Afghanistan five years on: a neglected reality
The fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan dominated the headlines in August 2021, then disappeared from global scrutiny. What lessons can we learn?
Sudden Changes in Global Order — From Ancient to Early Modern Iran and Beyond
Dr M.A.H. Parsa explores Iran’s journey from Sasanian stability to Nader Shah’s empire.
Q&A: The Rise and Fall of the Barmakids
Tales of courtly intrigue, moral testing, romance and reversals of fortune from a rare Persian manuscript…
Who needs advice? Self-help literature’s suprisingly ancient Byzantine heritage
Margaret Mullett investigates advice literature from Byzantine texts to modern self-help culture.
Charities and Politics in Bashar al-Asad’s Syria: Q&A with Laura Ruiz de Elvira
Laura Ruiz de Elvira explores the role of charities in Bashar al-Asad’s Syria and, by extension, the eventual downfall of the regime.
5 things you might not expect of Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle East
Drawing on a long history of Christian-Muslim coexistence, Anna Hager explores the nuances and complexities of interfaith relations in the Middle East
As Mīr Ways Khān slept: miraculous possibilities in Afghan history
What happens when we view supernatural happenings as a wellspring of historical possibilities, rather than as excess to be cut away?
Q&A with the author of The Ottoman Canon and the Construction of Arabic and Turkish Literatures
C. Ceyhun Arslan discusses the inspiration behind his new book, and the surprises he encountered along the way.
The Demolition of Jeddah and the Relocation of a Neighbourhood in Turkey
Magnus Marsden explores the connection between built neighbourhoods and heritage.