In Oct 2022, Google Doodle featured Haja El Hamdaouia — an icon of Moroccan Chaabi and El Aita music. We wanted to find out more about her life, music and legacy. Image via SRNT News.

For any architecture nerds looking for some weirdly and wonderfully shaped buildings from across the region, here are 5 buildings that have a unique form or structure.

Image via Pinterest.

Our new series, Tsawwar, explores places, people and moments in time through the eyes of photographers and their photos. This week’s features a photo and blurb by Adam Rouhana.

What to read if you want to learn more about architecture and urban planning in the Gulf, as recommended by Roberto Fabbri on the afikra podcast.

We can only scratch the surface of a body of work steeped in dozens of traditions, languages and histories. But if there is one thing that unites music from Iraq, whether it’s a oud masterpiece, a fiery dance or Hp-Hop track and that is the poetry that carves out of Iraqi tongues.

Our new series, Tsawwar, explores places, people and moments in time through the eyes of photographers and their photos. This week’s features a photo and blurb by Dina Al-Makhrami.

Rachel Winter writes about her experience unearthing the story of iconic artist Samia Halaby in Michigan. Image credit: Shanti Knight.

Erragab Eljanhaoui writes about Captain James Riley and Sidi Hamet, and his role in catalysing the end of slavery in 19th century America. Image via SFGate

A review of Palestinian singer Elyanna’s most recent album Woledto by Kiko Gomersall. Listen as you read track by track, as Kiko draws connections between Elyanna’s music, the diaspora, ideas of distance, longing, and the music of Fairuz. Image via Elyanna on YouTube .

This Quatertones mixtape celebrates old and new tunes from Sudan, and was compiled by Khaled Malas the afikra community.

Zila Demirijian interviews Philippe Zarif — better known as DJ Boshoco — and Natalie Bahhade — aka DJ Nass, the only woman Djing in Aleppo right now, on Syria’s underground music scene.

afikra recently collaborated with QFI to create a series of infographics all about the Arabic language. Each infographic aims to highlight the vibrancy and widespread influence of the Arabic language in an easy-to-digest, visual way. 

A curated Listen, Watch, Read list spotlighting works from Syria. Featuring an album by TootArd, a novel by Khaled Khalifa, and a documentary film by Taim Karesly.

In our Kawalis interview with Carol Mansour, we asked for her top recommendations fo

A look at the life and art of Jewad Selim — an Iraqi painter and sculptor who was considered one of the founders of modern art in Iraq. Image via The National News.

A curated Listen, Watch, Read list spotlighting works from Egypt. Featuring an album by Dina El Wedidi, a book by Nawal El Saadawi and a film directed by Ayten Amin.

Northern Mauritania’s Chinguetti is said to be the seventh holiest city in Islam, home to some of the world’s most important medieval Quranic texts. Image via Reddit.

Our new series, Tsawwar, explores places, people and moments in time through the eyes of photographers and their photos. This week’s features a photo and blurb by George Azar.

Ibrahim Abu-Lughod pioneered the understandings and portrayals of the Middle East in political science and more broadly in America. Close friend Edward Said described him as “Palestine’s foremost academic and intellectual.”