At a time of crisis and uncertainty, Egypt's minority Coptic community may hold the key for the future of government legitimacy in the country, say Matteo Gramaglia and Magdy Aziz Tobia

Andrew Leber explores the forgotten stories and legends of the notable Andraus Pasha family, whose secrets live on in the family's homestead in Upper Egypt.

A recent posthumous memoir by the son of prominent Iraqi politician Mohammed Hadid leaves many questions unanswered about the viability and sustainability of Iraq's alleged "democratic moment", says Charles Tripp.

Memorial and commemoration have always been an integral part of Egyptian history, says Raphael Cormack, and nothing encapsulates this more than a visit to the tomb of the Sufi saint Umar ibn al-Farid two years after the revolution.

The multiplicity, contradictions and nuances of Cairo have been beautifully captured through the words of the city's writers, from the Fatimid period to present day. The Literary Atlas of Cairo brings together these diverse strands in a comprehensive and multi-faceted portrayal of this timeless metropolis.

A new production at the Ovalhouse explores the multiple layers of meaning behind the story of Amina Arraf, the "Gay Girl in Damascus" who shot to worldwide notoriety in June last year with her revealing blog posts about the situation in Syria.

Should Palestinian writers write about subjects other than Palestine? Does doing so somehow serve to naturalise and accomodate the ongoing occupation? An evening of poetry in London pushes Anna Birawi to ask such questions, and to come to some unsettling conclusions.