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النسخة العربية
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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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Politics

Trump’s 2026 Iran deal differs from Obama’s 2015 JCPOA

18 June 2026

Although an MOU will be officially signed on 19 June, there are already significant differences a decade later, despite the US aim being largely similar. Could Trump open Iran like Nixon opened China?

Robert Ford
Sara Gironi Carnevale
Science & Technology

A smarter ball, or a safer one? The header dilemma facing world football

11 June 2026

The official World Cup ball showcases the latest advances in football technology, but new research questions whether future designs should prioritise brain safety as well as performance

Marco Mossad
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian holding a memorandum of understanding he and US President Donald Trump signed to end the US-Iran war on 17 June, 2026. IRINN Iranian state television/AFP
Politics

How a US-Iran deal will impact Gulf relations with Tehran

17 June 2026

As a costly war draws to a close, Tehran has the chance to chart a new course in relation to its neighbours, but that requires a change of mindset

Zaid bin Ali al-Fadhil
Stefano Summo
Culture & Social Affairs

World Cup songs: from local themes to global industry

11 June 2026

Football's biggest tournament has come to adopt a single soundtrack every four years to give each offering a distinct identity. Is this genuine culture, or a mass marketing technique?

Najeeb Mubarak
Al Majalla
Politics

How Pakistan quietly brokered the historic US-Iran deal

16 June 2026

Islamabad kept both sides talking even as missiles were being launched. That tenacity looks to have paid dividends in a way that could yet reshape the Middle East's power dynamics.

Kaswar Klasra

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OPINIONS

The war inside Iran's right

Alex Vatanka
Alex Vatanka

Trump’s Iran truce leaves Israel out

Michael Horowitz
Michael Horowitz

Can Trump's Iran deal make it over the 60-day line?

Con Coughlin
Con Coughlin

Hormuz opens, but states will still invest in workarounds

Sharif Mohammad
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