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النسخة العربية
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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
Pete Reynolds
Business & Economy

Energy infrastructure attacks and the new security imperative

17 March 2026

By attacking Gulf energy infrastructure, Iran aims to apply economic and geopolitical pressure as a way to avoid large-scale conflict

Jessica Obeid
A member of the security forces, holding a picture of Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, observes protesters as they gather for a rally in support of the new Supreme Leader in Enghelab Square in Tehran, on 9 March 2026. Getty/ Al Majalla
Politics

Decapitation strikes unlikely to topple Iran's regime

18 March 2026

Instead of taking down the Islamic Republic, what the assassinations have done is harden public support and accelerate the regime's militarisation

Alex Vatanka
Lina Jaradat
Business & Economy

Strait of Hormuz: the waterway critical to global trade 

18 March 2026

Any disruption in the Hormuz has cascading knock-on effects that extend far beyond energy markets, impacting international trade. Al Majalla explores all this and more.

Al Majalla - London
US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2016 Policy Conference at the Verizon Centre in Washington, DC, on 21 March 2016. SAUL LOEB / AFP
Politics

The Israel lobby’s responsibility for the Iran war

17 March 2026

Advocates for the US-Israeli special relationship have played a special role

Stephen M. Walt
US Navy sailors send signals to an E-2D Hawkeye aircraft, 124th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, as it walks on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, on 28 February 2026.
 Reuters
Documents & Memoirs

Could the US-Iran war spark World War III?

16 March 2026

The current conflict is unlikely to go global for now, but the speed at which it has spread regionally is alarming. A look at history shows the geopolitical factors that led to world wars.

Christopher Phillips

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OPINIONS

Damascus alcohol ban bodes badly for Syria’s transition

Haid Haid
Haid Haid

The global economy is paying the price for Epic Fury

Thuraya Shahin
Thuraya Shahin

US public opinion is decisively shifting against Israel

Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy
Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy

Al Majalla's Film Watch: motherhood in cinema

Wael Said
Wael Said
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