Photo Essays

Istanbul's new cultural centre – home to the performing arts

After being left to decay for 10 years, a revamped version of Istanbul's Cultural Centre is to reopen in 2020. Many opposed the demolition ...More

Peaceful protest camps: the camps existed several months before the Friday demonstrations began. The aim of the activists was to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. The protests on 30 March, Land Day, which reminded Palestinians of Israel's expropriation of land, became a mass movement. Since then, up to 30,000 people have participated in the protests

Women's protests in Gaza

For weeks Palestinians have been demonstrating in Gaza every Friday along the border with Israel. The world is surrounded by images of ...More

Lajpat Nagar, Delhi's "Little Kabul"

Lajpat Nagar is a district in southern New Delhi. When it was built in the 1950s, it was mainly Sikhs and Hindus from the ...More

First on site: at around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 31, the search-and-rescue vessel Aquarius, along with the Libyan coast guard, was alerted by the Italian Rescue Maritime Co-ordination Centre (IMRCC) that a rubber boat was in distress in international waters. Aquarius is manned by rescue workers from SOS Mediteranee, medics from Doctors without Borders (MSF) and a nautical and technical crew

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean

The search-and-rescue ship Aquarius saved nearly 300 people in the Mediterranean Sea over Easter 2018. During one operation, European ...More

Firdos Square: in 2003, the statue of Saddam Hussein on Firdos Square was torn down to signal the end of his regime. Although many years have passed since then, it still looks neglected and unkempt. Instead of finding a new lease of life as an elegant municipal space, it has remained a square without its own identity in the shadow of the 17 Ramadan Mosque (see picture). A new statue was made to replace that of Saddam Hussein following its destruction, but this was also removed, leaving just a damaged plinth

Baghdad 2018: Triumph of individual freedom and the downfall of the state!

Fifteen years after the toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime, the following images tell the story of the many changes that have occurred ...More

Yarmulke: European Jews started wearing the yarmulke, or kippah, in the 17th and 18th centuries, turning the skull cap into a religious symbol. Pious Jews are expected to cover their heads, but the fabric isn't that important and a hat or scarf is acceptable, too. Jewish Halacha law requires men and boys to cover their head when they pray, visit a synagogue or a Jewish cemetery or study the religion

Yarmulke, mitre or veil: religious head coverings around the globe

Followers of various religions wear special head coverings to express their faith and show humility and dignity. Yarmulkes, mitres, veils ...More

'Made in Bangladesh': Bangladesh is the second-largest clothing exporter in the world, after China. Since the garment factory collapse of 2013, Bangladesh has been receiving unprecedented attention. Several inititatives were set up to help the country's factories improve working conditions and safety for garment workers

Better safety for Bangladesh's garment industry

Tunisia: The troglodyte dwellings of Matmata

The Berber village Matmata in southern Tunisia is famous for its quaint underground houses and cave dwellings, which are pleasantly cool ...More

Egypt's most famous revolutionary: Akhenaten

Radical, divisive, fascinating: Pharaoh Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) had a unique vision of religion which altered the era in which he lived. ...More

Istanbul defies definition: Istanbul is the world's most famous city to rest on two continents: Europe and Asia. Here, unlike almost anywhere else, tradition collides with modernity, religion with secular lifestyles. Many say that is exactly what makes Istanbul so magical

How European is Istanbul?

Europe and Turkey have a lot in common. Istanbul for one. The metropolis of 15 million is not merely geographically part of Europe. A ...More

Three thousand years of women's history on a dress: "tatreez" is an Arabic word for a unique style of Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery. Distinguished by rich colours and textures, it originated in the Middle East some 3,000 years ago. As photographer Fatima Abbadi explains, the craft has always been exclusively a women's territory and it's been passed down from mothers to daughters like family recipes influenced by each generation

Embroidering for emancipation in Palestine

A decorative cloth for some, a sign of resistance for others. All the aspects of "tatreez" come to light in Fatima Abbadi's latest photo ...More

A thick blanket of snow is the defining feature of life in the winter months in the mountainous regions of the western Iranian province of Kurdistan. The village of Hawraman Takht, in the Hawraman region close to the Iraqi border, clings precariously to steep mountain slopes. Hawrami houses are made of stone and built in such a way that each house roof serves as forecourt for the house above

