Antiquities and historical monuments
All topics-
Iran's monuments for humanity
From the Kingdom of Elam to Alexander the Great, to the Shah dynasties and the Islamic Republic, Iran's cultural sites reflect its long history. By Philipp Jedicke
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Interview with Nihad Salim Qoja
“Iranian hegemony in Iraq is very strong”
For 12 years, Nihad Salim Qoja was the mayor of Erbil, capital of the autonomous Kurdish regions of Iraq. Christopher Resch spoke to the local politician in Erbil about the future of his city and the current political problems in Iraq
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Uncovering Portugalʹs Islamic roots
Where Christians pray facing Mecca
Archaeologists in Mertola have spent the last 40 years looking for traces of Portugalʹs Islamic past. What they found shows that Islam is not alien to Europe and has in fact deeply influenced Portuguese history and culture. By Marta Vidal
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The "Syrian Heritage Archive Project"
Syria's cultural landscape lives on – in Berlin
Countless cultural assets were destroyed by the Syrian Civil War. The Syrian Heritage Archive Project in Berlin contributes to preserving their memory with an exhibition showing what has been lost – and what remains. By Christina Kufner
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Sanaa in the 19th century
A city of gardens, Greeks and Turks
Often steeped in prejudice and fed by ignorance, travelogues penned by Europeans travelling to the Middle East between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries nevertheless remain fascinating for the cultural insights they provide. Renzo Manzoniʹs "Yemen: A trip to Sanaa" is a case in point. By Mohamed Shaaban
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Interview with anthropologist Dieter Haller
Tangiers – end of a cosmopolitan era
Two years on from the publication of his book "Tangier: port, people and pleasure – an ethnographic study", anthropologist Dieter Haller met with Karima Ahdad to discuss the clash between indigenous inhabitants and newcomers, Tangierʹs international outlook against the backdrop of the city today and the desire of young Moroccans to emigrate
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The Maghrebʹs Moorish-Spanish legacy
Andalusia begins in northern Morocco
Any journey to southern Spain, to Al-Andalus, is akin to the start of a dream that finds its beguiling continuation beyond the Pillars of Hercules, in the Andalusian cities of northern Morocco – Tangiers, Chefchaouen, Tetouan, Fes, Meknes, Larache and Asilah. The relationship between Morocco and Spain is closer than we think. By Mourad Kusserow
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Urban development in Tunisia
Keeping the speculators out of Tunis
While there is a gradual reawakening of interest among the inhabitants of the Tunisian capital in their historical old town, the cityʹs colonial districts are at risk of falling prey to property speculators. Sarah Mersch on the development of Tunis
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Turkeyʹs controversial Ilisu dam project
Death by drowning for ancient settlement of Hasankeyf
A huge dam project in Turkeyʹs southeast is forcing residents of an ancient town earmarked for flooding to uproot. Yet many still donʹt know where they should go. Diego Cupolo reports from Hasankeyf
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Gazaʹs cultural heritage
The Palestinians' vanishing legacy
As well as giving the nod to the reckless redevelopment of ancient historical sites, Hamas and its de-facto government have also been fingered in the disappearance of countless archaeological finds. Gazan activists, archaeologists and historians are now fighting to protect what remains of their Palestinian heritage. By Abdalhadi Alijla
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Averroes' Enlightenment legacy
An intellectual earthquake
Koert Debeuf, director of The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy posits that it is high time the West revised the exclusionary narrative of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment and restored the historical truth to its rightful place
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Reconstructing Aleppo
The hidden power of investors
The reconstruction of Aleppo is turning out to be quite difficult, especially because the authorities in Syria responsible for historic buildings and monument preservation hardly have any influence, while foreign investors seem to hold all the cards. Konstantin Klein discussed the situation with the Syrian historian Mamoun Fansa