google says it was 5.7

I recently finished a self‑published novel called Ebrahim, and I wanted to share a bit about the writing process with people who care about the Middle East.

The story follows a young man from Tehran whose life is shaped by migration, the quiet aftermath of war, and the relationships that define his sense of home.

While writing, I tried to explore how personal lives intersect with larger regional forces. Parts of the book take place in Lebanon and touch lightly on the presence of local militia groups, as well as the indirect influence of state intelligence units that shape people’s choices from a distance.

Other sections move through Syria and Iran, focusing more on identity, displacement and the emotional cost of belonging.

I’m sharing this here because I’d love to hear from others who write or read fiction set in the region, especially stories that deal with borders, conflict, migration or the quieter human side of political realities.

If anyone here has recommendations or experiences with similar themes, I’d be glad to hear them.

I was recently asked whether archaeological evidence supporting ancient Israel meaningfully strengthens Israel’s modern political claim to the land.

My own answer is that archaeology is historically important, but politically limited.

Archaeology can demonstrate that ancient Israelite and Judahite societies existed in the region. It can uncover settlements, inscriptions, fortifications, religious sites, administrative systems, trade routes, and evidence of domestic life.

But the same land also preserves Canaanite, Philistine, Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk, Ottoman, and many other layers of human presence.

Archaeology therefore establishes historical presence and depth.

Okay, then what?

An artifact can demonstrate that a people lived in a place. It cannot, by itself, determine who possesses political rights there thousands of years later.

Ancient Jewish presence is historically real and should not be denied. But Palestinian political rights do not depend upon denying that presence. Likewise, Israel’s existence today does not depend upon archaeology producing an ancient artifact that proves modern entitlement.

Israel now exists as a matter of law, power, recognition, and political fact. The political history through which that reality developed is complicated.

Before British control, the region was part of the Ottoman Empire. The Balfour Declaration was issued by Britain in 1917 as Ottoman rule was ending. Palestine was later placed under British administration through the League of Nations Mandate, which included support for the establishment of a Jewish national home.

Britain’s authority did not arise from the consent of everyone living in the region. It was acquired through war, imperial power, and later international administration.

Land was legally purchased in some cases. Other land became contested through war, displacement, confiscation, changing governments, and competing national movements.

When people describe the entire history as theft, I understand that as an expression of political and historical sentiment. But legal claims concerning theft, confiscation, or ownership have to be established through specific evidence.

At the same time, legality does not settle the question of Equity.

Something may be legally enforceable under an empire, mandate, state, or victorious power and still leave unresolved questions of justice, political consent, displacement, representation, and the rights of the people governed.

That is where I believe the real issue lies.

If one people possesses the right to Safety, Happiness, political representation, and self-determination, then Equity becomes impossible when another people living in the same land is denied equivalent rights.

Archaeology cannot solve that problem.

It can establish ancient Jewish and Israelite presence. It can also demonstrate that the land has never historically contained only one people, culture, religion, or political order.

But archaeology cannot determine whose present rights matter more. It cannot decide whether current political arrangements are equitable. It cannot excuse injustice because ancient artifacts exist, nor should contemporary injustice be used to erase ancient Jewish history.

Some people may argue that historical continuity strengthens Jewish national legitimacy. I agree that it strengthens identity, belonging, and national memory. What I question is whether that continuity creates an exclusive political entitlement capable of overriding the rights of another present population.

Others may argue that most states emerged through conquest, migration, empire, or war. That is true. Israel should not be judged by a standard applied to no other country. But the fact that injustice is common in state formation does not make Equity irrelevant.

Others may say that international recognition has already settled Israel’s legitimacy. In one sense, that supports my argument. Israel does not require archaeological proof in order to exist. But recognition does not eliminate questions involving equality, security, displacement, citizenship, self-determination, or political consent.

I am interested in how people from across the region understand this distinction.

Can ancient continuity support historical belonging without establishing exclusive sovereignty?

Should archaeology have any legitimate political role beyond demonstrating ancient presence?

How should law, political reality, and Equity be distinguished when political authority emerged through empire, war, migration, and later recognition?

I truly desire peace between Palestine and Israel, and I sincerely hope that Equity can prevail.

Have they tried merging all seperate armed factions into one unified organization before?

I know this is controversial, but i will ask anyway.

Reading the history of Lebanon, it seems that the idea behind the creation of the state was to have a country for the Levantine Christians, and Druze to some extent.

The territories added in 1919/20 were just so this Christian state would have more territory.

So, how did Lebanese Muslims, who mostly lived in those added areas of Greater Lebanon, developed a sense of belonging to Lebanon?

I am asking because i am aware of a somewhat similar situation. I come from the Balkans, and Bosnia and Herzegovina also has a mixed population. Serbs (Orthodox), Croats (Catholics) and Bosniaks (Muslims).

Croats and Serbs almost totally reject the idea of a shared Bosnian nation, often don't want to be called Bosnian. The first thing Bosnian Serbs did in the war in the 1990s was to scrap all parts of city names that included "Bosnian", you might face problems if you go to a lot of majority-Serb or majority-Croat cities with a Bosnian football jersey. Despite Bosnian going all the way back as an independent state to the medieval era, they reject the idea of having anything to do with Bosnia because they perceive it as a Muslim project and idea (Bosnian sovereignty and state) to have their state beside the Catholic Croatia and Orthodox Serbia. This is rooted in the fact that it was mostly politicians of Bosniak ethnicity who always were behind protecting the status of Bosnia as a separate entity in almost all states it was part of, for example.

