Cultural heritage

France's President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco's King Mohammed VI

Analysis

In Morocco, France's Macron dangles Western Sahara concessions to mend ties

After years of diplomatic disputes, French President Emmanuel Macron is adamant on repairing ties with Morocco.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

KAWNAT HAJU/AFP via Getty Images

Tyre, Lebanon's ancient city, bombarded by Israeli airstrikes

Israeli airstrikes are pounding ancient Tyre in southern Lebanon.

Members of Israeli security forces guard the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound following clashes that erupted during Islam's holy fasting month of Ramadan in Jerusalem on April 5, 2023.

Analysis

Why Ben-Gvir's Al-Aqsa compound rhetoric is dangerous and disruptive

Israel's far-right minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, called for the establishment of a synagogue at the sensitive Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount complex, engendering fierce responses from Palestinian and Israeli leaders alike.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

This picture taken on April 24, 2018, shows Meroitic pyramids at the archaeological site of Bajarawiya, near Hillat ed Darqab, some 250 kilometers northeast of Khartoum.

Sudan's war devastates cultural heritage as rival generals vie for power

Sudan’s civil war is now well into its second year, and alongside forcing the population to the brink of famine, warring parties have also come for its heritage.

Latest News

Lebanon's resistance through culture: Return of Beirut’s Metropolis Cinema

A visitor looks at portraits of late Franco-Lebanese film director Maroun Baghdadi and pictures from his movies at the venue of an exhibition dedicated to his memory in Beirut on December 12, 2023, as Lebanon commemorates the 30th annivesary of his death in an accident at the age of 43. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Mysterious structure at Egypt’s pyramids could be undiscovered tomb

A man checks his mobile phone standing next to his camel while waiting for tourists at the Giza Pyramids Necropolis on the outskirts of Giza on April 30, 2024. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP) (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)

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Erdogan's Byzantine church conversion roils Greece ahead of PM's Turkey visit

Tourists visit the Chora (Kariye) Church Museum, the 11th century church of St. Savior on August 21, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Erdogan and Germany's Steinmeier chuckle over doner kebab as ties grow

Steinmeier Kabob

UNESCO D-G Audrey Azoulay and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen

Israel says Saudi Arabia to allow it to attend Riyadh UNESCO event

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay told Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen that the Saudis signed this week a hosting agreement for the 45th World Heritage Committee that should enable the participation of Israeli representatives.

ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images

Breaking | Last Updated: July 2, 2023, 3:04 am

US return to UNESCO leaves Israel in awkward spot

After member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization agreed to take the United States back into the agency's fold, Israel is finding itself on its own.

Breaking | Last Updated: June 30, 2023, 2:28 pm

UNESCO votes in favor of readmitting US, Israel still out

Convening for an extraordinary session, the members of UNESCO voted by a large majority for the United States to rejoin the organization.

Audrey Azoulay

UNESCO chief says door open for Israel to come back

The United States is in the process of rejoining UNESCO after leaving it six years ago, while Israel currently has no intention to once again follow suit.

Walnuts

EU grants protection status to Turkey's Caglayancerit walnut

The move will increase the market potential of Turkish walnuts that are produced in the country's southeast, which is still reeling from the nation's worst disaster.

Turkish actress Merve Dizdar poses during a photocall after she won the Best Actress Prize for her part in the film "Kuru Otlar Ustune" (About Dry Grasses) during the closing ceremony of the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 27, 2023.

Turkey's conservatives lash out at actress Merve Dizdar after Cannes win

Angry reactions to actress Merve Dizdar’s acceptance speech at the Cannes film festival may foreshadow more crackdowns on the liberal arts sector as Erdogan and a new conservative parliament takes the reins.

A chef holds a platter of kanafe during Hatay kanafe festival, July 23, 2019.

Turkey's Hatay kanafeh delicacy granted EU special status

Turkey’s earthquake-hit multicultural Hatay province receives recognition for its renowned Mesopotamian dessert.

Rally in Jerusalem, Feb. 25 2023 Credit: Tal Kfir Shor

Handmaid's Tale inspires Israeli women battling religious coercion

Hundreds of women clad in red cloaks and sporting white bonnets have been appearing in the past few weeks in several of the anti-judicial overhaul, pro-democracy demonstrations across the country.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: Kevin Hart attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix's "Me Time" at Regency Village Theatre on August 23, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Explainer: Egypt cancels Kevin Hart’s show after ‘Black Egyptians’ reference

Hart was criticized on Egyptian social media for comments he allegedly made asserting that ancient Egyptians were black.

Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida.

Barcelona ends twin city agreement with Tel Aviv, citing Israeli 'apartheid'

Barcelona’s Mayor Ada Colau said that thousands of residents in her city signed a petition to sever ties with Tel Aviv so as to pressure Israel on Palestinian human rights.

Gobekli Tepe

Prehistoric world heritage site Gobekli Tepe survives Turkey earthquakes

Though Monday’s earthquakes destroyed several historic sites, some of the iconic historical heritage that is invaluable to science as well as Turkey’s economy has survived.

Islamic Arts Biennale display at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

First-ever Islamic Arts Biennale held in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah

The landmark event aimed to celebrate Islamic culture amid the kingdom’s cultural expansion.