Fez Morocco donkeys

Africa & the MiddleEast

Morocco's Extraordinary Donkeys

The author returns to Fez to explore the stubborn animal's central role in the life of this desert kingdom
September 2009 | By Susan Orlean

Also see: What Is Your Dream Travel Destination?

Nairobi Kenya

Despite many travel delays, Smithsonian Secretary Clough arrives in Kenya ready to study the African wildlife at the Mpala Ranch
June 2009 | By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

Famagusta Walled City

Once located in the midst of high-volume shipping lanes, a forgotten city with multiple European influences could be lost forever without an intervention
March 2009 | By Helen Starkweather

Curator on roof of family library

The rapidly expanding Sahara Desert threatens a medieval trading center that also carries importance for Sunni Muslims
March 2009 | By Jeanne Maglaty

Church of the Nativity Bethlehem

The 1,700-year-old basilica, believed to mark the birthplace of Jesus Christ, has survived invasions, rebellions and earthquakes
March 2009 | By Abigail Tucker

City of Hasankeyf Turkey

A new hydroelectric dam threatens the ancient city, home to thousands of human-made caves
March 2009 | By Diane M. Bolz

Hazrat Ali, the most beautiful mosque in Afghanistan, dates to the seventh century and is open to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

A writer and photographer crisscross a nation ravaged by a quarter century of warfare to inventory its most sacred treasures
February 2003 | By Rob Schultheis

New Kingdom customs rise triumphantly from the dead in "The Quest for Immortality," a dazzling display of treasures from the tombs of the pharaohs
July 2003 | By Doug Stewart

The Persian Gulf kingdom has embraced openness and capitalism. Might other Mideast nations follow?
October 2003 | By Ken Ringle

Welcome to Lahore, where an explosion of art and media is offering a vibrant alternative to the strictures of religious conservatives and is transforming one of America's most important and most ambivalent allies
July 2004 | By Mohsin Hamid

The regime may inflame Washington, but young Iranians say they admire, of all places, America
March 2005 | By Afshin Molavi

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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

Smithsonian Secretary on Safari in Kenya

Photos from Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough's trip to Nairobi, Kenya

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