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
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.
Al Majalla examines this changed landscape—from Israel's domestic political scene to its external ambitions, where it occupies large swathes of new territory in the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria
From Gaza to Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, and Algeria, this year's Arab Oscar submissions explore stories of conflict, displacement, memory, and survival