Arabic Online Periodicals

al-Ādab wa-l-Fann

The Arabic-language journal al-Ādab wa-l-Fann ("Literature and Art") was published in London from 1943 to 1945. The editor was the British publishing house "Hodder & Stoughton" which was founded in 1868 and still exists.
The magazine addressed an Arabic-speaking readership aiming to inform them extensively about literary and artistic topics of that time. However, the main purpose of the journal was not only to inform about contemporary British and Arabic literature and art but to encourage the readers to exchange views through readers letters. In the section "Literary Exchange" selected British and Arabic prose were published with the request to submit adequate Arabic or English translations, which then also were printed.
In addition to portraits of contemporary well-known British writers, such as John Masefield and Walter Whitman, selected papers, poems and excerpts from well-known international writers of that time were publicized. Numerous articles on cultural and scientific achievements and institutions such as the typewriter, the British railways, well-known libraries and universities of England found place as well as texts on contemporary music, art and philosophy.
The magazine was also funded by numerous advertisements of British products and brands which were generously distributed in each issue.

al-Aḥrār al-Muṣawwara

The Arabic-language journal al-Aḥrār al-Muṣawwara claims to be a literary, critical, humorous, and fictional journal published weekly in Beirut between 1926 and 1927. It was edited as a supplement to the daily newspaper al-Ahrar, published by the Lebanese journalist Gibran Tueni, who was also the founder of the journal an-Nahar.
The publication period of the magazine were important and eventful years in the history of Lebanon, as the country was under French mandate and divided into various states at that time. Al-Aḥrār al-Muṣawwara uses humor and caricatures to portray Lebanon and its political community during the French mandate.

cf. Amaya Martin Fernandez (2009): National, Linguistic, and Religious Identity of Lebanese Maronite Christians through their Arabic Fictional Texts during the Period of the French Mandate in Lebanon. Washington, DC, p. 208, 253.
cf. Farès Sassine (2021): جبران تويني والأحرار المصوّرة . In: Assassines. 12 May 2014, accessed on April 27, 2021.

al-Balāġ al-usbūʿī

The Arabic-language journal al-Balāġ al-usbūʿī ("The Weekly News ") was published weekly in Egypt between 1926 and 1930. Four volumes with a total of 150 editions were published.
Abbas Mahmud al-Aqqad (1889-1964), the founder, was a well-known Egyptian writer, poet, philosopher and historian who appointed Abd al-Qadir Hamzah as editor of the journal. In addition to critical political articles, numerous poems and Egyptian prose were published. Among well-known authors Mohammed Abd al-Mu'ti al-Hamshari (1908-1938) gained popularity through his poetry. Nabawiyya Mousa Badawia (1886-1951), a teacher and pioneer among Egyptian women's rights activists of the 20th century, designed a special page for women with feminist themes and discourses of Egypt from that time. Al-Balagh al-Usbu'i was also regarded as a supporter of the Wafd Party, therefore its publication was probably discontinued in 1930.

cf. Badran, Margot (1988): The Feminist Vision in the Writings of Three Turn-of-the-Century Egyptian Women. In: Bulletin (British Society for Middle Eastern Studies) 15, p. 11-20.
cf. Gershoni, Israel (1992): The Evolution of National Culture in Modern Egypt: Intellectual Formation and Social Diffusion, 1892-1945. In: Poetics Today 13, 2, p. 325-350.
cf. Talhami, Ghada Hashem (2007): Palestine in the Egyptian Press: From Al-Ahram to Al-Ahali. Lanham, Boulder: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.

ad-Dunyā al-Muṣawwara

The Arabic-language magazine ad-Dunyā al-Muṣawwara ("The World of Illustration") was published between 1929 and 1932 in Cairo. It was released by the well-known publishing house Dar al-Hilal that was also responsible for the publications of al-Fukaha, Kull Shayʾ and al-Musawwar. The magazine consists of seven volumes with a total of 228 issues which were published weekly.
The feature of the magazine was not essentially its contentual focus on Egyptian and international occurences, but rather illustrations pursuing a cultural focus. A considerable number of cartoons, photographies and high-quality illustrations increased the readership vastly, even among illiterates. In the course of this novel phase regarding the Egyptian media landscape, al-Dunya al-Musawwara seized on new topics, such as fashion, sports, culture, and tourism, and offered a great commercial platform to popular products of that time.

