Photo Essays

Traditional healers are booming on the island of Zanzibar. The so-called Mgangas use herbs, massages and holy scriptures for their treatment. Above all, their patients seek protection from evil spirits. By Nermin Ismail

In India, bricks are traditionally made by hand. The job is dirty, exhausting, poorly paid, and mainly done by women. By Martin Muno

Iranian-German artist Parastou Forouhar, resident in Germany since the 1990s, is known for her idiosyncratic drawings, photographs, installations and animations. Frank Kleinbach shows some excerpts from Forouhar's past exhibitions.

Behind a suffocating political system and inquisitive cliches, Iranian youth dream of a break with the system while proudly defending their culture. By Gwenvaël Engel

Slave auctions, mass rapes, torture and hunger: Libyan security forces are said to take brutal action against refugees who want to enter Europe. In Libya they have landed in hell.

From the Kingdom of Elam to Alexander the Great, to the Shah dynasties and the Islamic Republic, Iran's cultural sites reflect its long history. By Philipp Jedicke

Dozens of people have been killed as a result of protests against India's controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. Critics say the law is aimed at marginalising Muslims and goes against India's secular constitution. By Rodion Ebbighausen

At the gates of the lively city in Morocco, there is a place of tranquillity: "ANIMA - Return to Paradise". Volker Witting visited the imaginative garden world created by Austrian multimedia artist Andre Heller

The "Turkiyeli" exhibition, hosted by the Berlin "f hoch drei" gallery, showcased the work of seven contemporary Turkish photographers. Their critical reflection on hot topics such as refugees and protests expressed the turmoil experienced by the country in recent years. By Ceyda Nurtsch

In the heart of Beirut's manicured downtown, something is stirring in a bullet-pocked concrete shell of a building known as "the Egg": the visually unappealing Egg has advanced to become the meeting place for Lebanese democracy activists. Impressions by Lisa Barrington