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  • Politics
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  • mecca

The US-Iran war has sent the cost of Hajj 2026 soaring Lina Jaradat

Hajj 2026 could be the costliest season on record

Pilgrims continue to stream into Mecca despite rising travel costs and regional tensions following war in the Gulf.

Amer Ziab Al-Tamimi 26 May 2026
Installation "The Black Arch" by Saudi sisters Raja and Shadia Alem is seen at the pavilion of Saudi Arabia taking part in the Venice Biennale for the first time on 2 June 2011, in Venice, Italy. Marco Secchi / Getty

Shadia Alem and the art of sacred continuity

From Mecca to the global stage, Saudi artist Shadia Alem's work unfolds as a continuous practice shaped by memory, spirituality, and place

Mimoza Al-Arrawi 18 March 2026
Lady Evelyn Cobbold, a Scottish aristocrat who converted to Islam and performed the Hajj in 1933, becoming the first British Muslim woman to do so. Getty Images

The Orientalists who entered Mecca in disguise

For centuries, Mecca was the pinnacle of exploration for Western travellers. Shrouded in mystery, it captured the imagination of a small but daring group of European Orientalists

Abdullah Al-Rashid 06 June 2025
Lina Jaradat

The world's first coffeehouse was in Mecca

In 1511, there were places in Mecca specifically designated for selling and drinking coffee, known as coffee houses. Decades later, the first café opened in Istanbul.

Abdullah Al-Rashid 15 November 2024
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In this image, taken from a video provided by the Russian Defence Ministry Press Service on 21 May 2026, a Russian navy seaman takes part in drills of Russia's nuclear forces. Russian Defence Ministry Press Service/AP
Politics

Russia’s timely reminder of its vast nuclear arsenal

03 June 2026

Military exercises in Belarus at an unusual time of year seem designed in part to make Moscow's adversaries think twice

Khattar Abu Diab
Opinion

Has Trump's patience with Netanyahu run out?

04 June 2026

The Israeli leader's intransigence is proving deeply problematic for the White House, so much so that Trump swore at him on a recent phone call

Con Coughlin
Units of Moqtada Sadr's militia parade with his photo down a main street of the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City June 21, 2014, in Eastern Baghdad. Washington Post
Politics

Sadr once again dismantles his armed militia. Why now?

03 June 2026

The decision to dismantle the Peace Brigades may herald a new stage in the Iraqi state's trajectory, or it could just be a shrewd recalibration to disorient friend and foe alike

Khairuldeen Al Makhzoomi
Adrián Astorgano
Business & Economy

Why people flock to the dollar when local currencies collapse

05 June 2026

An estimated 60% of all US banknotes in circulation are held outside the United States. In many parts of the world, the dollar is effectively the unofficial local currency. Al Majalla explains why.

Abdel-Rahman Ayas
A Royal Caribbean cruise sails into the Havana harbour on 6 May 2019, after the activation of Chapter III of the Helms-Burton Act, which sought to intensify the US blockade against Cuba. YAMIL LAGE / AFP
Politics

Cuba, lawfare, and Trump’s Venezuela temptation

02 June 2026

A new American legal ruling turns the screw on the Caribbean island nation by increasing the risks companies face by continuing to make money there. This is all part of the plan.

Stefanie Butendieck Hijerra

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OPINIONS

How Israel and Iran came back to the brink

Michael Horowitz
Michael Horowitz

Preventing Syria's descent into violence is a collective responsibility

Alia Mansour
Alia Mansour

Has FIFA oversold the World Cup's economic promise? 

Abdulfattah Khattab
Abdulfattah Khattab

Ethiopia’s psychological campaign for Red Sea access

Amr Emam
Amr Emam
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