Tarì

A tarì (طري lit. "fresh" or "newly minted money" in Arabic) was the Christian designation of a type of gold coin of Islamic origin minted in Sicily, Malta and Southern Italy from about 913 to 1859.

History

In the Islamic world, this type of coin was designated under the name ruba'i, or quarter-dinar, as it weighed 1.05g of gold. The ruba'i had been minted by the Muslims in Sicily, unlike the Muslim rulers of North Africa, who preferred the larger dinar. It became highly popular as it was smaller and therefore more convenient than the large-sized 4.25g dinar.

The tarì were so widespread that imitations were made in southern Italy (Amalfi and Salerno) from the mid-tenth century, which only used illegible "pseudo-Kufic" imitations of Arabic. When the Normans invaded Sicily in the 12th century, they issued tarì coins bearing legends in Arabic and Latin.Roger II of Sicily issued such coins, becoming the only Western ruler at that time to mint gold coins. Their title was 16¹⁄₃ carat, with some adjunction of silver and copper. The tarì were also produced by the Hohenstaufens and the early Angevins.

Tar (drum)

A Tar (Arabic: طار‎) is a single-headed frame drum of Turkish origin, but is commonly played in North Africa and the Middle East.

This instrument has been depicted in images from Turkish shrines that date to 6000 BC. Making the Tar(frame drum) one of the most ancient musical instruments.

The tar is held mainly with one hand, although the playing hand can also play and supports the drum while playing (basically the other hand plays the drum). It has an open tone, and is often either played for accompaniment to other instruments or in tar ensembles.

Frame drums are common throughout the world. There are tar, bendir, bodhran, deff, duff, and many others. Many Native American cultures use the frame drum in ceremony and celebration. These drums seem simple, but are capable of great nuance and sophistication.

See also

External

The Color of Time

The Color of Time (aka Tar) is a 2012 drama film written and directed by twelve New York University film students: Edna Luise Biesold, Sarah-Violet Bliss, Gabrielle Demeestere, Alexis Gambis, Shruti Ganguly, Brooke Goldfinch, Shripriya Mahesh, Pamela Romanowsky, Bruce Thierry Cheung, Tine Thomasen, Virginia Urreiztieta and Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo. It stars James Franco, Henry Hopper, Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain and Zach Braff. It premiered on November 16, 2012 at the Rome Film Festival. It was released in the United Kingdom in 2014 under the new title Forever Love. The film was released in the United States in theaters and on demand beginning on December 12, 2014.

Plot

The different parts of Pulitzer Prize winner C.K. Williams' life told through his poems. Flashbacks of his childhood, his teens, college years, to when he meets and marries his wife, Catherine (Kunis) and the birth of his children and parenthood. The film is narrated by different versions of Williams (Franco, Hopper, March, Unger), depicting the different aspects of Williams through the years.