Architecture

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Culture

Turkish museums celebrate banner year for history, architecture, art

From Italian architect Renzo Piano’s Istanbul Modern to a restored mansion in Izmir, Turkey’s museums swept awards for architecture and visitor experience.

A picture shows the Armenian car park in the Old City of Jerusalem on December 13, 2023. When bulldozers rolled into Jerusalem's Old City to start work on an Israeli settlement that would build a luxury hotel atop a fourth of the historic Armenian quarter, residents rapidly mobilized.

Inside the scheme to grab ‘holy’ land in Jerusalem’s Armenian quarter

Local activists are working to stop a megadeal signed by the Armenian patriarch to lease land to a luxury hotel developer.

A picture taken on Aug. 25, 2022, shows the minaret and a courtyard at the Great Mosque of Algiers.

Culture

What we know about Algeria’s mega mosque, the largest in Africa

The inauguration of the mosque culminates years of delay, partially prompted by country’s political history but also with construction controversies.

Iraqi children gather at a playground in the old city of Mosul on June 30, 2023 during the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP) (Photo by ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Iraq's Mosul rises from Islamic State ashes to rebuild minarets, museum

As Mosul makes a slow revival from the remnants of war, a host of challenges remain, including corrupt officials and institutional weaknesses in Iraq.

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Culture

UAE discovers Gulf's oldest known pearling town

YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

UNESCO lists two locations in Lebanon, Yemen as heritage sites in danger

A Yemeni man looks up at pillars at the Awam, or Moon Temple, near the recently restored Arsh, or Throne of Balquis, the site of the legendary kingdom of Sheba, Marib province, Yemen, Dec. 21, 2000.

Church blaze kills two in Turkey's Istanbul

In this aerial photo from a drone, a tram passes an empty road in the Karakoy district on the final day of a four-day lockdown across Istanbul, Turkey, April 26, 2020.

Culture

Lebanon’s cultural scene roars back, defying the economic meltdown

Visitors look at paintings by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso displayed at the Sursock Museum, Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 27, 2019.

Haya Barzaq takes photographs of a building in Gaza City to track the evolution of architecture in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, June 2022.

Culture

Palestinian female engineer documents architectural history in Gaza

Palestinian female engineer Haya Barzaq is documenting residential houses with special architectural styles in the Gaza Strip to track the evolution of architecture in the besieged enclave.

The Mugamma (Complex) administrative government building towering over Cairo's Tahrir Square is lit up on April 3, 2021.

Culture

Egypt to turn ancient government building into hotel

The Egyptian government is implementing a project to repurpose one of the oldest and most famous buildings in downtown Cairo into a mixed-use development building to achieve profits and boost tourism.

SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images

UAE bans exports of India-sourced wheat, restricts others

The Ministry of Economy said the decision was motivated by global supply chain disruptions as well as the recent trade agreement between the UAE and India.

A man walks in the vicinity of the closed Al-Hussein Mosque, after the country's Muslim religious authorities decided to put the Friday prayers on hold in order to avoid gatherings and the spread of the coronavirus, Cairo, Egypt, March 20, 2020.

Culture

Renovation work at historic Cairo mosque angers architects

Several Egyptian architects believe that the renovation project of Al-Hussein Mosque in Cairo’s historic district has ruined the area’s heritage and architectural aspect.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak (C) speaks to the press.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Turkey thrust into spotlight amid Ukraine-Russia talks

Turkey acts as mediator in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Israel is on high alert after a wave of terrorist attacks, how drones are revolutionizing the battlefield, and more.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

Joe Snell

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti , Joe Snell

People look out over the Mediterranean Sea from the coastline of Alexandria, Egypt, May 21, 2016.

Egypt reclaims land for new port city, but environmental concerns loom

Egypt is constructing a new port city near Alexandria by reclaiming land from the Mediterranean Sea, but the project has sparked fears over negative environmental impacts.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Nov. 30, 2021.

The Takeaway: Israel’s military threats shadow Iran nuclear talks

Erdogan digs in on lira; Egypt, Ethiopia tensions rise again over Nile Dam; Assassins "carefully planned" attack on Iraqi PM; Iraqi Shiite scholars ponder post-Sistani era; Children become breadwinners in besieged Idlib; The return of Mohammed Ali Pasha’s palace … all in less than 1,200 words.

The street along the carved minaret of Al-Hakim Mosque is deserted on the first day of a two-week night-time curfew imposed by the authorities to contain the spread of the coronavirus, Cairo, Egypt, March 25, 2020.

Historic Cairo regains its ancient glory

The Egyptian government is reviving Historic Cairo to make a unique tourist attraction.

Laborers clean chandeliers during the restoration of Mohammed Ali Shubra Palace, Cairo, Egypt, Sept. 12, 2019.

Life returns to 1800s palace in Egypt

The Egyptian authorities are preparing to reopen the palace of Mohammed Ali Pasha in the Shubra area, north of Cairo, after extensive restoration works.

Workers paint window frames during the restoration of Mohammad Ali Shubra Palace in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Sept. 12, 2019.

Egypt reinvents Qubba Palace as history museum

The Egyptian government has decided to transform Qubba Palace, one of the largest presidential palaces, into a museum housing several historical museums and gardens.

Egypt capital

Six years later, Egypt begins transfer to new capital

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has directed the government to start the actual transfer to the government district in the New Administrative Capital in December, but observers believe such relocation faces some obstacles.

Aquarium Grotto Garden

Egyptians alarmed as government delists protected park

A government decision to cross out a public park from the country's heritage list has dismayed Egyptians, wary of the authorities' plans to develop the park.