Ethnic groups in the Middle East

Tourists surge back to Jordan’s desert marvel Petra

Tending to his camels in Petra, Jordan's spectacular archaeological marvel hidden deep in a desert canyon, Hussein Bdoul is all smiles: The tourists are back.

After years in which the COVID-19 pandemic turned the storied "Rose City" into a ghost town, the father of seven is back at work, offering visitors rides on his decorated animals.

Saudi camel beauty pageant hit by botox

A high-stakes camel beauty pageant in Saudi Arabia has been hit by a cheating scandal after 43 entrants were disqualified for botox injections and other cosmetic enhancements.

The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is an annual Bedouin event held in the desert northeast of Riyadh that lures breeders from around the Gulf with prize money of up to $66 million.

Turkey’s Jews meet at historic Ankara synagogue after 40 years

After nearly four decades, Jews in Turkey came together at the Ankara Synagogue to "revive their memories."

Isaak Haleva, the chief rabbi of Turkey's Jews, as well as several members of the Jewish community, joined the event in the capital Ankara.

In a speech on the occasion, Haleva said the preservation of synagogues is important for his community in Turkey.

Turkey marks painful anniversary of Circassians' exile

The 19th-century exile of Circassians from their Black Sea homeland remains a painful tragedy, said Turkey's president on May 21. 

"On the 157th anniversary of the deportation of our Circassian brothers from their homeland, I feel a great pain in my heart, and I wish Allah's mercy to those who lost their lives," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Twitter.

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