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 StateMore

Captagon is now Syria's biggest export by far, dwarfing all its legal exports put together, according to estimates drawn from official data. An amphetamine derived from a once-legal treatment for narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder, it has become a huge drug in the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia by far the biggest marketMore

For centuries, the Yazidis lived in the northern Iraqi region of Sinjar. In 2014, the region was overrun by the so-called "Islamic State", which committed genocide against the Yazididi population. This brutal chapter in Yazidi history has left deep and lasting scars. To this day, the community in Sinjar is still picking up the pieces. By Birgit SvenssonMore

The fortunes of the city of Mosul are an illustration of Iraq’s long and arduous path out of destruction and back to regular life: years after the offensive against Islamic State, parts of the city are still in ruins. But there is hope. By Karin A. Wenger (text) and Philipp Breu (photos)More

When he first heard that U.S. troops had toppled Saddam Hussein, Iraqi engineer Hazem Mohammed thought he would finally be able to find his brother, who had been shot dead and dumped in a mass grave after a failed uprising against Saddam's rule in 1991More

Frustrated with their politicians, young Iraqis are turning their backs on politics and throwing themselves into cultural life. Birgit Svensson reports from BaghdadMore

Egyptian Sufis have been on the defensive against the country's Islamists for decades. Meanwhile, interest in mysticism is growing among the young members of Cairo’s middle and upper classes. By Marian BrehmerMore