Middle East

Rebuilding cultures through art, design, and community

Once displaced by war, MIT’s Azra Akšamija creates works of cultural resilience in the face of social conflict.

August 12, 2020

Between 2011 and 2015, extreme poverty rates in the Middle East and North Africa increased from 2.7 percent to 5 percent of the population, making it the only region in the world where extreme poverty rates were going up.

MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab to launch research center at American University in Cairo

J-PAL research center will focus on evidence-based policy-making to reduce poverty in the Middle East and North Africa.

July 15, 2020

More than 250 people from 25 countries participated in the MIT Arab SciTech Virtual IDEAthon, hosted by the MIT Arab Student Organization. Seen here: MIT Arab Scitech mentors and judges

MIT Arab SciTech Virtual IDEAthon rethinks learning during Covid-19

Online event aimed to develop high-impact ideas to improve educational outcomes in the Middle East and North Africa.

June 25, 2020

Global climate models agree that the Mediterranean area will be significantly drier, potentially seeing 40 percent less precipitation during the winter rainy season in the already parched regions of the Middle East and North Africa.

Why the Mediterranean is a climate change hotspot

MIT analysis uncovers the basis of the severe rainfall declines predicted by many models.

June 17, 2020

Fotini Christia is professor of political science at MIT. Her research interests explore issues of conflict and cooperation in the Muslim world.

3 Questions: Fotini Christia on new deal-making in Afghanistan

MIT professor of political science discusses a new U.S.-Taliban agreement and whether it will bring peace to the Afghan people.

April 2, 2020

“MIT is the best place to be an anthropologist studying issues of science and technology," says Timothy Loh, a sophomore in the HASTS PhD program. "It’s a place where we’re able to think deeply and critically about how scientific knowledge and authority is constructed."

Uncovering the role of technology and medicine in deaf and signing worlds

Timothy Loh, a HASTS program doctoral student studying deafness, sign language, and technology, is a sociocultural and medical anthropologist-in-training.

December 5, 2019

MIT senior wins 2020 Rhodes Scholarship for Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine region

The Rhodes Scholarship offers opportunities for Arab students.

November 15, 2019

Deploying drones to prepare for climate change

PhD student Norhan Bayomi uses drones to investigate how building construction impacts communities’ resilience to rising temperatures.

October 4, 2019

High-resolution mapping of the distribution of elements in a sample from the 2,000-year-old Temple Scroll, as shown by the colors at the right of this image, is providing insight into the scroll's ancient fabrication methods.

How to make a book last for millennia

Study of Dead Sea Scroll sheds light on a lost ancient parchment-making technology.

September 6, 2019

Muslim pilgrims gathered to perform Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Study: Climate change could pose danger for Muslim pilgrimage

When the Hajj comes in summertime, in some years it may not be safe for participants to remain outdoors.

August 22, 2019

When religion meets secularism in urban planning

“I’m interested in the peaceful coexistence of communities,” says PhD student Babak Manouchehrifar, who left his home country of Iran to study at MIT.

July 24, 2019

Of students like MIT-Israel intern Seji Engelkemier, shown in Ein Avdat, Faculty Director Eran Ben-Joseph says: "MIT-Israel students come back with both a deep understanding of the region while taking their course of study to the next level. Both aspects of their Israel experience are invaluable, and they take them with them far beyond their time at MIT."

Cornerstone donation sparks bright future for MISTI MIT-Israel program

Arthur Samberg '62 donates $1 million to sustain the program for years to come.

May 9, 2019

Hala Aldosari, a Saudi scholar and activist whose work focuses on women’s rights in Arab societies, violence against women, and the “guardianship” system in Saudi Arabia, has joined the MIT Center for International Studies as its Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow.

Hala Aldosari joins the MIT Center for International Studies as Wilhelm Fellow

Saudi scholar and activist will conduct research on political and civil reforms in Saudi Arabia.

May 3, 2019

A $30 million award from USAID will support MIT over the next five years in developing a Center of Excellence in Energy at Ain Shams University, Mansoura University, and Aswan University, in Egypt. The center will serve to connect researchers at the Egyptian universities with experts at MIT, to seek innovative solutions to the country’s energy challenges.

MIT receives $30 million to help address energy challenges in Egypt

Award from USAID will support research collaborations through new Center of Excellence in Energy at Ain Shams University in Cairo.

March 27, 2019

"I became focused on a life in political science at a pretty young age, and by high school, it seemed like a natural path," says Andrew Halterman, PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science.

Understanding ethnic cleansing by mining a trove of text

With his innovative method for analyzing language, political science student Andrew Halterman maps civilian deaths in Syria.

January 30, 2019

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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