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 March 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The treaty which gave rise to modern Turkey created a new world order which was outdated from the start.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The treaty which gave rise to modern Turkey created a new world order which was outdated from the start.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 July 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 July 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 June 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 February 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 January 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 August 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 April 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 February 2022

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The "Unity of Position" conference, held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasakah on August 8, 2025.

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Heading for a showdown? SDF conference riles Damascus

13 August 2025

Syria's government needs to centralise decision-making and bring armed groups to heel, but Kurds in the north-east want to establish a 'coalition of the unwilling' with Druze and Alawites. What now?

Subhi Franjieh

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Tom Barrack: the businessman with a huge Middle East remit

08 August 2025

Donald Trump's ambassador to Türkiye and envoy to Syria has been having some critical conversations in regional capitals since April, from disarming Hezbollah to preventing another war with Israel

Omer Onhon

Demonstrators raise placards during an anti-government rally calling for action to secure the release of Israeli captives in Gaza near the defence ministry in Tel Aviv on August 12, 2025.

Jack GUEZ / AFP

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Israelis are finally fed up with Netanyahu's endless war on Gaza

14 August 2025

The gulf between the political and military establishments is widening. Politicians speak of a delayed victory, but military leaders warn of an inescapable quagmire.

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Al Majalla

Business & Economy

How Saudi Arabia harnessed its oil boom to foster development

14 August 2025

The first in a two-part series explains how the country capitalised on its black gold decades ago to expand its economy horizontally, a stunning success that paved the way for Vision 2030

Hussein al-Sharaa

US President Donald Trump (C), Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan display the agreement they signed in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 8, 2025.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP

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A new Trump-sponsored link in the South Caucasus causes a stir

11 August 2025

The Zangezur Corridor, a route through Armenia linking Azerbaijan and Türkiye, will be built and managed by Americans and will pass along the Iranian border, creating winners and losers

Omer Onhon

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LATEST ISSUE

This day in history: Turkey abolishes the Caliphate

Lausanne centenary: The treaty that continues to pain the region

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

The first Arab Congress of 1913 and its tragic outcome

The coup that brought down the Ottoman Empire

Al-Alfy: Egypt’s Champs-Elysées

Takiya Al-Mawlawiyah

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

Memories from Syria

Heading for a showdown? SDF conference riles Damascus

Tom Barrack: the businessman with a huge Middle East remit

Israelis are finally fed up with Netanyahu's endless war on Gaza

How Saudi Arabia harnessed its oil boom to foster development

A new Trump-sponsored link in the South Caucasus causes a stir

OPINIONS

What global apathy over Gaza says about the modern world

Hezbollah and the end of the militia era

Al Majalla's Book Watch

Trump-Putin meeting already seen as a win for the Kremlin

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