Banker, princess, warlord: the many lives of Asma Assad
How a girl from west London became the unlikely winner of Syria’s war
The Economist’s Middle East correspondent speaks to Anne McElvoy about his extraordinary time detained in Iran
In July 2019 Nicolas Pelham, The Economist’s Middle East correspondent, received a rare journalist’s visa to Iran. On the day he was due to fly home, he was detained
The Islamic world may have inspired Western artists for centuries, but their fascination with the East cannot be fully divorced from its colonial context
Ahmed Mater and Ashraf Fayadh were best friends. One is now Saudi Arabia’s most illustrious artist and cultural commissar. The other languishes in a dark prison. Nicolas Pelham charts their rise and fall
How a strange passion for topiary is flourishing in the land of al-Qaeda
It has been blown up repeatedly, but still they come. Nicolas Pelham, The Economist’s Middle East correspondent, visits Café Abu Haloub, a symbol of the city’s resilience
It has been blown up repeatedly, but still they come. The Economist’s Middle East correspondent visits Café Abu Haloub, a symbol of the city’s resilience
A new book celebrates the achievements of early Muslims, and dispels some myths along the way
