New exhibition spotlights forgotten Egyptians who discovered King Tut Delving into the archives of British archaeologist Howard Carter, who led the mission down to the pharaoh’s burial chamber, the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries shines a spotlight on the immense contribution of the locals — a role largely overlooked by history. Culture
Photographer captures surrealist post-explosion Beirut at Dubai art show Surreal silos and ruins of ancient buildings are the subjects of the new series of works by Dia Mrad, recently presented at the biggest art fair in the Middle East. Culture
Threat of demolition looms over Cairo’s historic necropolis A group of architects, historians and other heritage enthusiasts have launched a campaign to safeguard the City of the Dead in the face of the government’s new infrastructure plans. Culture
First underwater fashion show in Egypt Egyptian fashion designer Amany Yehia held her first underwater photo shoot, the first of its kind in Egypt. Culture
Iran's hard-liners force controversial film off screen A controversial movie about an honor killing has been removed from Iranian theaters after pressure from infuriated hard-liners. Iran
Israel's Oscars pick explores mind of Rabin's assassin Nearly a quarter century after Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was felled by an assassin’s bullet, a new film exploring his killer’s motives is generating controversy, and garnering acclaim, in Israel. Israel
What takes Lebanese women to front line in protests? Since the start of Lebanon’s protests Oct. 17, women have been on the front lines acting as a buffer between protesters and security forces. Lebanon
Basra Museum struggles to keep Iraq's heritage at home The Basra Museum displays around 2,200 objects from the Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Hellenistic eras — 100 of which were reportedly looted and returned to Iraq from Jordan and the United States. Iraq
Can Egypt's newest search engine root out extremism? Egypt's Islamic authority Dar al-Ifta has launched a search engine to track extremist content in the fight against terrorism and Islamophobia, but critics believe much more is needed. Egypt
New Iraqi board games revisit cultural heritage, create common ground Iraqis have played board games for millennia, and a new generation of them are creating new ones steeped in Iraqi history with the hope of getting more of them to put down their screens and meet other players face to face. Iraq
Art, urban planning rejuvenates Central Anatolian city Eskisehir combines restored Ottoman-era homes with new and hip museums, bars and galleries, attracting people from all over Turkey. Turkey
Why Picasso continues to inspire the Levant Picasso-Mediterranee, a two-year project highlighting the rich ties of the 20th century’s prodigal painter to the Mediterranean, concludes with exhibitions in the Levantine port cities of Izmir and Beirut. Lebanon
Palestinian National Library to collect Palestine's scattered archives Palestine's former minister of culture, Ihab Bseiso, is in charge of establishing a national library — a project that will require a lot of diplomacy and fundraising. Palestine
New tourism: learning about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict An alternative tourism market, which offers tourists a chance to join Palestinians in an olive harvest or tour a refugee camp, has developed in Israel, so that tourists can experience the complex reality of this land. Palestine
Why more Arab Israelis go to university In the past decade, Israel has seen a significant rise in the number of Israeli-Arab students, but high numbers of Israeli-Arab students have also quit university. Israel
Egypt's Ministry of Religious Endowments boosts its imams' media skills Media trainings aim to give Awqaf's imams better verbal skills — not only against extremist views but also against their rival Al-Azhar. Egypt
