Page Text: With spring, migration on the Balkan route is on the rise again – and with it the misery, violence and illegal pushbacks at Croatia's external EU border. By Dirk Planert
"Mali Magic": Ancient Mali's manuscripts available online
A virtual gallery containing thousands of Mali's ancient documents has been launched. The gallery contains up to 40 thousand documents written in ancient Arabic that have been digitised and made available online. More
Banipal Translation Prize 2021: Shortlist of 5
Organisers of the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation have announced this year’s shortlist. Three translators have made the shortlist for the first time in 2021: Sarah Enany (for Rasha Adly’s 'The Girl with the Braided Hair'), Sawad Hussain (for Shahla Ujayli’s 'A Bed for the King’s Daughter'), and Elisabeth Jaquette (for Dima Wannous’ 'The Frightened Ones'). More
Indie film "Warsha" tackles Arab gender taboo
Lebanese director Dania Bdeir, who has just scooped up the Sundance Film Festival's award for best international short film, says she wants her short to "break the norms" on sexuality and gender in the Middle East. More
Young Senegalese author Mohamed Mbougar Sarr wins Prix Goncourt
A young Senegalese writer unknown to the general public was on Wednesday awarded the Prix Goncourt, France's leading literature prize, with a novel exploring the destiny of a cursed African author. More
Elias Khoury: "Lebanon has always rebelled against political repression"
What’s the difference between an assassination and an execution? This is the headache of a question facing Lebanese; it existed before Lokman Slim was killed, and it looks likely to preoccupy people for a long while to come. The question goes to the heart of the cultural scene and the intellectuals in Lebanon, Egypt and the Arab Levant. More
"Two Gods" studies the life of a Muslim casket maker
An intensely cinematic portrait of male friendship and mentorhood. In Newark, NJ a Muslim casket maker and ritual body washer brings two young men under his wing to teach them how to live better lives. More
Lughatuna: The Living Arabic Project
The Living Arabic Project, created by Hossam Abouzahr, is home to the first online, multi-dialect Arabic dictionary – app or desktop version – that focuses on practical usage and can be searched in Arabic and English. More
New Lines Magazine: How the eggplant conquered Arab cuisine
From feared culinary outcast to omnipresent ingredient, this misunderstood fruit has come a long way since the 9th century. More
Treats and tradition in Tehran's oldest, tiniest teahouse
Tea is a mainstay of popular culture across the Middle East, from Morocco to Qatar. Tucked away in Tehran's Grand Bazaar is arguably the world's tiniest tea shop. The owner's signature brew – "the tea of kndness" – is just one of the many treats awaiting discovery More
"Iberian Moorings" compares Muslim and Jewish golden ages
Known to Jews, Muslims, and Christians by three different names – Sefarad, al-Andalus, and Hispania, respectively – the Iberian Peninsula has been a centre of fertile intellectual, cultural and spiritual production for multiple religious traditions. More
New York Times: What a tiny masterpiece reveals about power and beauty
Four centuries ago, mighty crosscurrents of religion and culture flowed into a new Indian art. It was courtly and refined, but also eye-poppingly luxuriant. More
Eight Arab architects who shaped the world
For centuries, Arab and Islamic architecture has given birth to traditional styles and world heritage sites, which are studied across the world today for their level of detail and craftsmanship. It is a rich architectural heritage that has paved the way for modern Arab architects. We take a look at eight Arab architects who have shaped the region’s architectural scene over the past fifty years. More
BBC: How the Arab Spring changed cinema
A decade after the revolutions, Joseph Fahim looks at how filmmakers reacted to the seismic events – and asks whether the real story of the uprisings is yet to be told. More