Giuseppe Caffulli

The SESAME project was conceived with CERN in Geneva as a model and took 20 years to get off the ground. The first synchrotron, which accelerates electrons and produces light used to study matter, has been operational since 2017. Whilst wars and crises have directly affected member countries in the Middle East, the laboratory has continued to operate.

“Tracing Scribes and Scrolls” is a research project investigating the provenance of the texts from the ancient Dead Sea Library. Dating from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD, they are written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Ranging from biblical books to wisdom literature, they provide a window into the pluralism of the Second Temple period.

In addition to oil, museums, exhibitions, and architecture are part of the emirate’s new economic strategy. DCT data indicate a record number of visitors, 26.6 million, last year, up by 19.5 per cent over 2024. This is part of an ambitious shift, from luxury and business to art and major events in a single ecosystem. Saadiyat Island is at the heart of the transformation.

The new excavation campaigns promoted by Saudi Arabia focus on the human, economic, and social environments that characterised the Arabian Peninsula from the pre-Islamic era to the first centuries of the Hijra. They challenge the stereotype of a uniform desert, populated exclusively by nomadic tribes.

Among the topics discussed at the General Synod held in York was the Kairos Palestine document, in which the communities of the Holy Land take a stand on the Israeli occupation, peace and justice. Primate Mullally’s visit and the challenge of not allowing oneself to be paralysed by differing sensibilities. Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac: “A step we have been waiting for a long time”.

A corruption scandal of symbolic significance involving the former deputy minister responsible for oil fields. Following Saddam’s fall, the new political system has encouraged the emergence of patronage networks. The Integrity Commission is working to extradite suspects and recover illicit assets.

The bombings in the Syrian capital, coinciding precisely with Macron’s visit and his meeting with Trump in Turkey, have reignited doubts about the extent to which the former jihadist-turned-president truly controls the country. The army is ‘absorbing’ more than sixty militias but without dismantling the local power bases, while international players pursue different objectives regarding the ‘new Syria’.

Following the diplomatic recognition of the breakaway region, military cooperation and speculation over a possible Israeli presence in the city of Berbera have increased. Rumours about military bases have so far not been officially confirmed, but the Horn of Africa is becoming increasingly central to regional competition.

The initiative promoted by the Hashemite Kingdom consolidates investment in Christian religious tourism in the country and looks ahead to 2030, when the 2,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Jesus will be celebrated. From Mount Nebo to Madaba, from Gerasa to the Byzantine site of Petra itself – these are places that aim to create itineraries independent of trips to Israel and Palestine.

The repatriation to Australia of women and children linked to the Islamic State puts the spotlight on a hitherto forgotten issue. Thousands held in the Al Hol and Al Roj camps, run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), are not only the last physical vestige of the caliphate but also the battleground between two difficult-to-reconcile needs: the protection of national security and obligations towards one’s citizens.

Amidst the red mountains of southern Jordan, archaeologists have unearthed Ayn Abu Nukhayla, one of the most important Neolithic settlements in the Middle East. The research tells the story of the emergence of the first settled communities, revealing a history far more fascinating than the legends that have fuelled the desert’s imagination for centuries.

According to the State of the Global Islamic Economy report, Muslim consumer spending on clothing is expected to reach $433 billion by 2028. This growth is driven not only by the demographic expansion of Muslim populations but also by the emergence of a new generation of young, educated female consumers who are attuned to contemporary fashion trends.