Middle East Near You

As Iraq continues to be embroiled in conflict, with decades of war and political instability fending off international visitors, it is easy to forget that this is the region where civilisation itself was born and the building blocks for the modern world were laid

Watch our interview with leading Palestinian abstract artist and influential scholar Samia Halaby

Algeria is home to a plethora of jaw-dropping and hidden gems that showcase its long and rich history

Make tracks for one of the world's heaviest and longest trains...

The Mar Saba Monastery, set half-way between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, is the oldest monastery in the Holy Land and one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world.

Ravaged by two devastating wars in the 1990s, Grozny, the capital city of the Republic of Chechnya, became known as ‘the most destroyed city on earth’.

The Tunisian uprising spread like wildfire and millions in neighbouring Arab countries revolted against their long-time dictators, giving birth to what became known as the Arab Spring

Known as ‘The Valley of the Moon’, Wadi Rum spans nearly 300 square miles of terrain across the southern Jordanian desert with sweeping red sand dunes!

Today, Carthage is a wealthy suburb of the Tunisian capital Tunis where the ruins of the once-mighty ancient city have attracted tourists for decades.

One would assume that the largest Roman temple ever built would be in Rome, but it is in fact the Middle East that is home to the biggest Roman...

The first mosque to be built in Japan which continues to serve as such today is Kobe Mosque

Our interview with British journalist and author Victoria Brittain about her book 'Love and Resistance in the Films of Mai Masri'

The small island nation of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf is home to one of the world’s largest ancient cemeteries, dating back to the 4,000-year-old Dilmun civilisation.

The Great Mosque of Samarra with its iconic Malwiya (Arabic for “twisted”) Minaret was constructed in 848–852

On 2 October 1187, Ayyubid Sultan Salah Al-Din (known in the West as Saladin) liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders nearly a century after they captured the holy city from the Fatimid Caliphate

On the northern Turkish side of the capital lies one of the oldest Ottoman buildings in Cyprus, and it is well worth a visit.

Sudan's struggling economy and healthcare sector, already crippled by the coronavirus pandemic, have been pushed to their limits in recent weeks as devastating floods, the worst in nearly a...

The Old City of Sanaa is one of the oldest cities in the world. Meaning ‘fortified place’, it remains one of the greatest treasures of Arabia.

Did you know that Sudan has more twice as many pyramids than Egypt?

The majestic church-turned-mosque-turned-museum, and now turned-mosque again, has stood the test of time and war for almost 1,500 years

On this day in 1920, the first High Commissioner for Palestine Herbert Samuel, was handed the administration of the country by the British government and signed a receipt saying “one Palestine, complete”

Ramadan 2020, which began on 24 April with the sighting of the crescent moon, has been marked by empty mosques and modest iftars within the confines of family homes.

Lebanese fashion designer Roni Helou is making clothes out of sustainable, recycled materials in a bid to tackle the country's waste management crisis.

Israel is heading to the polls again

UK-based Palestinian writer and director Ahmed Masoud, and English actress Maxine Peake, staged a unique protest

With a special screening of Jeremy Hardy versus the Israeli Army, a packed hall at London's Greenwood Theatre paid a fitting tribute on Tuesday to the late Jeremy Hardy,...

Palestinian entrepreneurs gather at the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce for Palestine Entrepreneurship Day to promote Palestinian startups and help young entrepreneurs meet and network with the UK business community

As Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, images of dinner tables, food recipes and group iftars and celebrations begin to flood social media. One British...

War is a scary time for children who continue to suffer in conflict zones despite the protection provided by international law. In his first short film Paper Boat, Palestinian mathematics graduate turned filmmaker Mahmoud Abu Ghalwa asks whether human beings should have children in such a dangerous environment as the besieged Gaza Strip

Jewish Power, Jewish Home and the National Union support overtly religious-Zionist ideas and believe in the creation of a greater Israel, meaning no Palestinian state.

Arab-Israeli politicians are striving to serve the interests of Israel’s Palestinian population by lobbying for equality and by calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories

Could Benny Gantz be the new face of Israeli politics?