Photo Essays

Prisoners at Guantanamo Bay don't have many liberties. Painting is one of the few activities they have been allowed to pursue in recent years. Last month an exhibition in New York showed a selection of their art works. By Heike Mund

Once Saudi Arabia was the world’s most difficult country for a non-Muslim to visit. Only Muslims making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca were allowed to enter. Now Saudi Arabia has announced it will begin issuing tourist visas during the first quarter of 2018. Things potential tourists should leave behind: any alcohol, non-Muslim religious items, pork-based products, games of chance, medicines containing codeine, pornography…  By Eric Lafforgue

Despite the civil war in its past, Beirut is struggling back to its former beauty. Restaurant owners like Kamal Mouzawak are part of that transformation. He unites cultures and religions around the dining table. Impressions by Michael Marek

The mass protests in Iran were initially about economic woes and foreign policy. Now, demonstrators are questioning the country's system of government. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is blaming the "enemies of Iran"

Contemporary science has its roots in the work of medieval Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars who set about translating ancient texts with a view to preserving and passing on the precious knowledge they contained. A new touring exhibition by the Austrian National Library focuses on this heritage. As the organisers say, the significance of this transfer of knowledge cannot be overstated. By Fabian Schmidt

Thousands of Muslims worldwide have demonstrated against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Protesters marched the streets, burned flags and shouted anti-Israel slogans. By Timothy Jones

In Mauritania, north-western Africa, slavery is a fact of modern life. It's estimated that 10-20 percent of the country's 3.5 million people are still enslaved in a system rooted in ethnic discrimination.

Some 50 million children in Pakistan are of school age, but more than 20 million of them do not attend any kind of educational institution. If funds are lacking, many parents send their children to Koran schools. By Nastassja Shtrauchler

With several countries in the Middle East in the grip of conflicts, children there are not only in danger but often miss out on schooling. Efforts are made to keep lessons going, even under dire conditions. By Timothy Jones

In his latest film, "In the Fade", Fatih Akin puts his leading lady through hell. The acclaimed director draws on the series of murders committed by the NSU terror cell in Germany to produce some of his best work to date. By Jochen Kurten