Photo Essays

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

German photographer Jens Umbach travelled to the north of Afghanistan to pay tribute to the people affected by the German military mission. By Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi

Gustaf Dalman (1855-1941) is viewed as the founder of Palestine studies in Germany. As the first director of a German archaeological institute in Jerusalem, he amassed a substantial collection of photographs. The glass slides capture the Holy Land around 1900 and provide a unique insight into Palestine before its modernisation. By Marcel Serr

Poor government, economic recession, cultural norms: all factors that have turned Lebanese zoos into hotbeds of illegal animal trading. An animal rights organisation is now campaigning to stop lions being sold off as pets. By Martin Jay

Back before the pandemic, millions of devout Muslims conducted the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia in 2019. The organisers are expecting similar numbers this year. By Janina Semenova

Muslim women in Belgium organised a different kind of protest. They gathered in Antwerp to celebrate at a beach party, dressed in burkinis, bikinis or bathing suits. Their motto was: "We are women and we are free". By Greta Hamann