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Dogon region villager with ritual figures

Africa & the Middle East

Looting Mali's History

As demand for its antiquities soars, the West African country is losing its most prized artifacts to illegal sellers and smugglers
November 2009 | By Joshua Hammer

Also see: The Treasures of Timbuktu | Looting Iraq

Bridge of 33 Arches in Isfahan Iran

Isfahan: Iran's Hidden Jewel

Once the dazzling capital of ancient Persia, Isfahan fell victim to neglect, but a new generation hopes to restore its lost luster
April 2009 | By Andrew Lawler

a salt-making site at the village of Teguidda-n-Tessoumt in arid northern Niger

Africa on the Fly

Dangling from a paraglider with a propeller on his back, photographer George Steinmetz gets a new perspective on Africa
January 2009 | By Abigail Tucker

Displaced Pygmies

The Pygmies' Plight

A correspondent who chronicled their lives in central African rain forests returns a decade later and is shocked by what he finds
December 2008 | By Paul Raffaele

Iran 1979 revolution

Inside Iran's Fury

Scholars trace the nation's antagonism to its history of domination by foreign powers
October 2008 | By Stephen Kinzer

Paul Polak

Paul Polak, Social Entrepreneur, Golden, Colorado

His new book advocates helping the world's poorest people one tool at a time
August 2008 | By Abigail Tucker

Beirut, from an apartment damaged by Hezbollah shelling

Precarious Lebanon

Stricken by sectarian warfare and still reeling from the 2005 murder of its former Prime Minister, the Mediterranean nation brokers a fragile peace
July 2008 | By Joshua Hammer

Beirut, Lebanon

Times of Trouble

Flashpoints in Modern Lebanese History
July 2008 | By Amanda Bensen

Aerial View of the coast, Cape Peninsula, South Africa

Inside Cape Town

Tourists are flocking to the city, but a former resident explains how the legacy of apartheid lingers
April 2008 | By Joshua Hammer

A huddle grows around the high priests,

Keepers of the Lost Ark?

Christians in Ethiopia have long claimed to have the ark of the covenant. Our reporter investigated
December 2007 | By Paul Raffaele

"The basic question was, What can Mozambique do to build its economy?" says Carr, in Gorongosa Park. His answer: eco-tourism.

Greg Carr's Big Gamble

In a watershed experiment, the Boston entrepreneur is putting $40 million of his own money into a splendid but ravaged park in Mozambique
May 2007 | By Stephanie Hanes

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Smithsonian magazine presents

6th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest Winners

Out of more than 17,000 entries contributed from around the world, Smithsonian and its readers select the year's best

Photo Essay

Children of the Vietnam War

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December 2009 Issue Cover

December 2009

  • Wildlife Trafficking
  • Hallelujah
  • The Pyramid Man
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