Alia Yunis

The world is made of stories, and most journalists will discover in their career more stories than they can ever tell, even if they never leave where they were born. We are tragically seeing that today with the young journalists in Gaza. Unlike them, I have had the opportunity to travel much further in pursuit of stories. Over the years, I’ve written several articles for Aramco World Magazine on Arab and/or Muslim culture and heritage from around the world. I have loved working on these articles because they allow me to dig deep into research and interviewing. Sometimes I do the photography, too, and when I haven’t, I have worked with top notch photographers, like Meridith Kohut, Sam Reinders and the legendary Tor Eigeland, from whom I learn a lot about photography, life and documenting history in the present, not to mention long collaborations with editors Richard Doughty and Johnny Hanson, both of whom started out as photographers.

My most recent Aramco World article, of A Land and a Camera: The Legend of Sami Kafati, may be my favorite. I fell in love with both Honduras and this story, which was much more than story of the country’s first filmmaker: It is about the power of determination against all odds, for both a person and two places: Honduras and Palestine. I think so fondly of the wonderful people I met, especially Darwin Mendoza, such a spectrum of ages and backgrounds.

It was also the first time I wrote anything Palestinian-related for Aramco World. It is a complete coincidence that I wrote the story just before Palestine would such a global heartbreak.

Some of my other Aramco favorite that for me are always about a land and a camera, chronological order :

“The Emperor’s New Fruit,” (all about Goa, the mango and Mughals)

“Preserving Arabia’s Bedouin Poetry.” (and some of it will shock you)

“The Hidden Heritage of Cape Town’s Kitabs,” The first book in Afrikaans was written in Arabic script. Cover Story.

“Palette in White” Why all Middle Eastern cheese is white. Cover Story.

“Sirens of the Seagrass,” The first mermaid.

“Epic Nation,” Kyrgyzstan turns its Soviet film legacy towards nation buildin

“A Legation Turns to Education,” The USA’s only National Historic Landmark abroad

“A Share of the Lion” The legacy of the Yemeni traders who established Singapore as a major business center. Aramco World.

“The Majlis Painters of Saudi Arabia,” Aramco World. Rhe disappearing art of the female fresco painters in southwest Saudi Arabia.

“Thyme Travels,” Aramco World. The science, history, culture and human stories of the spice zaatar.

“Ramadan in the Farthest North,” Aramco World. In the Arctic Circle, a diverse group of Muslims have formed an eclectic community.

“Ghraoui and the Chocolate Factory,” Aramco World (cover story). A Syrian businessman dreams of becoming one of the most famous chocolatiers in the world. Cover story

Alia Yunis

Here and There All At Once

Home Page

Recent Posts

A Land and a Camera

Recent Posts

Share this: