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النسخة العربية
  • 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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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posing after signing the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on 7 August, 2026. PAKISTAN PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE / AFP
Politics

Networked Middle East security

22 August 2026

The Iran war exposed the risks of being too closely tied to US military posture, which is why some Gulf states are repositioning themselves not merely as consumers of security but as architects of it

Bilal Saab
Noelia de Alda
Politics

How Gaza turned US public opinion against Israel

30 August 2026

Supporting Israel used to help politicians get elected, but with Americans far more critical of Tel Aviv's influence on US policy, it has now become a liability at the ballot box

Assal Rad
Axel Rangel Garcia
Science & Technology

How QR codes are reshaping the future of commerce

28 August 2026

The barcode has been the language of retail for more than half a century. Now, two-dimensional codes are giving products a new digital identity

Mohammed Mansour
Motorists drive past a billboard in Tehran depicting Trump drowning in the Strait of Hormuz on 24 August 2026. AFP
Politics

The US is learning the wrong lessons in Iran

25 August 2026

Tactical excellence can never salvage strategic incompetence

Bret Devereaux
Axel Rangel Garcia
Culture & Social Affairs

The artist who used land to capture Palestinian identity

27 August 2026

Sliman Mansour, the renowned Palestinian painter who used clay from his land to make his works after deciding to boycott art materials produced by Israel, has died at the age of 79

Farouk Yousif

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OPINIONS

Deadlock in UN succession battle could leave a vacuum

Al Majalla - London
Al Majalla - London

Is NATO falling into Russia's crosshairs?

Al Majalla - London
Al Majalla - London

A blanket US arms embargo on Sudan is not the answer

Amgad Fareid Eltayeb
Amgad Fareid Eltayeb

Egypt's Sahel: from tourist hub to economic centre

Marcelle Nasr
Marcelle Nasr
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