Carsten Niebuhr and the Danish Expedition to Arabia

Carsten Niebuhr and the Danish Expedition to Arabia

Of six men who set out from Denmark in 1761, disease took five; only Carsten Niebuhr—mapmaker and empathic observer—returned, and he published what became a foundation of European scientific knowledge of Arabia.

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Lemons, Garlic, Mint, Portraits

Lemons, Garlic, Mint, Portraits

Hamza Ayari describes himself on Facebook as having a “photo addiction,” which fuels his growing collection of portraits made on location at his produce stand in Tunis’ central market.
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The Legacy of Arabic in America

The Legacy of Arabic in America

The eighth most-studied language in US schools and universities today is Arabic. That would please Edward E. Salisbury of Yale, who in 1841 became the country’s first full professor of Semitic languages—nearly 200 years after North America’s first Arabic class was offered at Harvard.

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Asian Nations Unite to Protect Snow Leopards

Asian Nations Unite to Protect Snow Leopards

In Central Asia’s mountains, heritage and folklore show a centuries-old respect for the most elusive—and ecologically vulnerable—of the vast region’s wild predators: Panthera uncia, the snow leopard. In August delegates from 12 countries met at the Second International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to advance increasingly successful collaborations in government, education, wildlife management and law enforcement.

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I Witness History: I, Horn of Africa

I Witness History: I, Horn of Africa

Royal trumpet of Pharaoh Tutankhamen, I was born to command armies, priests and whole populations. But my days with him were few. Layed to rest with my mouthpiece toward my 19-year-old pharaoh, I fell silent for 3,262 years. Then one of you tried to play me.
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FirstLook: Tassili n’Ajjer National Park

FirstLook: Tassili n’Ajjer National Park

At first impression, the Sahara appears to be lifeless, with golden sand dunes stretching out as far as the eye can see. Yet it is one of the places where I have felt closest to the past of humanity.

—Sebastião Salgado

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