Photo Essays

The city of Reyhanli situated on the southern border of Turkey currently represents a haven for numerous refugees from Syria. Some of them have already started to build a new life there, developing creative business projects. Impressions by Gaia Anderson

50 years ago, in 1963, Iranian women secured the right to vote. Fahimeh Farsaei looks back at five decades of progress and setbacks for the women's movement there.

The revolution and the fall of the Mubarak regime left noticeable marks on the facades of Egypt's buildings. The messages conveyed by the graffiti were almost exclusively political, addressing issues such as oppression, violence and police brutality.

A new exhibition at the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn offers a portrait of the daily lives of Muslims in Germany. By Marlis Schaum

For months now, Syria's largest city, Aleppo, has been a battleground. These pictures, taken in Aleppo by the photojournalist Daniel Etter in July and August this year, tell a tale of violence and suffering - and also hope.

"Breaking the Silence" is an initiative launched by veteran Israeli soldiers who want to draw attention to the situation in the Palestinian territories. They tell of violence against Palestinians, intimidation, a gradual increase in brutality and more. The 2012 "Breaking the Silence" exhibition toured major European capitals. All photos from Breaking the Silence.

In spite of strict moral regulations, plastic surgery is allowed in Iran. More than 60,000 Iranian women per year get nose surgery. Such contradictions have informed Tehran-born artist Homa Arkani's work since 1983.

Since the fall of Amadou Toumani Touré in March 2013, Mali has been in a hopeless political crisis. After soldiers mutinied in Bamako, rebellious Tuareg and Islamists took control of the north of the country and declared an independent state. By Annett Hellwig

It's a day of celebration for Israelis but for Palestinians it's the Nakba, the catastrophe. The foundation of Israel on 14 May 1948 meant hundreds of thousands of them fled or were expelled from their homes.

The image of women in Iran has undergone dramatic change in recent years. Today, many Iranian women play a much more active role in their nation's economic and social life than during the Shah era. More than half of all students at Iranian universities are female. And in professional life, many Iranian women are keeping pace with their male counterparts, working as doctors, engineers, teachers and university lecturers. As actors and directors, they are making a significant contribution to the cultural life of their nation. And despite all the restrictions imposed on them by Islamic moral guardians in public life, they are making their presence felt in the sporting world too – something that would have been unthinkable just decades ago.