cf. Shechter, Relli (2010): From Journalism to Promotion of Goods: Why and How did Press Publishers Establish Advertising Agencies in Egypt, 1890-1939? In: Sadgrove, Philip (Ed.): Printing and Publishing in the Middle East: Papers from the Second Symposium on the History of Printing and Publishing in the Languages and Countries. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 179-191.

al-Faǧr (Cairo)

The Egyptian literary magazine al-Faǧr ("Dawn") was published weekly in Cairo between 1934 and 1935. Eight volumes with a total of 18 issues were edited.
A group of young writers of the al-Madrasa al-Haditha ("Modernist School"), including Mahmoud Taymour (1894 -1973), Mahmoud Tahir Laasheen (1894-1954), Yahya Haqqy (1905-1993) and Husayn Fawzy (1900-1988), are considered to be the founders of the magazine. Some of them increased their popularity inside and outside of Egypt by publishing their works in al-Faǧr.
Generally, the declared aim of the journal was reaching the renaissance of the Egyptian literary scene and in particular "intellectual independence".

cf. n.a. (n.d.): Development of Arabic Short Story. http://arabicuniversitycollege.yolasite.com/resources/Journal/November_2009/Development%20of%20Arabic%20short%20story.pdf
cf. Gershoni, Israel and James P. Jankowski (1986): Egypt, Islam, and the Arabs: The Search for Egyptian Nationhood, 1900-1930. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.

al-Fukāha

The Arabic-language satirical weekly al-Fukāha ("Humour" or "Joke") was published in Cairo between 1926 and 1933. The famous publishing house Dar al-Hilal edited seven volumes with a total of 369 issues. The 48-page periodical largely started with a caricatural cover picture. A large range of caricatures, comics and illustrations supplemented the satirical texts whereby the style was reminiscent of the New Yorker art and Pin-Up-Art of that time. On the one hand the journals satire targeted the Cairo daily life, on the other hand the international social scene. In 1933 Dar al-Hilal combined both journals al-Fukaha and al-Kawakib to the satire magazine Al-Ithnayn (meaning "The Two" in English).

cf. n. a. (2015): Oum Cartoon. https://oumcartoon.tumblr.com/post/128121422541/fokaha-egyptian-humor-magazine-1930
cf. Armbrust, Walter (2005): What Would Sayyid Qutb Say? In: Armbrust, Walter (Ed.): Culture Wars. The Arabic Music Video Controversy and other Studies in Satellite Broadcasting in the Arab and Islamic World. Cairo and New York: The American University in Cairo Press, p. 18-29.
cf. Sabry, Tarik (2012): Arab Cultural Studies: Mapping the Field. London, New York: I.B. Tauris.

al-Ḥurrīya

The Arabic-language journal al-Ḥurrīya ("Freedom") was published in Baghdad in 1924 and 1925. The Christian Rafa'il Butti (1901-1956), an Iraqi intellectual and well-known journalist, edited one volume with a total of ten issues.
The content focused on political and literary topics of the Arab world at that time. In 1930 Butti published another magazine, al-Bilad. This supported the party of the National Brotherhood, which formed the opposition to the British influence. It was the first daily newspaper of that time and became one of the leading press mediums in Iraq. Butti's support of the opposition with the help of his publications resulted in the magazine's closure.

cf. Bashkin, Orit (2009): The Other Iraq: Pluralism and Culture in Hashemite Iraq. Standford: Standford University Press.

cf. Dougherty, Beth K. and Edmund A. Ghareeb (2013): Historical Dictionary of Iraq. Lanham, Toronto, Plymouth: The Scarecrow Press.

cf. Tarbush, Mohammad A. (1982): The Role of the Military in Politics: A Case Study of Iraq to 1941. London: Routledge.

