Books The gangsters of Rome: the brutal side of the ancient city The Roman emperors created a world that seems modern but contains unspeakable horrors, as new books by Mary Beard and Tom Holland reveal. By William Dalrymple
Culture An awfully big adventure: William Dalrymple on Paddy Leigh Fermor’s wartime exploits By William Dalrymple
Long reads Leaving Afghanistan: is it finally time to be positive about this blighted nation? By William Dalrymple
Spiritual awakening Globalisation has been good for gods in the Indian subcontinent. As the region has remade itself, it By William Dalrymple
Pakistan reborn? Confounding all predictions, the Pakistani people have clearly demonstrated that they want to choose By William Dalrymple
Copts & Brothers A surprising dialogue between the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt's Coptic Christians suggests a new wa By William Dalrymple
Schools of hope With the virtual collapse of government schools, many parents have to depend on Wahhabi-funded madra By William Dalrymple
The last Mughal and a clash of civilisations East and west face each other across a divide that some call a religious war. Suicide jihadis take w By William Dalrymple
The many and the happy few Syria - Politically repressive, the minority Alawite rulers have encouraged a surprising religious t By William Dalrymple
The ecstasy of God’s dancers Now more than ever the world needs a gentle, tolerant version of Islam. Sufism is exactly that, but By William Dalrymple