Art and entertainment

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City.

Analysis

'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance

Backlash erupts after dancers perform to Missy Elliott’s “Work It,” exposing the tightrope between Sharaa’s outreach to the West and pressure from his Islamist base.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Artist Erdal Duman's work titled "Whoever Owns the Tank Is Soleiman" takes a dig at power.

Culture

The weight of war: Erdal Duman’s sculptures probe politics of violence

As missiles cross again Middle Eastern skies, Turkish artist Erdal Duman’s brightly colored weapons ask an uncomfortable question: When does war really begin?

An Oscar statue at the red carpet at the 96th Annual Academy Awards, Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, California, March 9, 2024.

Culture

'Gesture of resistance': Gaza war and Iran repression in Oscars spotlight

This year’s Oscars nominations include Middle Eastern films whose themes of war, government violence and protest have shone a spotlight on politics at home.

Latest News

Culture

Turkish museums celebrate banner year for history, architecture, art

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Morocco’s next generation of writers fights for a place on the shelf

A customer browses books at a bookshop in the Moroccan capital Rabat on August 9, 2018. On the main arteries of old Rabat, dozens of itinerant booksellers offer books in French, Arabic, and sometimes in English, up to ten times cheaper than their originals. Despite being prohibited, the pirated-books market is largely tolerated in cities across the North African kingdom. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Suck my walls: One woman’s archive of Turkey’s street art

Irem Guler has documented the walls of Turkey for two decades. — Irem Guler

UAE AI investor MGX moves closer to strategic stake in TikTok US

RICCARDO MILANI/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Jasmine

Culture

Turkey launches probe into HBO series citing ‘moral’ values: What to know

The probe into the TV series has fueled debate over censorship and artistic freedom in the country.

Multiple exposure photograph of the Netflix and Warner Bros logos in front of a television screen at Kerlouan in Brittany in France, on Dec. 5 2025.

Mideast funds back Paramount's $108B Warner Bros. takeover bid

Netflix appeared to have won a weeks-long bidding war with Paramount and Comcast, securing a $72 billion equity deal for Warner Bros. Discovery's TV, film studios and streaming assets, but Monday's $108 billion bid changes the calculus.

WALL: Ipek Duben's works at Galerist (Photo, courtesy of Gallerist).

Culture

Turkish artist Ipek Duben’s early years return to the wall

In solo exhibition “'70-,” Istanbul-born artist Ipek Duben opens the files she once kept to herself, tracing the foundations of a five-decade career shaped by identity, power, gender and belonging.

Traditional Emirati dancers and musicians for the opening night of Abu Dhabi Art.

Culture

A confident farewell: Abu Dhabi Art’s last edition hits new peak before Frieze

In its final 17th edition before it becomes Frieze Abu Dhabi in 2026, the fair staged its largest showing and attracted local and international collectors alike.

Amal Alhasan/Getty Images for Red Sea International Film Festival

Culture

Middle Eastern works to take center stage at Saudi Red Sea Film Festival

The festival’s main competition features 10 directors from the Middle East and North Africa.

Arash Sobhani performing in Amsterdam on Oct. 25. 2025.

Culture

Musician Arash Sobhani brings protest-infused Iranian rock to New York

The founder of the famed Tehran band Kiosk says the album addresses the failures of uprisings in Iran while incorporating influences from the wide range of musical styles in his new home.

mena exhibit nypl

Culture

New York Public Library showcases history of MENA immigration to city

“Niyu Yurk: Middle Eastern and North African Lives in the City” features photographs, literature and musical recordings dating back more than 100 years.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Meet Rama Duwaji, Mamdani's wife and New York’s first lady of Syrian descent

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji, largely stayed out of the spotlight during the campaign but her Syrian heritage has shaped her views and upbringing.

Mahmoud Said, La fille aux yeux verts

Culture

Christie's London auction shines global light on Middle Eastern art

The online auction for the 39 lots began Oct. 28 and runs until Nov. 11, while the live auction in London takes place Nov. 6.

Shark Tank Lebanon

Culture

'Shark Tank Lebanon' debuts, offering entrepreneurs hope amid economic turmoil

A Lebanese version of the popular US reality TV show "Shark Tank" hit the airwaves in Lebanon, where unemployment rates have reached record highs in the past years due to a protracted economic and financial crisis and the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Alaà Al-Shawa’s “Fragile Masks,” a double portrait of restitched faces, highlights the young artist's quest for survival. (Photo: Nazlan Ertan)

Culture

Gaza artists' unorthodox biennial finds a home in Istanbul

The Gaza Biennale — Istanbul Pavillion, themed “A Cloud in My Hand,” reflects Gaza artists’ quest for survival as well as their hopes for a postconflict homeland.

Installation view of Divine Egypt on view Oct.12, 2025 until Jan. 19, 2026 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Anna-Marie Kellen, Courtesy of the Met

Culture

‘Divine Egypt’ brings ancient gods to life at New York’s Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new exhibition on ancient Egypt features nearly 100 pieces from international institutions and focuses on the iconography identifying deities.