Dogon region villager with ritual figures

Africa & the Middle East

Looting Mali's History

As demand for its antiquities soars, the West African country is losing its most prized artifacts to illegal sellers and smugglers
November 2009 | By Joshua Hammer

Also see: The Treasures of Timbuktu | Looting Iraq

Bridge of 33 Arches in Isfahan Iran

Once the dazzling capital of ancient Persia, Isfahan fell victim to neglect, but a new generation hopes to restore its lost luster
April 2009 | By Andrew Lawler

a salt-making site at the village of Teguidda-n-Tessoumt in arid northern Niger

Dangling from a paraglider with a propeller on his back, photographer George Steinmetz gets a new perspective on Africa
January 2009 | By Abigail Tucker

Displaced Pygmies

A correspondent who chronicled their lives in central African rain forests returns a decade later and is shocked by what he finds
December 2008 | By Paul Raffaele

Iran 1979 revolution

Scholars trace the nation's antagonism to its history of domination by foreign powers
October 2008 | By Stephen Kinzer

Paul Polak

His new book advocates helping the world's poorest people one tool at a time
August 2008 | By Abigail Tucker

Beirut, from an apartment damaged by Hezbollah shelling

Stricken by sectarian warfare and still reeling from the 2005 murder of its former Prime Minister, the Mediterranean nation brokers a fragile peace
July 2008 | By Joshua Hammer

Beirut, Lebanon

Flashpoints in Modern Lebanese History
July 2008 | By Amanda Bensen

Aerial View of the coast, Cape Peninsula, South Africa

Tourists are flocking to the city, but a former resident explains how the legacy of apartheid lingers
April 2008 | By Joshua Hammer

A huddle grows around the high priests,

Christians in Ethiopia have long claimed to have the ark of the covenant. Our reporter investigated
December 2007 | By Paul Raffaele

"The basic question was, What can Mozambique do to build its economy?" says Carr, in Gorongosa Park. His answer: eco-tourism.

In a watershed experiment, the Boston entrepreneur is putting $40 million of his own money into a splendid but ravaged park in Mozambique
May 2007 | By Stephanie Hanes

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