‘… That lonely one turned his head to the vernal moon above, whispering softly, ‘My silent city – where art the soul of thine springs?’

A look at the sonic career of Yasmine Hamdan, from her iconoclastic Soap Kills days to her present status as the femme fatale of alternative Arabic music

‘It is certainly about time that the Arab world reasserted its position as a centre for knowledge and excellence’ – Sarah Zakzouk on Egypt’s cultural revolution

A review of Sashar Zarif and Alim Qasimov’s bold new take on the art of Mugham, with a look at the history and culture of Azerbaijan

Leila Albayaty’s film of love, loss, and music in Berlin, which recently screened at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival

‘It is our time as Arabs. Arab will be the new cool’ – Megan Bénéat-Donald in conversation with Iraqi-Canadian musician The Narcicyst

‘This is a being unshaken by the ravages of time, defying practice, medium, and creed … The rock star is dead. Long live the rock star’

Marc Codsi, Beirut’s sonic postman on his album, Faded Postcards, the extremities of Lebanese society, and the pacifying power of music

What do you get when you mix the thundering, pulsating rhythms of Southern Iranian folk music and jazz? Pure bliss, according to Joobin Bekhrad