Photo Essays

For Muslims all around the world, Ramadan always takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam, the month of fasting is intended to be a time for contemplation, mediation and moderation.

For generations the fishermen in northern Iran have depended on the abundance of the Caspian Sea, catching caviar-producing sturgeon, minoga, kutum and tyulka. Yet in 2016, their haul was the lowest in 20 years. Water pollution, illegal fishing, oil extraction and the construction of dams are all taking their toll. By Changiz M. Varzi

Photographer Herlinde Koelbl travelled to refugee camps in Europe in 2016 looking for images that the world had not yet seen. The result was a collection of poignant photos. By Heike Mund

Included in the Moroccan Film Festival now taking place at the Babylon Cinema in Berlin, these movies feature the stories of women or were directed by female filmmakers – and depict the many challenges women face in the country. By Elizabeth Grenier

Idyllic gardens, legendary princesses and mythical beasts: ancient artefacts that show 8000 years of early Persian history are now making their debut for the first time outside Iran. The German exhibition reveals the origins of present-day Iran.

China says it faces a serious threat from Islamist extremists in its Xinjiang region. Beijing accuses separatists among the Muslim Uighur ethnic minority of stirring up tensions with the ethnic Han Chinese majority. By Nadine Berghausen

There is one region in Afghanistan where the Talibans have never really been able to impose their rule. Inhabited by yak-herding nomads and wedged between Tajikistan and Pakistan at an altitude of 4,500 metres, Pamir is an area of precarious peace. Promoted by the Afghan government in an attempt to attract the more adventurous tourist, it is also the gateway to the Wakhan Corridor taken by Marco Polo in the 13th century. By Eric Lafforgue

The Ottoman Empire, founded in 1299, collapsed in November 1922, when the last sultan, Mehmed VI, was sent into exile. The First World War had been a disaster for the empire, with British and allied forces capturing Baghdad, Damascus and Jerusalem. A new government, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, was set up in 1920 in Ankara, which then became the Turkish capital. Constantinople, formerly the imperial capital, was renamed Istanbul in 1930. By Dave Burke