The festival of Pir Shalyar

The centuries-old festival of "Pir Shalyar" is celebrated in the Iranian-Kurdish village of Hawraman Takht at the ...More

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Wadi al Salam is the largest cemetery in the world, which ″forms a prominent traditional method of land use.″ In 2011, the cemetery was submitted to UNESCO on the world heritage list

Bearing witness to Iraq′s history – Wadi al Salam

Covering over 1,480 acres and accommodating over five million bodies, Wadi al Salam in ...More

Brown is beautiful: many Pakistanis consider dark skin to be an undesirable trait. In her teens, Shehzil battled with a sense of inferiority to her light-skinned counterparts, regularly drawing comfort from a skin-whitening cream later revealed to contain strong toxins. In college, when she met powerful women from all over the world, she realised that that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and colours

Illustrator Shehzil Malik′s take on feminism and diversity

Thoughtful, provocative, chic: Shehzil Malik′s new aesthetic seeks social transformation in Pakistan's conservative, male-dominated ...More

'Hands Holding Flowers through Bars' (2016): Muhammad al-Ansi was born in Yemen and was held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp for a total of 15 years under extrajudicial detention practices. He alleges that he was tortured during his incarceration, saying that painting helped him cope with the conditions at Guantanamo. Creating landscapes and flowers helped him escape the reality of everyday life at the notorious prison

Artists of Guantanamo

Prisoners at Guantanamo Bay don't have many liberties. Painting is one of the few activities they have been allowed to pursue in recent ...More

Saudi Arabia abounds with prehistoric petroglyphs at sites that remain unprotected and freely accessible. One recurring motif: the camel

Opening the gates of the Kingdom

Once Saudi Arabia was the world’s most difficult country for a non-Muslim to visit. Only Muslims making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca were ...More

Bon appetit! In a country that spent decades locked in conflict along ethnic and religious lines, food and cooking is a first step towards overcoming those barriers, says Mouzawak. After all, food brings all kinds of people together. That′s why Mouzawak′s motto is: Make food not war!

Lebanon: "Make food not war!"

Despite the civil war in its past, Beirut is struggling back to its former beauty. Restaurant owners like Kamal Mouzawak are part of ...More

High unemployment, high inflation and a deepening divide between poor and wealthy Iranians: the economic crisis in Iran is a major cause of frustration for many people. The easing of international sanctions following the 2015 nuclear deal has not improved people's living conditions as expected.

Frustration boils over in Iran

The mass protests in Iran were initially about economic woes and foreign policy. ...More

In the Middle Ages, scholars studied the knowledge and findings of ancient thinkers and philosophers. An exhibition by the Austrian National Library, which opened in Berlin on 9 December, is dedicated to this important work. Above: the Greek polymath Aristotle (384 BC to 322 BC) in a Roman illustration dating from 1457

Jews, Christians and Muslims: the birth of science

Contemporary science has its roots in the work of medieval Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars who set about translating ancient texts ...More

Clashes with police: a Palestinian protester hurls stones toward Israeli police during clashes near the Jewish settlement of Beit Al, close to the West Bank city of Ramallah. Palestinians called for a "day of rage" in response to U.S. President Donald Trump′s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. At least two protesters were killed on Friday during clashes with security forces

"Days of rage": Muslims worldwide respond

Thousands of Muslims worldwide have demonstrated against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital ...More

Born into bondage: Schweda was born a slave in Mauritania's north-eastern Sahara along with her brother, Matallah. Overcoming virtually insurmountable odds, Matallah succeeded in freeing her and her nine children from slavery in March 2013

In Mauritania, slavery's last bastion

In Mauritania, north-western Africa, slavery is a fact of modern life. It's estimated that 10-20 percent of the ...More

God not geometry: two students at the Al-Nadwa madrasa memorising Koran quotes. This Islamic educational institution is not far from the capital, Islamabad. It is mainly poor families who send their children to schools like these. As well as a religious education, the schools provide the children with three meals a day and a roof over their heads

Pakistan: Education (not) for all

Some 50 million children in Pakistan are of school age, but more than 20 million of them do not attend any kind of educational institution ...More

