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Al Mutanabbi Street is one of the oldest and best known streets in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, viewed as a seismograph of the state of Iraqi culture over the course of the centuries. The history of the street goes back to the time of the Abbasids. It was the site of the first book traders' market in the metropolis that was Baghdad. With its almost inexhaustible supply of books, Al Mutanabbi Street served as a contemporary witness to the political and cultural changes taking place in Mesopotamia. While in the 1950s, most of the books available were Marxist writings, these were later replaced by nationalistic Pan-Arabic works. For more than 30 years, traders were only allowed to sell books that glorified the Ba'ath ideology and later Saddam Hussein. All photos by Munaf al-Saidy

The civil war in Syria, which has taken the lives of thousands since 2011, is becoming increasingly brutal. Valuable cultural sites are also being destroyed in the fighting. UNESCO has now provided reports on the damage.

Dances, colourful carpets, fire jumps and the "seven S's": Nowruz (literally "new day") marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. The feast is celebrated by 300 million people around the world.

Thousands of Yazidis were trapped on Mount Sinjar after being forced to flee their homes by Islamic State terrorist militias. Many have fled to Syria; others have remained in Iraq. The US has provided food and water, although Washington no longer sees the need for a rescue mission. Their situation is desperate.

The recent deal reached by Iran and the West has raised hopes of a better future for Iranians. Until then, Iranians will have to continue coping with the impact of Western sanctions on their economy

The Arab Spring raised hopes that women in the region would get more rights. They're now standing up for themselves. With Islamist parties winning elections, some fear that women's rights will be reduced again. By Andreas Gorzewski