Rashed Al-Khalaawi (راشد الخلاوي), a distinguished Arabian astronomer and poet, was born in Najd, today known as central Saudi Arabia, during a period of little historical documentation referred to as the 'Lost Period.' Despite this, he astounded scholars with his mastery of

Syrian sweets, like baklava and honey pastries, are displayed in a bakery in the 1950s.

📷: David Boyer | Nat Geo

Egyptian dancer Samia Gamal posing at the Sphinx in Giza, c.1960 🇪🇬

Cairo, Egypt, 1987 🇪🇬
📷: Harry Gruyaert

Two old men hand in hand rush for taking place for prayer time in the Yeni Cami mosque in Istanbul. 🇹🇷

📷: Marco Vacca

Sana'a, Yemen, 1992

Jewish women and children in Djerba, Tunisia, 1955 🇹🇳

Portrait of a Moroccan woman from Rabat in traditional attire and jewelry, 1934/1937 🇲🇦

📷: Jean Besancenot

Amazigh woman walking in the snow. Agouim, Morocco, c.1975 🇲🇦

A human-winged bull sculpture. Baghdad, Iraq, 1985 🇮🇶

📷: Steve McCurry

Syrian sweets, like baklava and honey pastries, are displayed in a bakery in the 1950s.

📷: David Boyer | Nat Geo

Palestinian refugee looks out over barbed wire into another camp across the border between Gaza and Egypt, 1988.

📷: Peter Turnley

The interior of the Vank Cathedral, located in Isfahan, Iran 🧡

Elizabeth Taylor at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, 1975.

A Violinist from Aleppo, Syria, 1965
📷: Harvey Meston

Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif dancing at the party after the London Premiere of Lawrence of Arabia in 1962.

📷: Harry Myers

Greek Monk and Two Women in a Village in Cyprus, ca.1920-1930 🇨🇾

📷: Maynard Owen Williams | NatGeo

Baghdad, Iraq, 1950's 🇮🇶

Assyrian man with traditional dress and dagger at Tall Tamir, Syria (Date unknown)

The Dug-Out night club, Beirut. Lebanon, 1960 🇱🇧

“The Dug-Out was an underground night club in 60s Beirut. The walls had writings from the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam: The Astronomer-poet of Persia.”