Author: Mariam Al-Sabah

Regional Voices: Fear for vulnerable communities, a loss of faith. Old Man Tariq sits outside his small teahouse in the Souk al-Hamidiyah in Damascus, Syria, meticulously cleaning a samovar. He’s seen empires rise and fall, wars come and go. Now, he watches the faces of refugees passing through, a near constant stream, though their origins […]

Regional Voices: A single spark now holds the weight of a home. Nisreen Abu Saada carefully coaxes a flame from a well-worn cigarette lighter, the small spark illuminating her face in the dim light of the Gaza tent camp. Around her, the scene is one of makeshift living – tents pitched close together, the air […]

Regional Voices: Everyday lives overshadowed by escalating tensions. Old Man Tariq sits outside his small shop in Isfahan, meticulously polishing a copper teapot. The scent of rosewater and cardamom hangs in the air, a comforting familiarity in a city increasingly laced with apprehension. He’s seen decades of shifting sands in Iran–US relations, but says this […]

Regional Voices: Shared anxieties for peace, a fragile normality. The scent of warm bread hangs heavy in the air of Khalil’s bakery in Saida, Lebanon. Dust motes dance in the sunlight streaming through the open doorway, illuminating the creases around his eyes as he carefully shapes a loaf of khubz. “It’s quieter today,” he says, […]

Regional Voices: Grief, fear, and a longing for a future. The scent of smoke still clings to the rubble in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood. Old Man Youssef, whose bakery stood next door, sweeps dust from his apron, but can’t quite clear the grief from his eyes. He remembers Firas Al-Masri, the father killed in the […]

Regional Voices: A family’s loss echoes a wider grief. The scent of smoke still hangs heavy in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City. Old Man Khalil, his face etched with decades of hardship, sits amidst the rubble that was once his neighbour Firas Al-Masri’s home. He’s carefully sifting through the debris, not looking for possessions, […]

Regional Voices: “We just want to rebuild, to have some peace.” Old Man Hassan runs a small chai shop in Bushehr, a city now etched back into the headlines. He’s seen decades of shifts in Iran’s fortunes, and the latest escalation feels…wearyingly familiar. “The sound, you get used to it, unfortunately,” he said, stirring a […]

Regional Voices: Fear and weary resignation in Manama. The scent of jasmine usually hangs heavy in the air around Manama’s Bab al-Bahrain souq. Today, it’s mixed with a metallic tang – the residue of intercepted missiles. Old Man Youssef, who’s sold dates and spices here for sixty years, barely looked up when the air raid […]

Regional Voices: Fear and resignation ripple through everyday lives. Old Man Tariq sits mending fishing nets in the small port of Bushehr, Iran. The air smells of salt and diesel, but there’s a new, acrid scent clinging to everything now – the smell of burnt metal from the recent strikes. He barely looks up as […]

Regional Voices: Grieving families demand answers after a tragic loss at sea. The scent of jasmine hangs heavy in the Karachi air, a fragrance that usually brings comfort to Yashib Rizwan. But today, it’s a cruel reminder of evenings spent with his father, Captain Rizwan Idris, a man who always returned home. Now, Yashib sits […]