A promised land is a place that people, belonging from a particular community, believe was created for them. This belief often comes from religious stories or traditions passed down through generations. These lands are seen as sacred and essentially as a gift from a higher deity. In the Bible, for

If you went to school in Egypt, you probably know the name Denshawai. It might bring back memories of a history lesson. You may recall bullet points from a revision booklet or a multiple-choice question on the subject. The narrative presented was so clear that it might surprise you to

The story of the Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia can be summarised by the rise and death of one man. A man who ruled the country for over four decades, and after his death, the country’s downfall ensued. Before we delve into the story of Yugoslavia, it is essential to

There’s a reason why we get homesick; we tend to form emotional attachments to the places we’ve lived all our lives.  That’s because our homes are more than just buildings; they are part of who we are. We grow fond of the streets we walk, the markets we shop in,

Maps and power aren’t often paired, but in Africa’s story, they’ve always walked hand in hand. Lines were drawn not to guide, but to divide and rule. Before colonialism, Africa was a thriving continent of kingdoms, empires, and autonomous nations, each governing its affairs according to its customs, laws, and

“Bayt al-Hikmah”, “House of Wisdom”, is a central institution in Islamic intellectual history. Some think that it represents the mental transformation that took place in the Islamic world. Bayt al-Hikmah flourished within the Abbasid caliphate between the 8th and 10th centuries. This center played an important role in the intellectual

In the 19th century, European powers divided Africa among themselves. Spain claimed the Western Sahara in 1884 and named it “the Spanish Sahara”. Located in the northwest of Africa, the territory is bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, and Algeria, and is home to the Sahrawi people.  Often referred to as Africa’s

In the hills of Jabal Nafusa, the streets of Zuwara, and the oasis towns of Ghadames and Awjila, the Amazigh flag waves once again. For decades, Libya’s indigenous people were silenced under the Arab nationalist regime. Today, they are slowly writing themselves back into the history of Libya. But what

To map Egypt, the British began to map what was not Egypt. Here, villages were divided, and imaginaries were created. But how did Rafah come into play as the final point – and when did we begin to treat this division as reality? Two soldiers stand under an olive tree