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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
  • Popular
  • Editor's Pick
Mark Smith
Politics

Trump’s deal: repercussions in the Gulf, Iran, and Israel

18 June 2026

The MOU reached by the two warring nations forces a rethink of the Middle East's political, security, and economic landscape

Al Majalla - London
Opinion

Hormuz may reopen, but the deal is strewn with mines

21 June 2026

Perhaps Lebanon, not the nuclear file, will become the real test of the agreement's ability to survive

Ibrahim Hamidi
Al Majalla
Politics

New laws will embed Israel in US security agencies

16 June 2026

Legislation to fund the American military and intelligence services will include requirements that Israeli defence firms be involved in sensitive projects and that classified information be shared

Robert Ford
Business & Economy

Hormuz is open, but obstacles to trade still linger

22 June 2026

Even if diplomatic progress continues, the Strait could be closed again. As a result, the geopolitical risk premium attached to Gulf energy exports is unlikely to disappear entirely.

Neil Quilliam
A painting by the Egyptian artist George Bahgory from the series “Love and Football”.
George Bahgoury via Facebook
Culture & Social Affairs

Football and art: fusing a popular sport with culture

22 June 2026

Artists use paintings, sculpture, murals, and digital designs to iconise, idolise, and mythologise football culture in a language understood by all

Mimoza Al-Arrawi

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OPINIONS

Israeli attacks make a mockery of Lebanon ceasefire

Fares Garabet
Fares Garabet

An emerging international partnership is succeeding

James Jeffrey
James Jeffrey

US envoy meets Kurdish leaders to smooth relations

Rustum Mahmud
Rustum Mahmud

Will the GCC train finally leave the station?

Amer Ziab Al-Tamimi
Amer Ziab Al-Tamimi
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