Mar 2012: What were the Arabs doing at night at the British Museum?

It was the Arabian Nights at the British Museum, so I sloped off to check out what the hoo haa was all about.

The BM is one of my favourite places, every time I get there, I find something new. Wonderful place. I spotted this curious carving of 5 acorns at the gate.

A mashrabiya projected on the wall?

The coffee shop. I had one of those cardamom flavoured coffees. It can wake the dead and make it dance the waltz to the sounds of Bob Marley, I tell you. I could feel my toenails whimpering and curling up.

The projected and real thing.

Waiting for a song to start.

Looked up at the roof.

I obviously could not understand the lyrics but the rhythm was catchy. I liked it, it reminded me of a song that I had heard in Cairo while I was staying at the Mena House. While sitting in the courtyard and observing the pyramids, there was this wedding party behind the hotel and they had this band playing a wedding song. It was brilliant, the cadences, the rhythm and and and was lovely. I have never been able to hear it again. Just cannot describe it at all.

Then this lady popped up to sing a romantic song..

She was warbling away to glory. Again, very beautiful lovely looking lady, but the song was a bit lost on me . Looking at her facial expressions and how she was moving her hands around, I figured it was a love song.

Then there was an exhibit of various Saudi Arabian dresses.

Leave aside the issue of the veil, that’s an argument for another day and place. But look at the vibrant colours and shapes. Why do the poxy Saudi’s force their women into those horrendous black coffins when their culture and presumably religion allows them such wonderful clothes? The mind boggles. This got me a bit turned off. Wandered around looking at the calligraphic exhibition, the henna tattoo place, the story teller, all interesting but I was a bit bummed off.



You could dress up in Arab dress and get photographed. And then the chap would upload to a website. I was tempted to try it out but the guy was pretentious as hell.

Here is one chap all dressed up.

Then I was told that there is a modern interpretative dance. Hey, that’s nice, that should be fun.

I look down, hey there Tenny old chap!

There, behind the partition, the lady is praying and preparing.

She popped out and put her hands together.

Then bent down

Till she was on the floor

And laid a stone on the ground.

This chap was banging on the drum

And there was a slow build up

And then she was rolling about on the floor.

I have firmly realised one thing, contemporary art is not for me.

Here is a pre-Arab, this is a quartzite head of the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III, about 1400 BC. Beautiful carving.

Pottering around in the great courtyard…





This is a unit which is strapped on top of a camel and carries stuff to the Haj. Man, the camel looks very very disgruntled and morose. Well, I would be so as well, just look at the colour combination!

I really couldn't take it any more, left fairly early.