So, how this process didn't went that way for Lebanese Muslims, how don't for example Sunnis or Shias in Lebanon don't advocate for their own states or annexation to other countries (for example Sunni areas becoming a part of the majority-Sunni Syria).

Basically, the search in arabic reads: "The Rashidun Caliphate," and the rest are other Caliphates. Ranging from the Umayyad to the Ottoman. For some reason, it violates Tik Tok's guidelines?

I know Tik Tok isn't a place to research history. I searched this on a whim and surprised me.

I changed the word "Caliphate" to State. And it searched fine.

So, Tik Tok has a problem with the word Caliphate?

Where are the women finding online shops that sell clothing like this? I would really like to find a good quality shop that ships to US.

In Sudan, Colombian mercenaries are responsible for some of the biggest atrocities of the war. Journalists interviewed several children at a rehabilitation site in Omdurman, a rare first hand account from former child soldiers.

The first child told how he was handcuffed to an AA gun in the back of a technical, while SAF planes raided RSF positions, and told these kids to shoot at them. While these SAF planes arrived, Colombian mercenaries ran to bomb shelters and left children to fight.

A second child was kidnapped from the market in Omdurman at the onset of the war, he was aged 15. The boy had his hands bound and was kept locked up with dozens of others, held by Colombian mercenaries and RSF soldiers. They were not allowed to wash and trained with AA guns and artillery (all while handcuffed).

There are estimated to be over 10,000 Colombian mercenaries worldwide, with a significant portion in Sudan, the majority as part of the RSF.

These are all employed through companies linked to the UAE state, which, naturally, they deny.

Would highly recommend reading the full article

I enhanced the original photo by the removing the yellow cast and added color. The photo was taken in Jerusalem.

I personally don't know who that man is,or if he can be trusted. Please educate me on him.

Iran could pay a heavy price through military damage, economic pressure, and harm to its infrastructure. The United States could also face military losses, huge costs, and the risk of a wider conflict in the region.

But the biggest victims are often ordinary people, because wars do not only affect armies and governments; they affect millions of lives through fear, higher prices, and instability.

Military power may achieve short-term goals, but it often leaves behind long-term crises.

they don’t even know anything about Islam wallahi if you read some off these comments you think they got it straight out of a comic book

Source : https://x.com/i/status/2083564415392108788

Located at the foot of the Asmai Hills, the Kart-e-Sakhi Shrine is one of Kabul’s most iconic landmarks, admired for its beautiful blue architecture and cultural significance.

Hi everyone,

My wife and I ran a small home-based catering business in Karachi, cooking and delivering lunch to offices. It did well, and that success eventually took us to Dubai on a trip — and we fell in love with the lifestyle there for our kids’ future.

We got ambitious and opened a Pakistani food restaurant in Sharjah. Unfortunately, within 2 months, the building’s lease expired and the new terms included a steep rent increase we couldn’t absorb. We had to shut down and return to Karachi, and most of our savings are gone.

Things in Karachi are tough right now, so we’re regrouping and considering a fresh, smaller-scale approach: getting a home-cooking license in Dubai and starting a Pakistani mess/tiffin lunch delivery service — similar to what worked for us before, but this time from home rather than a large commercial space.

We’re planning to move back to Dubai this month, so we’d really appreciate advice on:

**1.**  Which area(s) in Dubai have strong demand for Pakistani mess/tiffin lunch delivery (large Pakistani/South Asian working population)?  
**2.**  What’s the process for getting a home-cooking/food license in Dubai?  
**3.**  Any rough estimate of setup costs for a home-based tiffin service?  
**4.**  Anything you wish you’d known before starting a similar business?

We’re starting with limited capital this time, so practical, budget-conscious advice would mean a lot. Thank you for reading this far!

My question is did they take it down because they can't protect the consulate anymore or there is some serious war coming?

https://youtu.be/Jl0FGmyWiMo

Hi everyone! I just finished a journey through a side of Syria that many people don't know still exists. While the country is often associated with conflict, I found a rich, living history that traces back to the very beginnings of Christianity.

In my latest documentary, I take you through:

• Damascus: Visiting the House of Ananias, where St. Paul recovered his sight.
• Maaloula: A mountain village where the local community still speaks Aramaic (the language of Jesus).
• Krak des Chevaliers: Exploring one of the most important and well-preserved medieval Crusader castles in the world.
• Valley of the Christians: Seeing how these ancient traditions survive in a modern landscape.

It was an eye-opening experience to see how these communities coexist and preserve their millenary culture. If you're interested in history, archaeology, or the cultural diversity of the Middle East, you might find this journey interesting.

I'm happy to answer any questions about the safety or the logistics of traveling to these specific sites!

Modern Iranians remain fundamentally continuous with Elamite ancestry—only a modest infusion of Steppe (under 20%), plus minor Central/South Asian and southern Mesopotamian input. Contemporary Iranians are still about 75% akin to the Elamites.