Human stories from the communities at the heart of the region's transformation.
Regional Voices: “We just want to feed our families.” Old Man Hassan, a fisherman in Muscat, Oman, sits mending nets in the shade. The normally bustling harbour is eerily quiet. “Three days,” he says, his voice roughened by sun and salt. “Three days I haven’t taken the boat out. Too dangerous. The Americans, the Iranians… […]
Regional Voices: Fear and Resilience in a Closed Strait Old Man Hassan, a fisherman from the Omani village of Dibba, used to know the rhythms of the Strait of Hormuz like the lines on his own hands. For fifty years, he’s cast his nets in these waters, providing for his family and community. Now, he […]
Regional Voices: Remembering a pivotal leader, fearing the unknown. The scent of oud hung heavy in the air outside the Souq Waqif in Doha. Old Man Hassan, a vendor who’s sold dates and spices here for sixty years, barely looked up as I asked about Sheikh Hamad. He sighed, carefully weighing dates for a customer. […]
Regional Voices: Beyond the Headlines, a Quiet Shift is Felt. The scent of oud and strong coffee hung heavy in the air of Souq Waqif in Doha this morning. Old Man Hassan, who’s sold dates and spices here for over fifty years, was unusually quiet. “The Father Amir is gone,” he said, his voice a […]
Regional Voices: A fisherman’s nets, tangled with fear and uncertainty. Old Man Youssef casts his net into the turquoise waters off the coast of Oman, a ritual he’s repeated for sixty years. But today, the familiar rhythm feels different. “The sea feels…watched,” he says, his voice raspy from years of salt air and sun. “Before, […]
Regional Voices: A fisherman’s quiet desperation in Oman. Old Man Tariq adjusts the netting on his dhow, the wooden boat worn smooth by decades of sun and salt. We meet him in the port of Musandam, Oman, a quiet corner overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. “The sea… she used to provide,” he says, his voice […]
Regional Voices: Empty hands, broken promises, and silenced hopes. The scent of cardamom and dust hangs heavy in the air as Fatima adjusts the shawl around her shoulders. We meet in a makeshift community centre in Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, a space that, until recently, buzzed with activity. Fatima, a Yazidi woman who survived ISIS captivity, […]
Regional Voices: Women bear the brunt of dwindling aid. Old Manal stirs the sugar into her tea, her hands calloused but steady. We sit in her small shop in Irbid, Jordan, the scent of spices thick in the air. Manal used to run a women’s centre, offering literacy classes and sewing skills to Syrian refugee […]
Regional Voices: Scars run deep, but life finds a way. The scent of rosewater and grief hangs heavy in the air of Mashhad. Old Man Tariq, a rug merchant whose shop overlooks the Imam Reza shrine, remembers a time before the revolution, before the shadow of the Supreme Leader loomed over every aspect of life. […]
Regional Voices: Whispers of fear, loss, and a fragile future. The air in the Kashan bazaar hangs thick with the scent of rosewater and grief. Old Man Hossein, a carpet weaver whose hands move with the muscle memory of decades, barely glances at potential customers. He’s been sitting like this for days, a string of […]
