The Empty Quarter is a great refuge for lonely hearts
When William Atkins and his girlfriend parted, he set off to explore eight of the world’s fieriest deserts, from Oman to the Taklamakan
Who knew that Arabic has more than 30 words for wine?
You know you’re in good hands when the dedication reads: ‘To the writers, drinkers and freethinkers of the Arab and…
Did the fabled Phoenicians ever actually exist?
So the Phoenicians never existed. Herodotus, that unreliable old fibber, made it all up in the Histories. Is this really…
Boxer shorts
Chaps, be honest. Have you achieved nether-region nirvana? Twenty years ago I had reached the summit of underwear style and…
Whispers of scandal over the rescue of Timbuktu’s manuscripts
Timbuktu. Can any other three syllables evoke such a thrill? For travellers, explorers and historians of Africa, the ancient desert…
Will the tide ever turn on Lawrence of Arabia?
The centenary of General Allenby’s capture of Jerusalem falls later this year. On 11 December 1917, the commander-in-chief of Britain’s…
Muslim magic – Islam has always dabbled in the occult
Islam has always dabbled in the dark arts, says Justin Marozzi
Dashing for the book: A lifetime of letters from Paddy Leigh Fermor
Justin Marozzi says the letters of Patrick Leigh Fermor are a 20th-century treasure-trove and a feast for admirers of the great man
Why the crusades ended – and jihad goes on
First a confession. Like many modern British readers, I have contracted a severe case of Jihad Overload Syndrome. Symptoms of…
T.E. Lawrence: from young romantic to shame-shattered veteran
T.E. Lawrence is seen as a ‘metaphor for imperialism, violence and betrayal’ in the Middle East. But woeful Arab leadership has also been to blame for the region’s problems, says Justin Marozzi
Syria's Stalingrad: how Aleppo slipped from tolerance to terrorism
Justin Marozzi on the bitter irony of Aleppo’s ancient motto
Sri Lanka: emerald paradise with a dark interior
For a genre that is frequently dismissed as dead, travel writing is proving a remarkably stubborn survivor. If anything, this…
Let's fight terror - by holidaying in gorgeous, welcoming Tunisia
It needs – and deserves – British visitors more than ever
Justin Marozzi’s diary: Lunch with Saddam’s hangman, and a democratic revolution in Kensington
Lunch with the man who hanged Saddam. My irrepressible old Baghdad friend Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Ealing neurologist turned Iraqi national security…
At last: a calm, definitive account of the Armenian genocide
The atrocities suffered by an estimated one million Armenians in 1915 have been largely ignored by historians and officially denied by the Turks. It’s a centenary we can’t afford to neglect, says Justin Marozzi
Mecca: from shrine to shopping mall
The Saudis, official custodians of Islam’s holiest place, have bulldozed its historical sites, perverted its religion and turned Mecca into one vast shopping mall, says Justin Marozzi
The shameful truth: Britain lets in far too few refugees
Britain’s appalling record on refugees is a moral failure, and national disgrace
Is it boring being the god of the sea?
Writing to a god seems a presumptuous thing. Who are we, feeble mortal creatures whose lives pass in the blink…
I’ve spent years in war zones. And the most terrifying moment of my life just happened in Norfolk
I’ve spent years in conflict zones. But the scariest thing that’s happened to me involved two bull terriers on a Norfolk beach
More derring dos and don’ts from Paddy Leigh Fermor
Recent years have seen the slim but splendid Patrick Leigh Fermor oeuvre swell considerably. In 2008 came In Tearing Haste,…
Genghis Khan was tolerant, kind to women – and a record-breaking mass-murderer
Genghis Khan, unlike most Mongols in history, is a household name, regularly misappropriated as a right-wing totem. If we recall…
In defence of Herodotus
How many writers would give their eye teeth to have a book reissued 2,500 years after their death? It certainly…
The Broken Road, by Patrick Leigh Fermor - review
Sound the trumpets. Let rip the Byzantine chorus of clattering bells and gongs, the thunder of cannons, drums and flashing…
Embattled dystopia
Justin Marozzi sees years of sectarian strife ahead for Syria
Travails with Auntie
He’s the Housewives’ Favourite, the Voice of Middle England on Radio 2, one moment discussing the perils of your other…
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