the Ottomans
Masters of the opium trade: the fabulous wealth of the Sassoons
David Abulafia admires the shrewdness, generosity and panache of the Sassoons over many generations
The Greeks’ bitter fight for freedom
Last year was the 200th anniversary of the outbreak of the war of Greek independence in March 1821. It has…
Has nostalgia become the Greeks’ national disease?
Imagine a new take on the Greek myth of Pygmalion. A love-shy artist makes a woman out of marble who…
Syria's Stalingrad: how Aleppo slipped from tolerance to terrorism
Justin Marozzi on the bitter irony of Aleppo’s ancient motto
