From finance to medicine, from trade to literature, Jews contributed to every aspect of society. Families spoke Judeo-Arabic, ...

Al-Monitor is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the ...

"Baghdad is a huge camp, man," says my interpreter, Yousif al-Timimi. "America didn't bring democracy. It brought walls." One morning I take a water taxi out onto the Tigris River with a boatman ...

Walls in homes and mosques were decorated with ... Doors and windows were often designed as arches. The River Tigris in Baghdad was used for trade, travel and irrigation (watering crops).

Some Baghdad cafes became especially popular with ... Her image adorns every available wall space and her music plays on a loop. But nobody was paying her music much attention during my visit.