Middle East
All countries-
'The Line' in Saudi Arabia
Mohammed bin Salman's febrile dream
Plans for Neom, the futuristic ecocity in Saudi Arabia's desert, are taking shape. In the form of a straight line, for nine million inhabitants. Merely a pipe-dream? Commentary by Gerhard Matzig
-
Women and Islamic studies
Annemarie Schimmel’s pioneering take on Islam
This year Annemarie Schimmel, the great German scholar of Islamic studies, would have turned 100. Unique within the German and international academic community of her time, Schimmel’s pioneering work was characterised by a love of Islam. A tribute by Stefan Weidner
-
Data centre plans in Saudi Arabia
Google puts Saudi activists in danger
Internet giant Google is creating a "cloud region" in Saudi Arabia. It says it will protect users there. But digital rights activists say the firm will be putting the lives of government critics at risk. Cathrin Schaer reports
-
Human rights in Egypt
Egyptian activist Sanaa Seif "disappointed with German politicians"
Sanaa Seif, sister of Alaa Abd El-Fattah, one of Egypt's best-known dissidents, visited Berlin recently. She spoke to Cathrin Schaer about her brother's hunger strike and Europe's double standards on Ukraine and the Middle East
-
Challenging Turkish history from the ground up
"The stories of our families"
More and more voices are being raised in Turkey that challenge previous versions of the country's history. These alternative accounts, still largely ignored by official quarters, are breaching longstanding taboos and deconstructing the political narrative. By Ceyda Nurtsch
-
Syria's Phoenician heritage
Traditional boat-makers keep ancient craft afloat
Khaled Bahlawan hammers nails into a traditional wooden boat he built by hand, toiling under the scorching sun on Syria's Mediterranean coast to preserve a disappearing ancient skill
-
Denmark's new "Flugt" Museum
Flight has a million faces
"Flugt" is the world's first museum dedicated to the stories of those forced to flee. The new museum, which focuses on the fates of refugees then and now, is housed in a former camp for German war refugees on the west coast of Denmark. By Oliver Ristau
-
Israel and Palestine
How to build a lasting peace
For many years, world-famous conductor Zubin Mehta has worked tirelessly to strengthen relations between Arabs and Jews, sponsoring projects such as "Road to Recovery", which is designed to foster dialogue and bring people closer together. Peter Munch reports from Tel Aviv
-
LGBTQ+ Pride
Being queer and Arab
As Pride Month draws to a close, Richard Marcus delves into Saqi Books’ latest publication, "This Arab is Queer". Edited by Elias Jahshan, this anthology of essays is remarkable for its honesty in addressing what is still a dangerous and controversial subject in many of the writers’ countries of origin
-
Archaeology in Iraq
Drought reveals Bronze Age city
Extreme drought in Iraq has given German and Kurdish archaeologists the unique chance to examine an ancient Bronze Age city that was hidden beneath the water of a reservoir for decades. Experts believe the ruins could be those of the ancient city of Zachiku. It was a race against the clock to complete work before the city was once again covered by the reservoir's rising water level. By Alexander Freund
-
The Middle East's "Axis of Failure"
Arab autocrats – ruining their own states
In "Die Achse des Scheiterns", Rainer Hermann of Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung explains with refreshing clarity what is currently going wrong in the Arab world. Wolfgang Freund read the book
-
Gulf states and sustainability
Desert-grown superfood puts 'healthy' burgers on UAE menus
A hardy plant grown using salt water is thriving in the UAE's desert farms and helping create "healthy" burgers, showing sustainable agriculture's potential in the toughest conditions. The succulent, salicornia, is already being used as a salt replacement in burger patties