Photo Essays

Somaliland′s wild frankincense forests are under threat as global demand for essential oils rockets. Unsustainable harvesting has endangered ancestral frankincense trees and the livelihoods of local people. By Irene Banos Ruiz

Sufism – the mystical path of Islam – enjoys a long tradition in Sudan. Sufis aspire to achieve perfection of worship through music, dance and meditative exercises. Two of the largest Sufi orders in Sudan are the Qadiriya and the Burhani brotherhoods. In Omduraman near Khartoum, members of the Qadiriya order meet every weekend by the hundreds in front of the tomb of their former leader, Sheikh Hamed al-Nil, at the cemetery bearing his name. The ceremony's popularity has long since extended beyond the Qadiriya order and is now the largest regularly-held Sufi event in Sudan. By Philipp Breu

Istanbul exerts a unique appeal not only on tourists, as it is also the adopted home of the largest expat community in Turkey. Nonetheless, the repeated terrorist attacks, the failed putsch attempt, and the constant repression have unsettled many of the international residents on the Bosporus. Marian Brehmer offers a portrait of old and new Istanbulers from four continents

Fleeing war-torn Syria, painter Majd Kara found himself in Lithuania where half the population says they refuse to help asylum-seekers. Now holding his second exhibition, Kara is changing the country's attitude. By Karolis Vysniauskas

The land between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in the Middle East is one of the cradles of Western civilisation. Many inventions from the region are still with us – though we're often fully unaware of their origins. By Lea Albrecht

What has happened in Mosul since the operation to retake the city from the so-called "Islamic State" started in October? Photo essay by Nadine Berghausen

A group of Afghan artists has painted graffiti on the walls of government buildings, businesses and embassies in Kabul. They call themselves the Afghan "Banksy". Monica Bernabe shows us some of their work

Throughout the month of October, several cities across the West Bank, Gaza and Israel have been hosting the Qalandiya International Palestinian contemporary arts festival. This year, it explores the central theme of "return" through visual arts, photography, multimedia and performance. Showcasing the work of more than 100 international and local artists, the biennial festival has become the largest gathering of Palestinian and international artists in the Occupied Territories since it was first established six years ago. By Ylenia Gostoli

Japanese photographer Yusuke Suzuki has just received the Award for Young Emerging Talents at the Berlin Photo Biennial. To understand what war means, he travelled to Syria, Afghanistan and the Greek island of Lesbos. By Nadine Wojcik