Environment

The Al-Hadba minaret was part of the centuries-old Great Mosque of al-Nuri when it was destroyed in 2017 by ISIS. Now, a multi-year rebuilding effort involving the United Arab Emirates, UNESCO and local Iraqi craftsmen is complete. The World’s Host Marco Werman speaks with Iraqi photojournalist Ali Al-Baroodi about the significance of the restoration and the ongoing efforts to restore Mosul’s old city.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek’s walk through China led him to encounters with tea pickers and unique stays at tea plantations. His consumption of tea was already high following his walk through India, but in China, Salopek experienced tea like no other. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with him about the history, culture, and traditions of tea in China.

In China’s southern province of Yunnan, a community known as the Bai expresses itself mostly by singing. And they have a song for everything: from history lessons to mourning to flirting. Host Marco Werman speaks with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek, who also discusses the early 20th century Austrian-American botanist and explorer Joseph Rock, who traveled through this same region of western China.

Our reporters serve up samples of the food and drink people enjoy across the globe when the weather heats up.

The domesticated versions of wild Mediterranean shrubs are the world’s sole source of gum mastic — a clear resin that has been used by humans for at least 2,500 years. Today, some growers are trying to keep up that tradition.