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We increase cross-cultural understanding through stories about people, cultures, histories, and geography and their global interconnections.
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Albania’s Resurging Cuisine
- Food
- Foodways
After decades of decline under communist rule, food enthusiasts—including brother chef and baker Bledar and Nikolin Kola—are pioneering the return of the country’s traditional dishes. Chefs and other culinary aficionados are drawing on Albania’s 500-plus years of culinary heritage to reinterpret the foods of their ancestors. Their efforts are re-establishing traditions that were feared lost.
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Sea Beans With Fava Beans and Dill
Food
This recipe serves up one of London-based food writer Sally Butcher's favorite lunches—a perfect mezze dish of beans.
A Reimagined Islamic Garden
Arts
The second Islamic Arts Biennale (Jan 24-May 25, 2025) in Jeddah explores multicultural expressions of faith, healing, regeneration and an appreciation of beauty.
Nakshi Kantha: Tradition and Identity in Every Stitch
Arts
History
A traditional form of quilting in Bangladesh in which women embroider family history, love and memory into the fabric is blanketing markets locally and beyond.
Arab Immigration and the French Art Scene
Arts
While France is rediscovering its relationship with Arab artists of the 20th century, the latest generation of French Arab contributors to the country’s world-class art scene is exploring their own sense of identity.
Cracked Wheat and Tomato Kibbeh Recipe
Food
Simply cooked line-caught fish with this beautiful tomato kibbeh. I don't know how you could top it.
A Life of Words: A Conversation With Zahran Alqasmi
Arts
For as long as poet and novelist Zahran Alqasmi can remember, his life in Mas, an Omani village about 170 kilometers south of the capital of Muscat, in the northern wilayat (province) of Dima Wattayeen, books permeated every part of his world. “I was raised in a family passionate about prose literature and poetry,” Alqasmi recalls.
Soaring Perspective on the Global Food Chain
Food
In his latest book, Feed the Planet, photographer George Steinmetz visits nearly every corner of the world to record diverse yet linked aspects of the global food chain—including aquaculture.
Centuries-Old Scent Oud Now Perfuming East and West
Science & Nature
Musky and sweet, oud wafted its way into the culture of the Arabian Gulf from South and East Asia. Now the resin that is processed into an essential oil is sweetening perfume and room fragrance in the West.
A Fasting Journey Through Ramadan
Arts
What’s it like as a non-Muslim to fast during Ramadan? Writer Scott Baldauf shares his journey through the holy month where he uncovers resilience, empathy and the powerful unity found in shared traditions.
Tima Abid's Fashion Forward
Saudi couture designer Tima Abid merges contemporary fashion with Arabian heritage. Her glamorous collections are earning recognition from Paris to Riyadh. With her latest designs Abid not only is making her mark on the runways, she is redefining bold elegance amid changing times in the Arabian Gulf.Flavors - Cracked Wheat and Tomato Kibbeh
Food
Sitting on the beach with my feet in the sand, listening to sounds of Lebanese pop music drifting through the air, watching children play in the water, eating simply cooked line-caught fish with this beautiful vegetarian tomato kibbeh. I don’t know how you could top it..jpg?cx=0.5&cy=0.5&cw=480&ch=360)
FirstLook: A Market’s Port of Call
History
Arts
After the war in 1991, Kuwait faced a demand for consumer goods. In response, a popular market sprang up, selling merchandise transported by traditional wooden ships. Eager to replace household items that had been looted, people flocked to the new market and found everything from flowerpots, kitchen items and electronics to furniture, dry goods and fresh produce.