I fall in love with places easily. I once read a twitter thread about astrology in the Islamic world by Ali A. Olomi that, “those born under Pisces or al hut are said to be changeable in mood, do not like to work and tend to exert little effort in labor, are clever, and can become obsessed with a place or thing. In fact, it is said they are enchanted by locations.” So, let’s chalk up this quirk to my sign. I first visited Failaka in January 2020, on an unexpected day off from school. I was captivated by the island. I captioned an Instagram post “Failaka is a strange place,” which was, I suppose, my first declaration of love to her. Here are my blog posts exploring the island:
- A Love Letter to Failaka
- Failaka as a Sacred Island
- History of Failaka Island
- Books about Failaka
- (Historic) Photos of Failaka
- Maps of Failaka
- Scholars of Failaka
- Videos about Failaka
- Dilmunite Seals
- Hellenistic Sites
- Failaka as Ikaros
- Al Khidr on Failaka
- Mosques of Failaka
- Failaka & the Garden of Eden
- Archaeology on Failaka
- Deities of Failaka
- Failaka Then & Now
- Artifacts from Failaka
- Lore of Failaka
- Artwork about Failaka
[…] In his work The Archaeology of the Arabian Gulf, Michael Rice writes that, “the garden of which Siduri was the mistress was said to bear trees laden with jewels. It has been suggested that this is a reference to the frequently intense phosphorescence of the Gulf’s water, caused by the coral in the shallows… it seems most probable that Failaka was Siduri’s island… if this were so it would account for the sanctuary on the island and for its reputation as a place sacred to the goddess, under whatever name—a reputation so long enjoyed.” I have written quite a bit about Failaka, which you can see on these posts. […]