How are artificial intelligence models making generative AI accessible to the Arabic-speaking world of the Middle East and beyond? Mohammed Moneb Khaled, a researcher in artificial intelligence (AI) in the United Arab Emirates, believes in the power of AI to foster better communication for the Arabic-speaking world.  For his work at the University of Sharjah, Khaled relies on ChatGPT to translate reports from English to standard Arabic and vice versa. But the Arabic language has multiple varieties. As much as the tool is an asset, when he tries to speak a certain Arabic dialect to ChatG ..read more

As we celebrate our 75th anniversary this year, AramcoWorld is publishing a six-part series that reflects on the connections and impact the magazine has generated over the decades. AramcoWorld’s approach to intercultural bridge-building has been integral to its mission since its founding. In this issue we are reflecting on stories about innovation. Over the decades the magazine has produced numerous features, ranging from historical discoveries and early science to modern infrastructure and technology. In the third of the series, we hear from the writers who have examined the importance of ..read more

The Brothers Islands lie in the Red Sea, about an even-hour fisherman’s boat ride offshore from mainland Egypt. Eric Hanauer made the trip to write about and photograph the islands’ most prominent feature for his first AramcoWorld story, titled “The Lighthouse of The Brothers,” which was published in the September/October 1984 issue. Five years later, Hanauer’s familiarity with the Red Sea landed him another assignment with AramcoWorld, only this time he needed different equipment. “Egypt’s Underwater World” required the scuba gear, wetsuit and camera that he’d been using to engage readers o ..read more

In the March/April 1992 issue, writer and photographer John Feeney took AramcoWorld readers on a walk through the streets of Cairo during Ramadan. There, they were illuminated with the cover story and tradition of “Ramadan’s Lanterns.” Feeney, a longtime contributor with close to 100 credit lines in AramcoWorld, spent more than 30 years in Egypt, sharing stories and educating readers across the globe. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Hijri lunar calendar, marks a time for fasting, blessings and prayers. Muslims give thanks to God during this holy month, and within Arab countries, one can find ..read more

This spring marks the seventh expedition that Zainab Bahrani, chair of Columbia University’s Department of Art History and Archaeology, has conducted in northern Iraq and southwestern Turkey since establishing the Mapping Mesopotamian Monuments project in 2012. Spurred by the damage and destruction war had wreaked on sites in the region, Bahrani set out to create a database that could serve current and future generations of conservators and scholars. Using photography to preserve information is not new—archeologists have been doing this since the invention of the camera in the mid-1800s. How ..read more

A 1,500-year-old gem-encrusted Byzantine bracelet reveals more than just its own history; it symbolizes an empire’s narrative. Quick Facts Period: Early Byzantine Empire, 500 CE-700 CE. Place of Origin/Found: Probably crafted in a large city such as Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) or Alexandria, Egypt. Medium: Gold, silver, pearl, amethyst, sapphire, opal, glass, quartz, emerald plasma. Dimensions: Overall: 3.8 centimeters x 8.2 centimeters. Strap: 2.3 centimeters x 19.5 centimeters.  Bezel: 3.4 centimeters.  Where to Find It: At Cleveland Museum of Art, April ..read more

Abdessalem Zgaya stands on baked, cracking soil where water once trickled, looking over his fruit fields on the plain below Kesra, northern Tunisia. It’s the first time he has seen a spring dry up. “The summers just get hotter and hotter,” he says, adjusting his cap to block the sun. “I don’t know how much longer my lemon trees can survive.”  Amid the still, heavy air, Zgaya points out a row of young trees, starkly green against the brown-gold tones of the landscape. “The figs are different. See how their leaves are wilting? It helps the plants conserve water in the heat. When it gets c ..read more

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The artist’s specially commissioned piece for the Ithra Art Prize is based on the ninth-century Zanj rebellion in Basra, Iraq. The delicate work, akin to an intricate tapestry, is by Helsinki, Finland-based Iraqi artist Adel Abidin, and it is the winner of the fifth edition of the Ithra Art Prize, the largest art grant in the Middle East and North Africa.  Titled Aan (On in English), the 400 by 250 (13.3 by 8.3 feet) piece is made from the literal and figurative threads of selective memory to tell the tale of the fragility of history. The work, which an independent jury selecte ..read more

Author Rachel Beckles Willson Growing up in London, Rachel Beckles Willson was surrounded by Western classical music. Her mother, a children’s book author, played piano at home, and when she wasn’t playing, BBC’s Radio 3 filled the air with Mozart, Beethoven and Bach.  “I don’t think there was any moment in my life when I didn’t think I’d be working with music,” Beckles Willson recalls now.   Beckles Willson’s own skillful playing won her a place at the Royal Academy of Music studying piano performance, and she later became a concert pianist.  By the time Beckles Willson obta ..read more