Monthly Archives: January 2011

New page on Touba

Posted on January 27, 2011 by ericrossacademic

It has been over a week since I posted something new on this blog. Partly, this is because the spring semester has gotten underway and there is the usual business to attend to. I am teaching four courses this semester: … Continue reading →

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Icelandic cemeteries

Posted on January 19, 2011 by ericrossacademic

In June 2006 I had the pleasure of visiting Iceland. I was attending a conference on “Geography and Saint’s Cults: Technological Aids to the Geographical Study of Saints’ Cults” which was held at the Agricultural College in Hólar. The conference … Continue reading →

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Mâ al-‘Ainîn’s qasba in Smara

Posted on January 13, 2011 by ericrossacademic

In October 2006, accompanied by AUI colleagues John Shoup, Audra Grant and James Sater, I visited the restored qasba-zâwiya of Sheikh Mâ al-‘Ainîn in Smara, Morocco. Scholar, strategist and Qâdirî sheikh, Mâ al-‘Ainîn ould Sheikh Muhammad al-Fadl (1831-1910) rallied support … Continue reading →

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The khâtim mosque in Bogué, Mauritania

Posted on January 10, 2011 by ericrossacademic

There is an extraordinary mosque in Bogué, Mauritania, whose design is quite unlike any other I know of. The floor plan of this tiny mosque, only 12 m across at its widest, is configured as a khâtim. The khâtim, literally … Continue reading →

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Fadiout, Senegal

Posted on January 7, 2011 by ericrossacademic

The island town of Fadiout (also sp. Fadhiout and Fadiouth) is a spectacular jewel on Senegal’s Petite Côte. The town was the main port of the Kingdom of Sine (thrived 1550s-1880s). It is situated in the Mamanguedj Lagoon, at the … Continue reading →

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The Iyakhine Temple in Thiès, Senegal

Posted on January 5, 2011 by ericrossacademic

Here is another shrine from my research archive. Abdoulaye Iyakhine Niakhité Diop (1886-1943) was a Baye Fall Murid who claimed to be the mahdi (the messianic leader some Muslims believe will come at the end of time). Abdoulaye Iyakhine established … Continue reading →

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The Shrine of Sidi Sliman al-Jazuli in Marrakech

Posted on January 4, 2011 by ericrossacademic

Here is some information on a major shrine in Marrakech (from my archive of shrine-related work), the zawiya of Muhammad bn Sulayman al-Jazuli (d. 1465), better known locally as Sidi Sliman (he is also known by a posthumous title: Al-Qutb … Continue reading →

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The Trans-Saharan Book Trade

Posted on January 3, 2011 by ericrossacademic

The most interesting academic activity I do is map work. I make maps for academic publications. They are usually monochrome as these cost far less to reproduce than color illustrations. One of my map projects has just (2011) been published … Continue reading →

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