al-Kātib al-miṣrī

The Egyptian journal al-Kātib al-miṣrī ("The Egyptian Writer") was published in Cairo monthly between 1945 and 1948 in a total of 32 issues. The focus of the journal was the publication of international literature and literary criticism, which were translated into Arabic and so helped to reach a broader readership. Both Arabic and non-Arabic art, literature and science were encouraged and a dialogue between Arabic and other languages should be established. As one of the first post-war magazines, al-Kātib al-miṣrī also aimed to make its vision of the enlightenment accessible to all and to promote mutual cultural exchange. "Literature should be lifted above all conflicts existing world-wide." Arabic translations among others, of works by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry or Jean-Paul Satre, were published, texts of promising new Arab authors as well as literary criticism, which also offered an introduction by Western authors such as James Joyce or Franz Kafka.
Moreover, two other sections also discussed in detail the contents and orientations of Arabic and European periodicals of the time. In 1948, the publication of the magazine was stopped, whereby it is not clear whether this was spontaneous or under governmental pressure.

cf. El-Bendary, Mohamed (2010): The Egyptian Press and Coverage of Local and International Events. Lanham: US Lexington Books.
cf. Hawas, May (2018): Taha Hussein and the Case for World Literature. In: Comparative Literature Studies 55, 1, S. 66-92.

Maǧallat Kullīyat al-Ādāb: Ǧāmiʿat al-Iskandarīya

The Egyptian magazine Maǧallat Kullīyat al-Ādāb: Ǧāmiʿat al-Iskandarīya/Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts: Farouk I University (Maǧallat Kullīyat al-Ādāb: Ǧāmiʿat al-Iskandarīya, „Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts of the Farouk I University") was published as sequel of Maǧallat Kullīyat al-Ādāb bi-l-Ǧāmiʿa al-Miṣrīya between 1943 and 1972 at the Faculty of Arts of the Alexandria University. The Alexandria University, formerly known as Farouk I University, was founded as a department of the Cairo University in 1938.
A total of 11 volumes were published, which were usually released irregularly once a year. As with its sequel, which was published between 1933 and 1942 at the Cairo University, there was a division into an Arabic and a European part and thus the publication of articles in Arabic, English, and French. In terms of content, the magazine focused on historical events, numerous translations, the study of Arab scholars and their writings, philosophy, poetry, and ancient languages. Additionally, the journal specialised in various topics related to Egypt, such as history, culture, and social development.

al-Maʿrifa

The Arabic journal al-Maʿrifa ("Knowledge") was published in Egypt between 1931 and 1934. The editor ʿAbd Al ʿAzīz Al-Islāmbūlī published it for three years and a total of 30 issues. The preface states that this monthly journal is sufistic oriented and aims to inform the readers scientifically and culturally. Not only art, culture and literature were addressed but above all scientific knowledge was published and discussed. According to the editor Al-Islāmbūlī sufistic moral and wisdom were not a priority but to be taken into account.

al-Muqtaṭaf

Al-Muqtaṭaf ("The Digest") was published monthly from 1876 to 1952 in Beirut and Cairo with a total of 121 issues. Besides Syria and Egypt the issues were also distributed in Iraq, Iran, Yemen and were spread in numerous European countries, in America, Canada, Latin America, Australia and till India and China.
Al-Muqtaṭaf was not a political but rather an encyclopaedic journal that followed European and American examples. The publisher’s aim was to inform the reader in the Arab world about the Western scientific progress of that time and how to use that knowledge in ones daily life. The scientific and literary discussed topics of the journal were manifold. Articles on modern sciences were published, from anatomy to astronomy and from physics to veterinary medicine as well as agriculture and handicraft. Evolutionary theory and Darwinism obtain great significance in the first years of publication and resulted in excited discussions among the authors and readers. Cultural and social topics as well as literature gained over the time more relevance, and translations of European literature were increasingly published.

