A Rug of a Thousand Colours

A Rug of a Thousand Colours is an exploratory project between a Palestinian poet who is now a resident in Scotland and an established Scottish poet. The poems explore Tessa and Iyad's personal responses to the Five Pillars of Islam. Although from different backgrounds the two poets form a dialogue which is interwoven throughout the poems and creates a vivid tapestry of ideas surrounding the Five Pillars of Islam. Each poet translates the other's work so that each poem is presented in English and in Arabic.

Tessa Ransford TESSA RANSFORD was born in India and first learnt Urdu when she went to live in what was West Pakistan in 1960. She spent eight years working in Pakistan and had three children during her time there. In 1984 she founded the Scottish Poetry Library and she lived in Edinburgh for many years.

Iyad Hyatleh IYAD HYATLEH is a Palestinian poet who was born and grew up in Syria in the 1960s. He started writing poetry early and published his work in Arabic magazines, giving many readings in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. He has lived in Glasgow since 2000, and has taken part in many events and translation and poetry workshops, including Edinburgh International Book Festival. Some of his poems have been published in magazines and collective pamphlets in Scotland, as well as featuring on BBC radio.