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. Saudi Arabia
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. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
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? Turkey
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. Iran
In Jerusalem, Israelis celebrate nostalgia for Egyptian film music Israelis, who have remained enthralled with the outpouring of emotion in Egyptian films for decades, rediscover their passion through a series of concerts at Jerusalem’s Museum for Islamic Art. Israel
'The Guest' gets cold shoulder from Egyptian Islamic scholars Egyptian religious scholars want “The Guest,” an award-winning film, banned. Egypt
Rare book exhibit draws crowds in Jerusalem The "Maimonides: A Legacy in Script” exhibit, a collection of rare manuscripts by a renowned Jewish scholar, is drawing unusually large crowds of Orthodox Jews to Jerusalem’s Israel Museum. Israel
Ramallah's got talent: A new platform presents it Sard, a Ramallah-based creative initiative, provides budding celebrities and inspired amateurs with a stage to present their talent and tell their stories. Palestine
Egypt’s oldest Arabic calligraphy school struggles to survive Many institutes of calligraphy simply closed their doors when the Egyptian government stopped subsidizing them, but one school persists. Egypt
Syrian artists find new platform, inspiration in Beirut The Syrian conflict has seen many artists move to Beirut, using the capital to strengthen the artistic link between the two countries, a phenomenon explored by "Moussem Cities: Damascus starts in Beirut." Lebanon
Why Israel’s culture minister defended Haifa’s Christians Christians in Haifa demanded that the McJesus sculpture be removed from the Haifa Museum of Art, but they certainly did not ask for provocative Culture Minister Miri Regev to intervene. Israel
Streaming revives Turkey’s TV industry Turkish production companies are creating original content for Turkey’s internet generation that is receptive to nationally produced TV series available for a fee online. Turkey
How this royal portrait boosted Qatari national identity A sense of national identity has been growing steadily in Qatar since the Saudi-led blockade began in June 2017, and it seems as though an image of the Qatari emir has helped it along the way. Qatar
3D maps in Beirut tell story of Nakba “A National Monument” exhibition in Beirut presents the changing map of Palestine after the Nakba. Lebanon
Turkey's 'horse whisperer' races ahead at the box office A cinematic homage about the record-breaking racehorse Bold Pilot and his jockey is filling Turkish theaters and bringing audiences to tears. Turkey
How an Ottoman diplomat captured Levantine 'glitterati' in caricatures An exhibition in the Turkish capital highlights an Ottoman bureaucrat's caricatures of the diplomatic set in the waning days of the empire. Turkey