cf. Ayalon, Ami (1992): „Sihafa: The Arab experiment in journalism.“. In: MES, Bd. XXVIII, 2, p. 258-280.
cf. Farang, Nadia (1972): „The Lewis Affair and the Fortunes of al-Muqtataf“. In: MES, Vol. 8, No. 1, p. 73-83.
cf. Glaß, Dagmar (2004): Der al-Muqtaṭaf und seine Öffentlichkeit. Aufklärung, Räsonnement und Meinungsstreit in der frühen arabischen Zeitschriftenkommunikation, 2 Bde., Würzburg: Ergon Verlag.

ar-Rāwī

The Egyptian magazine ar-Rāwī (“The Narrator”) was published in Alexandria between 1888 and 1890. A total of 21 issues in two volumes were edited. Founder of the magazine was the Lebanese journalist and author Salīm Sarkīs (1869-1926). According to its subtitle, the magazine particularly focused on topics related to literary and humorous content.

cf. Kendall, Elisabeth (2007): Literature, Journalism and the Avant-Garde. Intersection in Egypt. London and New York: Routledge.

aṭ-Ṭabīb

The journal aṭ-Ṭabīb (“The doctor“) was edited between 1884 and 1885 by the Lebanese linguist and journalist Ibrāhīm al-Yāziǧī (1847-1906) as well as by Bišāra Zalzal (1851-1905) and Ḫalīl Saʿāda. In total, they published 24 numbers in one year in Beirut, coming out every two weeks.
The predecessor of aṭ-Ṭabīb, “Aḫbār Ṭibbīya“ (“medical notifications”), had already been founded in 1874 by George E. Post (1838-1909). Being a member of the American Mission in Beirut as well as a professor at the Medical School of the Syrian Protestant College (nowadays the American University of Beirut, AUB), Post created a medical journal for the College's students. After taking over the post of editor in chief, al-Yāziǧī changed it into an encyclopedic educational publication that now bore the subtitle “Maǧalla ṭibbīya ʿilmīya ṣināʿīya“ and was guided by the examples of al-Ǧinān and al-Muqtaṭaf. The content of its articles had to be medical, scientific, literary and linguistic.
Even though he failed with aṭ-Ṭabīb, it was only some years later that al-Yāziǧī published two other periodicals in Cairo: al-Bayān (1897/98) and aḍ-Ḍiyāʾ (1898-1906).

cf. Glaß, Dagmar (2004): Der al-Muqtaṭaf und seine Öffentlichkeit. Aufklärung, Räsonnement und Meinungsstreit in der frühen arabischen Zeitschriftenkommunikation, 2 Bde., Würzburg: Ergon Verlag.
cf. Soueid, Paul (1969): Ibrahim Al-Yazigi: l'homme et son oeuvre, Beirut: Publications de l'université Libanaise.

az-Zuhūr

The monthly journal az-Zuhūr ("Flowers") was published in Cairo between 1910 and 1913 in a total of 40 issues. The editor Anṭūn al-Ǧumayyil (1887-1948) did already participate in the publication of the Beirutian newspaper al-Bašīr (1870-1947) and the Egyptian newspaper al-Ahrām (1875-today). Literature and art were the main focus whereat the journal mainly tried to support young authors and to improve the relationship between Arab writers from different regions. In addition az-Zuhūr wanted to keep the balance between European and contemporary Arabic literature like some other later popular journals. Beside literary criticism, book reviews and news about the literary life in Egypt, the authors stand up for the establishment and enhancement of the Egyptian theatre. Az-Zuhūr was the first journal to publish in its series a play of Shakespeare, Julius Caesar. Until the cut-off in 1913 the journal organized numerous writing competitions which helped to achieve more popularity. Eventually az-Zuhūr was able to add a significant contribution to the Egyptian literary life.

cf. Glaß, Dagmar (2004): Der al-Muqtaṭaf und seine Öffentlichkeit. Aufklärung, Räsonnement und Meinungsstreit in der frühen arabischen Zeitschriftenkommunikation, 2 Bde., Würzburg: Ergon Verlag.
cf. Kendall, Elizabeth (2006): Literature, Journalism and the Avant-Garde: Intersection in Egypt, New York: Routledge.