The Architecture of the Ottoman Provinces

By Yousif Al Hamadi

History

The Turks entered Anatolia at the beginning of the 13th century. They are originally Mongol who displaced from Central Asia and headed west to Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert, in which the Muslims defeated the Byzantine army in 1071.[1] During the 13th century, the Seljuks dynasty of Rum (1077-1308) declined because of the repeated Mongol attacks, and Anatolia has divided into small principalities, to twenty Anatolian beyliks.[2] Osman I (1258-1326), one of the beyliks leaders, whose history is uncertain. However, he was the founder of the Ottoman dynasty. He declared independence from Seljuks in 1299, extended the control of his principality, and eventually conquered Byzantine towns along the Sakarya River.[3] The Ottomans continued to expand, and in a short period, extended their hold over all of Anatolia. In 1453, they captured Constantinople and ended the Byzantine Empire under Mehmed the Conqueror (r. 1444 – 1481), who changed the city’s name to Istanbul.[4] 

Figure 1: The Ottoman Empire at its greatest extent in 1683 (history.com)

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QFA Ramadan 1442

The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has engaged Red Dot Films to create a 3D animated film for Ramadan 1442.

The aim is to encourage those observing the fast to stay active and avoid excessive sitting, sleeping, and screen time, particularly among young people and children who are prone to phone addiction.

The ad targets young people and kids and invites them to participate in physical activities such as football and visiting public parks.

model sheet of QFA new character

A new character, sporting the national team uniform, is introduced to represent the QFA in media, appealing to the target audience.

Abdulrahman Al Abduljabar, the QFA’s social media specialist, says “the association’s goal is to educate children about the value of sports and the new character is a way to reach and connect with them.”

3D model of the new QFA character

Yousif Al Hamadi, Art Director of Red Dot Films, states that “a simple and straightforward ad was agreed upon, with the focus solely on the new character, set in a neighborhood like Najma to emphasize its simplicity.”

Red Dot Films has previously produced 2D animations and motion graphics for the QFA, but this is their first 3D production for the association.

OX Fitness

A User experience Video. It was treated in a very creative and completely out of the box style. Rather than making the users sit and talk to the camera, Red Dot used their voices and added them to the videos of them working out. Lulou Al Fardan composed the track for the video.

Boys & Girls

Red Dot Films has recently finished producing a new animated series for Islamweb’s children website, Boys & Girls, consisting of 20 educational episodes and focusing on values ​​and behaviours from an Islamic angle.

Boy and Girls Poster

The work is supporting the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, which claims that it is enhancing the Qatari identity through perfecting righteous work, endorsing communitarianism, upholding the value of science, protecting the environment, taking care of time, and promoting patriotism.

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The Origin of Qatar’s Motifs

By Yousif Al Hamadi

Old Amiri Palace complex, Doha

Introduction

Traditional tools and products in the Arabian Gulf states can be viewed in two ways: one way executed locally by Gulf skilled workers; another way is manufactured outside the Gulf, bearing the characteristics of Islamic art, yet imported from neighboring countries. The tools and products made in Gulf countries carry the simple folk sense, with details of simple motifs and patterns inspired by the Gulf environment, such as sea waves, fish, stars, plants, flowers, palms, and shells used to decorate dresses, traditional jewelry, vessels, surfaces of pottery and architectural forms. These shapes resemble plants, animal ornaments, Arabic calligraphy, geometric patterns, and modern abstract designs with an unorganized composition.

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Zaytuna Mosque

By Yousif Al Hamadi

Introduction

Islamic architecture is distinguished by the style of mosques upholding their own distinctive architectural characteristics. Oleg Grabar said the mosque carries symbolic signs. Some are religious and exist in every mosque, such as the mihrab, or administrative, such as the minbar, or associated with the ruler, such as the maqsura, or official, such as the distribution of aisles in the prayer hall, and some of them change their cause over time, such as the minaret. These elements are variable according to the geographical location of the mosque. They have their own circumstances, and they are constantly evolving, but they do not lose their peculiarity.[1]

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The Prince of Egypt: between Facts and Fictions

By Yousif Al Hamadi

Prince of Egypt - The Cooper Company

Introduction

Cinema began to play a role in education and became a source of information for many people and many educational institutions. Teachers in their classes often rely on guiding their students to watch a specific film to clarify the idea of ​​the lesson, convey information, or even explain the whole lesson. Screening Films has become an essential educational tool. They are accessible to everyone. Julio Cuevas Romo (2020) presented a study on the intention and practicality of using cinema in educational institutions. He showed that this happens in two ways. First, through producing documentaries with educational goals in an objective and sincere manner. Second, fictional cinema, where films come as reinterpretations of historical periods or as autobiographical. There are films intentionally produced for scientific purposes, such as documentaries, but also fictional films can be used for educational purposes. There are good biographies were produced, such as Lincoln (Spielberg, 2012). Even fictional films can explain and give good information about a specific historical period, even if the story is fantasy, such as Pan’s Labyrinth (del Toro, 2006), which illustrates clear elements of the Spanish civil war (Romo, 2020, pp. 161-162).