traditional Kurdish lute, tanbour. Their CD ‘The Voice of Endearment’ is also now available and a wonderful example of the sounds coming from Iran.

As with all of our videos Quicktime 7.0 or better is required to see our great... [Read more]