 The Kaaba at Night, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mosque#/media/File:Kaaba_at_night.jpg Most Beautiful Mosques of the World
Islam and Islamic countries Islam in EuropeIslam in RussiaIslam in China
Many of the countries of SE Asia are Muslim, or have substantial Muslim as well as Buddhist populations6.5 min video showing the year by year spread of Islam on a map, no words11 min podcast class on the spread of Islam, appropriate for Intermediate grades to HSMulti-episode histories of Islam on YouTube include Khan Academy (HS) and Yale University Portland’s Muslims Masjed As-Saber, largest Mosque in Portland--10323 SW 43rd Ave, Portland, OR 97219 Muslim Educational Trust--10330 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Tigard, OR 97223; Scholls Ferry & Connestoga Islamic Center of Portland, Mosque--6940 SW Hall Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97008 Arab American Cultural Center of Oregon Arab American Community 15 Best Arab Restaurants in Portland (including other countries) Holidays of the Islamic year, beginning with the Muslim New Year 2023 Wednesday Jul 19, 2023 Hijra - Islamic New Year Friday Jul 28, 2023 Day of Ashura / Muharram. Sunni Muslims celebrate the parting of the Red Sea via Moses. Monday Oct 09, 2023 Milad un Nabi. Birthday of The Prophet. Wednesday Feb 07, 2024 Lailat al Miraj. The Prophets night journey to Jerusalem, command to pray 5x daily. Sunday Feb 25, 2024 Lailat al Bara'ah. Prayers for forgiveness before Ramadan. Monday Mar 11, 2024 Ramadan (start). Fast daily for a month during daylight hours. Saturday Apr 06, 2024 Laylat al Qadr. Quran/Koran revealed to Muhammed. Wednesday Apr 10, 2024 Eid-al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) Saturday Jun 15, 2024 Waqf al Arafa - Hajj. 2nd day of the Hajj pilgrimage Sunday Jun 16, 2024 Eid-al-Adha. Last day of the Pilgrimage, commemorates Abraham's sacrifice of his son. Food for Body & Soul Mostly finding recipes on the Internet, I have pared down my cookbooks. Arabia & Yemen I went searching for Arab Brothers food cart (10175 SE Stark St, Portland OR; not far from Mall 205), and found the unnamed cart pictured below at that address. It doesn't look the same as the photo/business on Yelp, which offers Acai bowls & Middle Eastern fare, so I'm not sure what's the deal. The cart pictured below does offer Arabic fare. It was closed when I was there, but the signs looked like they were in business. Egypt When I found out Small Pharaoh`s Egyptian and New Yorker Food which I had seen previously amongst the food carts at 340 SW 5th St was closed, I thought it would pose a difficulty for me to get to another place on my timeline (trying to post for Islamic New Year). But as I was wandering around Old Town looking for Turkish Cuisine, I happened upon Elmasry Egyptian Cuisine which seems to have taken its place at the corner of 3rd Ave & Washington St. What a delightful little accidental find! With the guy's guidance, I ordered what seemed most traditionally authentic Egyptian (other than the usual Mediterranean dishes). I was just as gratified to find the guy is Muslim. As I thanked him for being there, and explained why I care (I love exploring different cultures and cuisines), he was so pleased at my interest, that he made my order complimentary. Another example of the hospitality I have enjoyed from people of other cultures than my own heritage. El Masry Egyptian Cuisine--243 SW Washington St, Portland, OR 97204; 3rd Ave Food Cart Pod Morocco Tangier Restaurant, Moroccan--221 SW Pine St, Portland, OR 97204 https://www.tangierrestaurant.com/ This little place is 2.5 blocks west of Battleship Oregon Memorial and the Oregon Maritime Museum, Tom McCall Waterfront Park on the Willamette. River. I ordered the Moroccan Chicken with Olive preserved lemons and rice (I would have liked to get the raisin one, but as a diabetic, they were out). This dish was very good, the chicken fall-apart tender and seasoned just right, served with a pita. I dropped the mint lemonade I ordered before I could take a photo. (sad face) Since it's not wheelchair accessible, I took some photos through the window, while they brought out a menu, and then the food I ordered. Kasbah Moroccan Café—201 NW Davis St, Chinatown, Portland OR https://www.kasbahmoroccancafe.com/ Such an inviting atmosphere! I had trouble finding Davis St, no one I asked could tell me, and sometimes street signs are lacking. It’s 2 blocks west of Tom McCall Park, and a block south of Lan Su Chinese Garden; Davis St is a block south of Everett St. I knew some streets in downtown Portland follow an alphabetical scheme, but not all of them do, and I got turned around. About Morocco Moroccan Recipes Jordan Petra House (Petra is in Jordan)--1900 NE 162nd Ave, Vancouver, WA 98684 About Petra Lebanon Nicholas Lebanese & Mediterranean restaurant—323 N Main Ave, Gresham, OR 97030