Lessons continue despite destruction: These girls are attending a class at their school in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah despite the fact that a wall has been almost completely taken out by a Saudi-led air strike. The country has been enmeshed in a bloody civil war for three years now and the conflict shows no sign of ending. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2015

Going to school in wartime

With several countries in the Middle East in the grip of conflicts, children there are not only in danger but often miss out on schooling ...More

A drama about justice: "In the Fade": with "In the Fade", Fatih Akin is releasing his ninth film in German theatres. The drama takes on the racism within German society, successfully connecting a political story with a private narrative, without feeling moralistic or didactic. It is a "true" Fatih Akin film, filled with strong emotions

"In the Fade": Fatih Akin's latest film

In his latest film, "In the Fade", Fatih Akin puts his leading lady through hell. The acclaimed director draws on the series of murders ...More

For Shia Muslims, Hussein is a symbol of rebellion against oppression. They believe he gave his life to keep true Islam alive

Arbaeen, the world′s largest pilgrimage

Every year, large numbers of Iranian Shias travel to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq to take part in ...More

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Attacks on synagogues in Germany

The attempted attack on a synagogue in Halle is not the first in recent years. Even after the horrors of the Nazi era, anti-Semitic incidents occur in Germany — on individuals, memorials and Jewish places of worship. By Bettina Baumann

Qantara dossier: European travellers in the Orient

(photo: Max Freiherr von Oppenheim-Stiftung im Hausarchiv des Bankhauses Sal. Oppenheim)

Our dossier contains a selection of interesting biographies and reports on renowned European travelers to the Orient from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.More

Hussein Agha: "The Middle East’s great divide is not sectarianism"

Iraqi Turkmen forces man a checkpoint in the northern city of Taza Khormato, 20 kms south of Kirkuk, on 21 June 2014 (photo: Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images)

The spectre of Sunni Shia sectarianism haunts the Middle East. It is blamed for chaos, conflict, and extremism. Yet, argues Hussein Agha, wrongly defining the struggles gripping the Middle East encourages misguided remedies.More

Goethe-Institut's Perspektiven: Generational conflict

Goethe-Institut Perspektiven logo (source: Goethe-Institut)

Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon… six young women and men from six different countries put their individual views and experience with the generational conflict into words for this dossier.More

Top 10 books about Muslims and Islam by Saadia Faruqi

Media stereotypes and misinformation about Muslims are nothing new. In post-election America, Muslims are finding more allies who often want to help but don’t know much about Islam. More and more non-Muslims have questions and are seeking answers.More

An eye-catching tableau for resistance: graffiti art in Bethlehem

The trailblazer: in 2005, the legendary British street artist Banksy visited the West Bank and left behind nine stencilled graffiti images on the wall and on private buildings in and around Bethlehem. His satirical and critical commentary on Israel's occupation policy marked the start of an onslaught of international and Palestinian graffiti artists – amateurs and professionals alike – who have adorned the wall with their political and personal messages.

An eye-catching tableau for resistance: graffiti art in Bethlehem

In 2002, the then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon approved the construction of a barrier wall that would run along the ceasefire line of 1949 with the intention of separating Israeli territories from the Palestinian West Bank. In Bethlehem, graffiti artists have started using the wall as a canvas for political protest and socially critical art. By Laura Overmeyer

Female Kurdish singer rallies the troops

Kurdish singer Helly Luv (photo: Getty Images/Safin Hamed)

Iraqi Kurdish singer Helly Luv was in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, filming the video to her latest hit. Luv is aiming for international fame as she releases her new English song 'Revolution', calling for action against terrorism and violence.More

Syria's Cultural Heritage in Danger

Over four millennia, Babylonian, Egyptian, Persian, Greek and Roman influences crossed paths in Syria. Today, precious cultural sites from these eras are being damaged as the Syrian civil war takes its toll on the country's cultural heritage. This week, the United Nation's cultural organization UNESCO made fresh reports about damage to Syria's historic sites.

Syria's Cultural Heritage in Danger

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.

"The Crusades: Holy War"

Dr Thomas Asbridge (source: BBC.co.uk)

In this three-part documentary by BBC 2, Dr Thomas Asbridge presents a revelatory account of the Crusades, the 200-year war between Christians and Muslims for control of the Holy Land.More