History of the Near and Middle East
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Ataturk's republic turns 100
Turkey's enduring identity crisis
To mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey, German journalist and Qantara.de contributor Cigdem Akyol has written a new history of what she calls "the divided republic". Marian Brehmer read the book
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The Armenian genocide
"Genocide is a feminist issue"
Dots, crosses, lines: tattoos like these were inked on surviving Armenian women after the genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Historian Elyse Semerdjian uses the tattoos to tell their story. Interview by Anna-Theresa Bachmann
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Migration in the 1960s
Adapting to Germany's fast-changing society
Nassir Djafari's second novel "Mahtab" tells the story of a migrant mother from Iran in 1960s Frankfurt. Not only does it describe how the protagonist adapts to an unfamiliar culture, but also reveals just how much Frankfurt itself was transformed during this period. By Hans Dembowski
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Artefacts destroyed by IS in Iraq
A gigantic jigsaw puzzle
It will be 2026 before Mosul's Cultural Museum reopens. Lena Bopp found out how restorers are going about repairing the damage inflicted by Islamic State
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"Iraq's Invisible Beauty"
Pictures, not words
"Iraq's Invisible Beauty" is a documentary film depicting the journey of the late Iraqi photographer Latif al-Ani, who gained international acclaim as one of the pioneers of photography in Iraq and the Middle East. By Shady Lewis Botros
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East Jerusalem
Library restores Palestinian history one manuscript at a time
A library in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem offers a rare glimpse into Palestinian history with its treasure trove of manuscripts dating back hundreds of years before the creation of Israel
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Israel shifts to the right
Neo-Zionism takes aim at liberal democracy
German-Israeli historian Tamar Amar-Dahl sheds light on the role of long-term Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel's ongoing shift to the right. Joseph Croitoru read the book
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100 years of the Turkish Republic
The legacy of the Treaty of Lausanne
One hundred years after it was signed, the Treaty of Lausanne is still the subject of political controversy and conspiracy theories. What is the accord's legacy and what role does it play today in Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy decision-making? Analysis by Yasar Aydin
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Archaeological site in the West Bank
Dispute about the site of biblical Samaria intensifies
In the Palestinian village of Sebastia in the West Bank, clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers are becoming more frequent. A long-simmering conflict over archaeological treasures in the village threatens to escalate. Details from Joseph Croitoru
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Magda Saleh, Egypt's first prima ballerina
Remembering the butterfly of ballet
In the early hours of 11 June 2023, Magda Saleh – Egypt’s first prima ballerina – died at the age of 78. She played a pioneering role in bringing classical ballet to Cairo. Mohammad al-Mansi takes a look back at her life
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Counterrevolution in the Arab world
Authoritarianism, a forever scenario?
Calls to normalise relations with the criminal Assad regime, which has killed and displaced millions of Syrians, marks a new phase, namely the victory of the counter-revolutionaries. The old-style Arab regime is back – more brutal and oppressive than ever, as Ali Anouzla explains
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Death of teen Nahel
France: A chronicle of police violence
Riots have gripped France for days since the fatal police shooting of a teenager on 27 June. It's just the latest in a series of allegedly racist incidents that protesters say the state has failed to adequately address, writes Oliver Pieper