Alison Meuse

A Lebanese woman covers her nose as she walks past piles of garbage on a Beirut street.

Amid Political Dysfunction, Beirut Residents Suffer The Stench Of Garbage

Alice Fordham

Beirut's streets are piled with two weeks' worth of uncollected trash. To many Lebanese, it's no surprise. The country has been without a president for more than a year.

Civil defense workers wear gas masks near damaged ground in a village near the Syrian city of Idlib in May. Activists said there had been a chlorine attack.

In Syria, Chlorine Attacks Continue To Take A Toll

Alison Meuse

Activists say the Syrian regime continues to attack its people with chlorine gas — with little reaction from an international community once focused on preventing Syria's use of chemical weapons.

Put An Herb In It: Lebanon's Fresh Approach To Beer And Cocktails

Alice Fordham

Herbs like za'atar and sumac have long been stars of Lebanese cuisine. Now they're moving out of the kitchen and into beers and cocktails, infusing them with a patriotic taste.

"What we are doing now has nothing to do with what we expected to be doing," says Rami Jarrah, who protested against the Assad regime in Damascus in 2011 and now runs a radio station from southern Turkey that broadcasts to civilians in rebel-controlled territory in northern Syria.

As Challenges Shift, Syria's Moderates Navigate Unexpected Territory

Deborah Amos

They protested against the Assad regime in 2011, hoping for democracy. Now they're in exile, fighting extremists for their country's future and trying to provide a lifeline for others back in Syria.

Images of dead bodies in Syrian prisons, taken by a Syrian government photographer, are displayed at the United Nations on March 10. The photographer, who goes by the pseudonym Caesar, took the pictures between 2011, when the Syrian uprising began, and 2013, when he fled the country. His photos will be on display at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

Documenting Death Inside Syria's Secret Prisons

Deborah Amos

A Syrian forensic photographer, who goes by Caesar, took thousands of photos of those who have died in Syria's prisons. His photos will be on display in the halls of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday.

Armenian refugees on the deck of the French cruiser that rescued them in 1915 during the massacre of the Armenian populations in the Ottoman Empire. The photo does not specify precisely where the refugees were from. However, residents of Vakifli, the last remaining Armenian village in Turkey, were rescued by a French warship that year.

Last Armenian Village In Turkey Keeps Silent About 1915 Slaughter

Deborah Amos

The Ottomans killed some 1.5 million Armenians a century ago, and many Armenians are talking about that terrible time as the centennial begins this week. But not the Armenians in one Turkish village.

Assyrian Christians, who fled their homes because of attacks by the Islamic State, pray at a church on the outskirts of Damascus on March 1. Many minorities in Syria have tried to remain neutral in the conflict, but they often get caught up in the crossfire or are targeted by extremists.

Syria's Minorities: Caught Between Sword Of ISIS And Wrath of Assad

Alison Meuse

Many of Syria's minorities have tried to lie low and avoid direct involvement in the country's civil war. But they frequently get caught in the crossfire, with no protector to turn to.

A man stands on a staircase inside a demolished building in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Monday.

U.N. Demands Access To Besieged Palestinian Camp In Damascus

Alison Meuse

Thousands of people are trapped in the Yarmouk camp, where water and supplies are lacking. The area under Syrian military siege for two years is now threatened by Islamic State militants.

Dura Europos, a Roman walled city in eastern Syria, dates back to 330 B.C. The main gate is shown here in a photo from 2010. It's one of the many important archaeological sites militants of the self-styled Islamic State have ransacked and damaged.

Via Satellite, Tracking The Plunder Of Middle East Cultural History

Deborah Amos

ISIS militants now control the long-running black market in stolen artifacts. Experts are tracking damage to heritage sites in Iraq and Syria by satellite and doing what little they can to stop it.

Syrian volunteers work to protect mosaics in the Ma'arra museum.

In Syria, Archaeologists Risk Their Lives To Protect Ancient Heritage

Deborah Amos

Academic "Monuments Men" have donned disguises and dodged snipers to help save their country's cultural riches from looting and destruction. Heritage experts warn the losses so far are incalculable.