News
HinDidi: When Bollywood Invited Algeria to Dance
In the aftermath of independence, Bollywood offered Algeria something revolution could not: the freedom to dream, to love, and to imagine a life beyond struggle. Decades later, one Indian film, Janitou, remains a tender relic of a future that never quite arrived
What It Takes to Be Mister Lebanon
As opportunities shrink in Lebanon, contestants are pouring increasing amounts of time, money and effort into the country’s most famous male beauty pageant, and the possibilities it might unlock
Let the Majlis Be a Majlis
The majlis has historically been associated with governance, community, hospitality, and negotiation in the Arab world. In the last few years, it has also become an aesthetic object exhibited at biennials and museums. But what happens when a social form becomes a spectacle? What does it mean when a space deemed private is put on display?
Following Traces: Anthony Bourdain, Food, and the Politics of Travelling with Care
Anthony Bourdain arrived in Beirut in 2006 to film a food show. Two days later, Israel bombed the city. The footage, and the Emmy nomination that followed, say something uncomfortable about the Western appetite for Arab tragedy on television. On food, travel, and the difference between loving a place and consuming it
Anatomy of a Manouche: When Akkawi Cheese is Hard to Come By
As people move, recipes travel with them – stretching, adapting and carrying the weight of memory, longing and belonging
Ali Kazim and Zarina Beckon Us Into Their Urdu Worlds
The UAE’s inaugural exhibition dedicated to the Urdu language, curated by Hammad Nasar
Watches & Wonders 2026: The Highlights
From Cartier's automotive revival to JLC's stratospheric tourbillon to Roger Dubuis's celestial calendar, the year's biggest watch fair reminded us that restraint and ambition are not mutually exclusive