“I’ve tried to listen and understand,” said the late Anthony Shadid, the first Arab American correspondent to win a Pulitzer Prize in international reporting. How he did it was no secret formula: time; attention; sincerity—and lots of notes.

Some took portraits of women or worked in the labs of family studios. Some worked across the region with employers or family members. A few struck out on their own. None received much notice—until recently. Three historians introduce leading women photographers of the early 20th century in the Middle East.

Through more than 30 literary works, translated into more than 170 languages, as well as lms and theater, Chingiz Aitmatov became credited with raising the pro le of his country and, with it, the cause of cultural preservation throughout Central Asia.

Like other “Grand Tour” travelers of the 1850s, David Dorr visited Europe, Egypt and Palestine. But unlike others, Dorr did not travel freely. His book, A Colored Man Round the World, is the only known account of Middle East travel by an American slave.