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After decades of decline under communist rule, food enthusiasts—including brother chef and baker Bledar and Nikolin Kola—are pioneering the return of the country’s traditional dishes. Chefs and other culinary aficionados are drawing on Albania’s 500-plus years of culinary heritage to reinterpret the foods of their ancestors. Their efforts are re-establishing traditions that were feared lost.
Fusion Music Ensemble Boom.Diwan Revives Arabian Gulf Pearl-Diving Songs
Fusion-music ensemble Boom.Diwan honors the historical Arabian Gulf way of life with a blend of traditional rhythms and vocals with jazz improvisation.
Artichokes to Ricotta: How Arab Rule Changed Sicilian Cuisine
Food
The cultivation methods, crops and dishes that Arabs introduced in Sicily not only survive but thrive today through foods that are integral and widely celebrated.
Cartier and Islamic Design’s Enduring Influence
Arts
For generations Cartier looked to the patterns, colors and shapes of the Islamic world to create striking jewelry.
Preserving the Imaret of Kavala: Safeguarding an Ottoman Landmark
Culture
Preservation efforts have protected the historical design and cultural legacy of the Ali Pasha-gifted Imaret of Kavala—one of most important Ottoman landmarks in Greece.
Nasreen ki Haveli: Pakistani Textile Museum Fulfills a Dream
Arts
Collector Nasreen Askari and her husband, Hasan, have turned their home into Pakistan’s first textile museum.
Pride of Place: Architect Mariam Issoufou on Culture and Community
Architect Mariam Issoufou grew up amid the captivating mud-brick structures of the famed West African city of Agadez, Niger.
Chickpeas for Breakfast: Try Punjabi Chole Masala Recipe
Food
Chole masala is a popular breakfast dish of chickpeas.
Peekaboo With a Philippines Clownfish
Nurul Yazid reveals an underwater world few get to see up close in Anilao, Philippines.
Meet the Woman Who Turned Gibran’s Classic The Prophet Into a Graphic Novel
When Lebanese artist and illustrator Zeina Abirached received the invitation to adapt Khalil Gibran’s 1923 classic, The Prophet, into a graphic novel, she hesitated.
Biting Into the Past: Re-creating Gary Nabhan’s Albóndigas Meatball Recipe
Food
What do lamb, pomegranate and a Silk Road secret share? A meatball with a hidden past.
Restoration Uncovers Beauty of Georgia’s Hidden Wooden Mosques
Arts
Until recently few outsiders knew the wooden mosques dotting the highlands of Georgia existed, leaving many of them to deteriorate. The rediscovery of the architectural gems has sparked a movement for their preservation.
Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Mahgribi Dishes, a Conversation With Food Historian and Author Nawal Nasrallah
Arts
In Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Mahgribi Dishes, Arab food historian Nawal Nasrallah breathes new life into an anonymously compiled 13th-century cookbook.