conflict

After Assad’s fall, a revered Shia shrine in Syria faces a new era of uncertainty

Sacred Nation

A shrine on the outskirts of Damascus has long been a prominent destination for Shias from around the world. Its golden dome glistens in the sun and its outer walls are covered in tiles from Iran. But the shrine’s connection to Iran goes beyond aesthetics. Iranian guards not only once protected the holy site — they also helped keep Syria’s former leader, Bashar al-Assad, in power.

They were part of Afghanistan’s first-ever all-female flight. Then their lives were turned upside down.

Conflict & Justice

Journalist says parts of Sudan’s capital are now ‘almost unrecognizable’

Conflict

Gaza war is putting Egyptian-Israeli relations to the test

Israel-Hamas war
Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, delivers a speech during a rally marking "Jerusalem Day," or Al-Quds Day, an annual celebration to support Palestinians in the holy city, at a soccer filed in Gaza City, Friday, April 14, 2023.

Who is Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and what does he want? 

Israel-Hamas war

‘Second chance at life’: This rehabilitation center provides mental health care to orphaned children in Iraq

Decades of war and violence have left many children orphaned in Iraq. There have been different kinds of initiatives to help them, but efforts often focus on the basics. Now, one group is trying to fill an important void by providing mental health care for traumatized children.

Out of Eden Walk: Walking Tbilisi

Out of Eden Walk

Georgia’s capital city, Tbilisi, sits at the ancient crossroads of Asia and Europe, of Islam and Christianity. It is currently the scene of a political confrontation over a Russia-inspired law that critics fear will stifle media freedom. Host Marco Werman speaks with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek in Tbilisi about the city’s rich cultural past and its current tensions.

In the Israeli town of Tkuma, about 3 miles from the Gaza strip, vehicles in various states of destruction sit in a giant lot.

‘I’m processing’: Israelis and international tourists visit sites of Oct. 7 attacks 

Israel-Hamas war

Many visitors in Israel, both local and international have traveled within Israel to the sites of the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Host Marco Werman was in Israel recently and asked some of these visitors why they decided to visit these sites of violence. Their answers are varied — and complex.

Wafaa Mustafa was married to American ISIS fighter Russell Dennison.

‘We have no future’: A Syrian woman speaks about her life with an American ISIS member

Shadow of ISIS

When the terrorist group ISIS emerged in Syria in the last decade, some 30,000 foreign fighters went to Syria to fight for the group. Most were from Europe and Asia. About 300 Americans joined or attempted to join ISIS, including one woman who was married to an American ISIS fighter. 

Saber Askar in East Porterville, California

For one Yemeni American, the long wait to bring his family to safety

Conflict

“They make me bleed inside every time I talk to them,” says Saber Askar, a US citizen from Yemen, with family still in the war-torn country. “I don’t know what to do. Every time I call, I’m afraid they’re not going to answer anymore.”