‘Asharq Discovery’ Launches ‘Bassma’… Inspirational Journeys of Arab Women

Exceptional interviews with Arab women who lived inspirational experiences and hard challenges. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Exceptional interviews with Arab women who lived inspirational experiences and hard challenges. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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‘Asharq Discovery’ Launches ‘Bassma’… Inspirational Journeys of Arab Women

Exceptional interviews with Arab women who lived inspirational experiences and hard challenges. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Exceptional interviews with Arab women who lived inspirational experiences and hard challenges. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Asharq Discovery, the infotainment platform in collaboration with Warner Bros, has launched its new original show, "Bassma". The series highlights the inspirational stories of pioneering Arab women in a changing historic context and different societal vision.

"Bassma" sheds lights on new, unconventional aspects of lives full of achievements and challenges. Each episode unfolds the story of its guest, how they overcame barriers and the impact they had on the media, cultural, intellectual and societal landscape.

The series offers the audience the chance to explore the legendary realms lived by great figures, including actress Youssra, singer Samira Saeed, first Saudi female aerospace engineer Mishaal Ashemimry, accomplished lawyer Sofana Dahlan, motorsport athlete Dania Akeel and Saudi designer Razan Alazzouni.

The show, accessible free-to-view, is exclusively available on Asharq Discovery every Monday at 9 pm KSA.

Audiences across the region can tune in via satellite coverage on Arabsat and Nilesat, as well as through the video-on-demand service Asharq NOW and Asharq Discovery’s social media platforms.



Ancient Egyptian Coffin Given New Life in Britain

Staff at Swansea University welcome back the artifact. Photo: Swansea University
Staff at Swansea University welcome back the artifact. Photo: Swansea University
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Ancient Egyptian Coffin Given New Life in Britain

Staff at Swansea University welcome back the artifact. Photo: Swansea University
Staff at Swansea University welcome back the artifact. Photo: Swansea University

An ancient Egyptian coffin was given a new life after it has been returned to Swansea University's Egypt Center in Wales.

The artifact, believed to date from about 650 BC, is now back at the university after thousands of hours of conservation work at Cardiff University, where it was painstakingly cleaned, reconstructed and consolidated to prevent it from deteriorating further, according to BBC.

The coffin, originally made for a man called Ankhpakhered in the Greek city of Thebes, was transported back under the watchful eye of the center’s curator Dr. Ken Griffin.

Staff described the finished project as “beyond our wildest dreams.”

“The coffin was gifted to us by Aberystwyth University in 1997 but details about its history are sketchy,” Griffin said.

He added: “It actually ended up being used as a storage box at one time, with other Egyptian objects placed in it for safekeeping.”

The university’s Phil Parkes explained that the wooden coffin was covered in textile and then had a thin layer of decorated plaster over the top.

He said: “Much of that textile had become detached over time and was just hanging loose.”

Parkes added that the separate wooden head was detached and there were a couple of large pieces of wood missing, the side of the base had fallen off and it was in a very sorry condition overall.