Soha Bechara is a former prisoner at the Khiam detention center and undoubtedly one of the centre's most famous detainees. She was held for 10 years from 1988 after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Antoine Lahad, the leader of the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army, at just 20 years old. It was only after an intense freedom campaign that she was eventually released (in 1998). 

Did you know that Tunisia has been a pioneer in women's rights in the Arab word? The country passed a groundbreaking law called the Personal Status code in 1956 which granted Tunisian women significant rights, including the right to divorce, equal guardianship of children, protection against polygamy, the right to choose their spouse, and the right to work and own property.

There was a pivotal post-independence art movement that redefined Tunisian identity through modernist expression. Emerging from Le Groupe des Dix, L’École de Tunis’ artists merged local traditions with contemporary styles, moving beyond colonial Orientalism.

Hamed Gohar — “King of the Red Sea” — was featured as a Google Doodle on November 15, 2023, to mark what would have been his 115th birthday. We were curious to learn more about his contributions to marine biology and pioneering work as a much-loved TV presenter

The Orontes stands out as the sole perennial river in Western Asia, meandering northward from Lebanon through Syria before merging its waters into the Mediterranean Sea. This geographical feature – having long held profound historical significance as a boundary marker since antiquity – has witnessed a series of shifts, embracing and bidding farewell to various attributes that have sculpted its being over time.

Mohammed Hammad writes about his family home in Nablus — Beit Hammad — sharing its history and its present.

In Oct 2022, Google Doodle featured Haja El Hamdaouia — an icon of Moroccan Chaabi and El Aita music. We wanted to find out more about her life, music and legacy. Image via SRNT News.