Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice president of the United Arab Emirates, likes nothing better than foreign media reports depicting his emirate as the “economic…
Norbert Schiller

Norbert Schiller
I am the curator for Photorientalist.org, an online museum dedicated to 19th and 20th century photography of the Middle East and North Africa. With three decades of experience as a photographer covering the Middle East for major outlets like AP, AFP, and Getty Images, I have developed a deep understanding of its people and cultures. My books include A Million Steps: Discovering the Lebanon Mountain Trail and Wines of Lebanon, which won the prestigious Gourmand Award. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I enjoy hiking, biking, and canoeing with my family
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For hundreds of years, travelers have criss-crossed Lebanon’s mountains and valleys in search of ancient mysteries and hidden treasures, or just to marvel at their majestic splendor. From Alexander Kinglake…
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It is amazing how the oil-rich countries of the Persian Gulf have this ability to zoom in on the most insignificant detail about their country and transform it into something…
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Over the past quarter century, I have witnessed countless presidential and parliamentary elections in the Middle East and North Africa. I cannot remember one that went off without voter intimidation,…
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Many years ago, an Indian friend of mine living in Dubai said to me, “If you want to send a plane to anywhere in the world, including the North Pole,…
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Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union I joined a small group of Cairo-based journalists on a tour of the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. When…
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The first time I saw a truly remarkable museum was when I visited London in the mid-1970s. The British Museum was not only grandiose but each artifact was displayed in…
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I recently made contact with a very old friend of mine living in Switzerland. We had not seen one another for almost 18 years. In fact, the last time I…
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The theme of this year’s World Economic Forum – Middle East, which just ended in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, was “Learning from the Future.” Prominent business…
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The UAE, and particularly Dubai, are on a mission to prove to the world that anything they set their minds to can be achieved. Under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed…