Essays

From Stitch to Symbol: The Power of Palestinian Tatreez

From Stitch to Symbol: The Power of Palestinian Tatreez

Palestinian embroidery is dynamic, and artists, designers, and makers are constantly finding new ways to innovate and reinterpret...

22 AUGUST 2025 • By Joanna Barakat
Ziad Rahbani: The Making of a Lebanese Jazz Legend

Ziad Rahbani: The Making of a Lebanese Jazz Legend

A look at Ziad Rahbani's life and legacy, and the man who first introduced him to the jazz...

8 AUGUST 2025 • By Diran Mardirian
Amal Doesn’t Even Know What a Banana Is: Child Malnutrition in Gaza

Amal Doesn’t Even Know What a Banana Is: Child Malnutrition in Gaza

A writer in Gaza reports on the consequences of Israel's blocking humanitarian aid and medicines from entering the...

1 AUGUST 2025 • By Asem Al Jerjawi
Architectural Biennale Confronts Brutality of Climate Change

Architectural Biennale Confronts Brutality of Climate Change

As planet temperatures rise, architects in the Middle East eschew Western fixes and revitalize local solutions.

1 AUGUST 2025 • By Iason Athanasiadis
“A Love That Endures”: How Tamer and Sabreen Defied War and Death

“A Love That Endures”: How Tamer and Sabreen Defied War and Death

In Gaza, where airstrikes define life, two lovers still find a way to connect in a landscape scarred...

25 JULY 2025 • By Husam Maarouf
When the Wound Sings: Israelis Quote Poet Yahia Lababidi

When the Wound Sings: Israelis Quote Poet Yahia Lababidi

A reflection on the moral complexity of art during genocide and grief, highlighting the healing power of poetry,...

18 JULY 2025 • By Yahia Lababidi
Arab Writing in French: Claiming Space and Language

Arab Writing in French: Claiming Space and Language

The “francophone” term limits books to the “Francophonie” section in French bookstores, and forces authors to focus on...

4 JULY 2025 • By Lara Vergnaud
A Medical Gaze at the Grand Multiparas

A Medical Gaze at the Grand Multiparas

A doctor writes on the grand multiparas — women who have given birth five or more times.

4 JULY 2025 • By Sarah Shaheen
Syrian Asylees in the US Risk Everything Going Home

Syrian Asylees in the US Risk Everything Going Home

U.S. asylees and refugees must consider the risks of visiting Syria against the lives they've established in the...

4 JULY 2025 • By Rana Alsoufi
Are We As Free To Read Books As We Think?

Are We As Free To Read Books As We Think?

We're not quite at "Fahrenheit 451" where books in pyres are burned in public, but our freedom to...

4 JULY 2025 • By Yasmina Jraissati
Reading Between the Lines of Land

Reading Between the Lines of Land

Trekking through the diverse terrains of Britain, Norway, and Saudi Arabia, a geologist embarks on a journey of...

4 JULY 2025 • By Manar Alsaif
Architecture and Political Memory

Architecture and Political Memory

In Iraq, buildings don’t simply reflect ideology — they absorb it, transmit it, and sometimes resist it. Especially...

4 JULY 2025 • By Meriam Othman
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