[2][3] The founders were historian Albert Theile and Orientalist scholar Annemarie Schimmel.
[4][5] The magazine was owned and published first by the cultural organization Inter Nationes in Bonn, and later by the Goethe Institute.
[3] Fikrun wa Fann was originally started in Arabic and German, but later expanded to include editions in Persian and English languages.
[3] The goal was to contribute to the dialogue between these cultures through articles, photostories and editorials by German as well as authors from Islamic countries.
[6] In particular, it covered articles concerning the art, culture and socio-political issues related to German and Muslim societies.