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In 633 AD, Muslim Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula attacked the Zoroastrian empire of Persia, and following a 21-year war, conquered the ancient realm. Iran’s official religion changed from Zoroastrian to Islam; however, 1367 years after that conquest, ordinary Iranians still celebrate various Zoroastrian traditions and rituals. By Changiz M. Varzi

Baswaliha, a 55-year-old woman living in Pakistan's Mohmand district near the Afghan border, lost her husband and a son in militant attacks. Today, fears of the Taliban's return are rife in the area. By S. Rehman

To mark the 60th anniversary of the German-Turkish recruitment agreement, the Ruhr Museum is exhibiting photographs by Istanbul photographer Ergun Cagatay. By Ceyda Nurtsch

Abraham was born in Iraq and this is where the whale swallowed Jonah, according to the Bible. Pope Francis' is travelling to an area steeped in biblical history.

Egypt's street artists expressed their dissent on Cairo's walls, as thousands of protesters demanded more democratic rights. By Manasi Gopalakrishnan

"Temple of Refuge" illustrates Iraqi-Kurdish migrant Sartep Namiq's journey to Berlin. It was commissioned with the help of a unique organisation. By Stefan Dege

Scores of people have been killed and injured in the unrest. Now, embattled President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has asked a Russian-led military alliance for help. By Philip Boell

Among the 24 squads at the Euros, dozens of players with African roots will turn out in the June 11-July 11 tournament. Several of them are top names at this pan-continental event. By Stefan Nestler

In the years 2003, 2004 and 2006, Ikhlas Abbis travelled through the marshlands of southern Iraq. He took photographs of the process of development taking place in the swamps, which were drained under Saddam Hussein in the 1980s and reflooded after his overthrow.

According to a WHO report from December 2014, more than one million Syrians have been wounded in the Syrian civil war since the spring of 2011. Some 45 per cent of the injured are children and women; about 10–15 per cent have suffered amputations or disabilities. Daily shelling is the main cause of their injuries. From spring 2014 to early 2015, photographer Kai Wiedenhofer travelled through towns, villages and refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon, taking pictures of those left scarred by the conflict. He says that by showing the genuine aftermath of this conflict and photographing its victims in a dignified manner, his intention was to raise support for people who are really in need and whose sufferings do not end with the war. "In all my time as a photographer," he says, "I have never witnessed such grave atrocities." All photos in this gallery are by Kai Wiedenhofer