Ottoman Empire | Al Majalla

The last Caliph Abdelmejid II in Nice, France, during his exile.

This day in history: Turkey abolishes the Caliphate

On this day 100 years ago, President Kemal Ataturk abolished the Muslim Caliphate in Turkey 14 months after doing away with the title of sultan

Sami Moubayed 03, Mar 2024

The treaty which gave rise to modern Turkey created a new world order which was outdated from the start. The Kurds ended up getting the shortest end of the stick.

Albane Simon

Lausanne centenary: The treaty that continues to pain the region

The treaty which gave rise to modern Turkey created a new world order which was outdated from the start. The Kurds ended up getting the shortest end of the stick.

Al Majalla - London 22, Jul 2023

Sami Moubayed Archive

Abdul Rahman al-Yusuf: The Syrian pasha who was killed three times

The president of the Shura Council during Ottoman rule was assassinated and purposely left out of Syrian history. The burning down of his family mansion this week was the final nail in his coffin.

Sami Moubayed 20, Jul 2023

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The first Arab Congress of 1913 and its tragic outcome

The 110th anniversary of the first Arab Congress in Paris sheds light on a tumultuous era in Arab history as its people battled for reform under the Ottoman Empire. However, it had a tragic ending.

Sami Moubayed 23, Jun 2023

The architects of the 1913 coup were officers from the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP)

Jamie Wignall

The coup that brought down the Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman coups inspired similar coups against leaders in Iran, Iraq and Syria

Sami Moubayed 28, Feb 2023

Al-Alfy Street in downtown Cairo. (Credit: Salwa Samir)

Al-Alfy: Egypt’s Champs-Elysées

During his reign, Khedive Ismail (r. 1863-1879) had dreamt to make downtown Cairo resemble the European countries that underwent remarkable progress in the field of architecture at that time…

Salwa Samir 14, Jan 2023

The stage consists of a round wooden platform as a stage surrounded by a small wooden partition with two doors for the dervishes to enter and leave before and after their Mawlawi performance. (Credit: Salwa Samir)

Takiya Al-Mawlawiyah

Takiya Al-Mawlawiyah, in Cairo’s historic neighbourhood of El-Darb El-Ahmar, is the only remaining Takiya with dervish theater. It has a rich history that dates back to the 14th century. Takiya…

Salwa Samir 06, Aug 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) shake hands after a press conference in Sochi, Russia, where they agreed on the ten points of the Russian-Turkish memorandum on northeast Syria/AP

How Did Ankara Succeed in Luring Moscow into Mediation with Ukraine?

Offers of political mediation between Russia and Ukraine have not stopped since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014 and the tragic events that followed, reaching their climax these days,…

Samy Amara 01, Apr 2022

Cover of "Stories My Father Told Me" By Elia Zughaib and Helen Zughaib

Memories from Syria

The recent Syrian immigration to the West after the start of the civil war was not the first, although it has been massive in scale, and involved utmost cruelty. The first wave was during the end of…

Mohammad Ali Salih 04, Feb 2022

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PKK guerrillas scan for firing positions as they conduct military exercises in the mountains of northern Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region, 18 November 2006.

DAVID FURST / AFP

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What next after historic PKK decision to disband?

11 May 2025

Türkiye hailed the move to dissolve what it deems a terrorist group that claimed over 40,000 lives, but vows the fight would continue should the process collapse

Omer Onhon

Al Majalla

Business & Economy

Trump's 'big' agenda in Saudi Arabia

11 May 2025

A high-powered delegation will accompany him on his first official foreign trip of his second term as US president, reflecting a diverse agenda, spanning trade, defence and geopolitics

Maher Chmaytelli

Kashmiri men react after the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, in Srinagar May 10, 2025.

REUTERS/Sharafat Ali

Politics

A nerve-wracking ceasefire holds between India and Pakistan—for now

11 May 2025

Tensions will simmer even as they step back from full-blown war

The Economist

Culture & Social Affairs

The Israel-Palestine 'conflict' through the lens of novelists

12 May 2025

Palestinian novelists continue to tell their stories, demanding the attention of a world that has often looked away. Meanwhile, Israeli writers grapple with existential questions and self-doubt.

Samir Qasimi