Syria Habibi Syrian & Lebanese Cuisine--1012 SW Morrison St, Portland, OR 97205  Iraq DarSalam Lazurdi Restaurant & Catering, traditional Iraqi--320 SW Alder St, Portland, OR 97204 What an all-encompassing experience! The decor, the food, the extremely attentive and kind person who explained things and took good care of me. The screen on the wall has a captivating slide show of Iraq present and past. Babylon Mediterranean Restaurant--11139 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, OR 97219 I came on a weekend, so they were closed to make products for distribution. For my trouble (I had come a long way to find their place was closed and not wheelchair accessible) they were so kind as to give me a complimentary container of exquisite hummus. Nineveh Assyrian food truck-- 728 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98506; food trucks at 4th & Plum St Found this little gem in the rough on my trip to Olympia. By rough I mean the ground where the food trucks were parked. There were tables, and the menu of every truck was truly tempting. I enjoyed the Bourek, Assyrian meat eggroll, Sweet Potato Fries with delightful garlic dipping sauce (the fries as well as the Bourek were both good plain and with the dipping sauce). The pita of the Sabich wrap was a little tough, but the filling was great. The Fattoush salad topped with crispy pita chips I preferred when the chips were not quite as crispy, and it was easier to eat as a wrap, and still good when I got home. Persia/Iran About Iran/PersiaPersian Kabab--4th Ave between Hall & College St, Portland OR; food carts near PSU Turkey About TurkeyTurkish Agha--Eastport Food Carts--3905 SE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97266--excellent food, service, place (82nd Ave between Francis & Center St, across from Eastport Plaza Shopping Center) Afghanistan About Afghanistan A Taste of Afghan--Eastport Food Carts--3905 SE 82nd Ave, Portland OR 97266 Wonderful food, different from the usual. A young man perhaps her son helped with translating and serving Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Food in general--about as prolific as Mexican food nowadays (showing how popular the food is), here are just a few I ran into--some I tried (with delight), some I just saw: Falahi Bros Middle Eastern Cuisine--609 W 11th St, Vancouver WA 98660 Gyro House—Cora St & 82nd Ave, Portland OR Gyro and Shawarma Grill—Eastport Food Carts on 82nd Ave, across from Eastport Plaza Shopping Center Abu Rasheed Express--315 E. Main St, Hillsboro OR Gyro Spot—Hillsboro Station Food Carts & Bar--Baseline St between 3rd & 4th Ave, Hillsboro OR Portland Gyro--food carts near PSU: 4th Ave between Hall & College St, Portland OR Rosmary--food carts near PSU: 4th Ave between Hall & College St, Portland OR Shawarma Spot--food carts near PSU: 4th Ave between Hall & College St, Portland OR Shawarma Spot—Woodstock community, The Heist food cart pod, Portland OR Mediterranean orzo salad at home from the local grocery store India, Pakistan Desi Bites, Indian—2023 Chalk Art Festival, Hillsboro OR Pinch of Spice, Indian--Hillsboro Station Food Carts & Bar--Baseline St between 3rd & 4th Ave, Hillsboro OR Hyderabad Hub, Indian dishes--137 SE 3rd Ave, Hillsboro, OR 97123 "Hyderabad Hub restaurant located in Hillsboro downtown. It’s specialized in making authentic Indian food with wide variety of South Indian as well North Indian food like biryani, dosa, wraps, samosa and naan bread. Most popular dishes are butter chicken, mango lassi, naan bread , samosa and biryani.” Indian Hunger Point--Eastport Food Carts, 3905 Southeast 82nd Avenue, Portland OR Dhaba Indian Kitchen--food carts near PSU: 4th Ave between Hall & College St, Portland OR Old Taste of India--food carts near PSU: 4th Ave between Hall & College St, Portland OR  Desi Bites, Indian to the right of the red truck—2023 Chalk Art Festival, Hillsboro OR Malaysia & SE Asia About Malaysia About Southeast Asia Much of SE Asia has a substantial or majority Muslim population, beside Buddhists. For more about these countries, see: Africa, east (Somalia) & west (inclu Ghana, Nigeria) West African foods East African foods Asona Cuisine, West African (Ghana & Jamaican fusion)—at the 2023 Chalk Art Festival, Hillsboro OR Try one or more of the following: Akadi PDX, West African inclu Nigeria etc—1001 SE Division Unit 2, not far east of river/Hwy 99 Amir’s Motherland Dish, Somali/East Africa—7100 NE Glisan St, Portland; 10:30-8pm Su-Th, 8:30 Fr, 9 Sa Mira’s East African & Mediterranean Cuisine, Somali—82nd & Davis, The Yard food carts Alleamin African Kitchen, Somalian—6939 NE Glisan; Montavilla area west of 82nd, Tues-Sun 11-8pm And/or 18535 SE Stark St near Gresham Europe--Bosnia Feelings might still be tender in the Balkan states, between the Muslims and Christians. This post is not to minimize the pain of the last several hundred years, nor to trivialize complexities. This is only to acknowledge that there are Muslims in these countries. I still celebrate nearly every culture. 7 Restaurant, Bosnian—905 Main St, Vancouver, WA 98660 It may be a little hard to find, but what enchanting decor (including a charming mural), kind and helpful staff, delicious food, especially the nut-stuffed apple.
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Wheelchair WomanI've been in a wheelchair for 30+ years. It poses some challenges for traveling. Maybe others can benefit from my experiences. Archives
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