Antiquities and historical monuments
All topics-
Artefacts destroyed by IS in IraqA gigantic jigsaw puzzle
It will be 2026 before Mosul's Cultural Museum reopens. Lena Bopp found out how restorers are going about repairing the damage inflicted by Islamic State
-
East JerusalemLibrary restores Palestinian history one manuscript at a time
A library in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem offers a rare glimpse into Palestinian history with its treasure trove of manuscripts dating back hundreds of years before the creation of Israel
-
War in SudanSudan's cultural treasures are being destroyed
While fighting between the military and the paramilitary forces of the RSF rages in Sudan, many of the country's important cultural assets are being destroyed, from invaluable libraries to mummies. By Philipp Jedicke
-
Iraqi heritageIraq artist battles to save ancient boating tradition
Young Iraqis row a flotilla of traditional wooden boats down the Tigris in Baghdad, celebrating an ancient nautical heritage in the now drought-stricken country. The United Nations ranks Iraq as one of the world's five countries most impacted by climate change
-
“Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture”Inspiring cities of the future
“Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture” at Germany's Vitra Design Museum provides valuable food for thought about the ways architecture can deal with climate change. Numerous examples from Arab countries illustrate how they have been defying the heat for thousands of years. By Joseph Croitoru
-
Berlin Museum of Islamic Art"Islamic Art” goes digital
The Berlin Museum of Islamic Art’s new online portal is the first digital platform in the German-speaking world to present Islamic cultures in an innovative and entertaining way. By Ceyda Nurtsch
-
Turkey-Syria quakeWeak buildings, shallow shock caused deaths
The instability of old buildings was responsible for much of the wreckage in Monday’s earthquake along the Turkey-Syria border. But the earthquake was also abnormally strong for its magnitude. Clare Roth has the details
-
Egypt expedition 1842A Prussian tour to the land of the Pharaohs
One hundred and eighty years ago, the Prussian king sent a team of scientists to the Nile. The items they brought back were ground-breaking for the development of Egyptology, a science very much in its infancy at the time. An exhibition on Berlin’s Museum Island tells the story
-
West Bank's last vinyl repairmanVinyl lover preserves musical heritage
From Jamal Hemmou's ramshackle workshop in Nablus's Old City in the occupied West Bank, classic Arabic songs blare into the surrounding cobbled streets. For how much longer remains to be seen – neither of his sons is interested in taking over the business
-
Iraq's women entrepreneurs
Small businesses, big dreams
The sewing machines and fabric that surround Alaa Adel at her "Iraqcouture" studio in Baghdad are testament to her success in deeply patriarchal Iraq
-
Iraq’s cultural heritageIraqi conservators strive to preserve ancient manuscripts
Iraq bears the scars of decades of conflict and has seen its antiquities plundered, yet the House of Manuscripts' collection has managed to survive
-
The origins of the MaghrebWas the Arab Maghreb a French invention?
The book "The Invention of the Maghreb: between Africa and the Middle East" prompts us to review basic terminology. This includes terms that we use almost every day as if they are definitive by virtue of geography, history and culture, such as "the Arab Maghreb", "North Africa", "the Middle East" and "sub-Saharan Africa". Shady Lewis Botros read the book