Tunisia, where figs are one of the signature crops, has been an integral part of a just-concluded Mediterranean research project, FIGGEN, to assess how the trees thrive while climate changes are causing other crops to fail. For nearly four years scientists have worked to identify specific genetic traits that enable figs’ resilience and which varieties cope best with heat and drought. When FIGGEN publishes the results, farmers concerned for their future livelihoods may choose to grow the most promising types. Additionally, the study aims to plant a seed for preserving the biodiversity of increasingly arid ecosystems.

Part 2 of our series celebrating AramcoWorld’s 75th anniversary this year highlights “visual vagabonding”—the magazine’s expanded use of vibrant images over the decades to fulfill the mission of cultural connection.

In the March/April 1992 issue, writer and photographer John Feeney took AramcoWorld readers on a walk through the streets of Cairo during Ramadan.

Growing up in South London, children’s book author Elizabeth Laird always hungered for stories. Although her family praised her for being a voracious reader, her parents monitored what she read, frowning on fairy tales or anything supernatural.

Saudi couture designer Tima Abid merges contemporary fashion with Arabian heritage. Her glamorous collections are earning recognition from Paris to Riyadh. With her latest designs Abid not only is making her mark on the runways, she is redefining bold elegance amid changing times in the Arabian Gulf.

The exhibition Dining With the Sultan, on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, offers a feast for the eyes—and is the first to consider historical Islamic art within the context of serving fine food in various Muslim empires, according to curator Linda Komaroff.