Tunisian farmers are using an old and reliable method to water their olive trees. When the soil dries out, water supplies buried in clay pots keep the roots well supplied.

A 66-year-old British man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to smuggle ancient artifacts out of Iraq. A German arrested alongside him was acquitted.

A cache of hundreds of ancient Egyptian coffins and bronze statuettes have gone on display in Egypt. The discoveries were made in the Saqqara archaeological site south of Cairo.

In a square in central Fez, the steady beat of hammers on copper has returned - a welcome signal for the ancient Moroccan city's thousands of artisans that trade is slowly picking up after a brutal COVID-induced slump. Activity is still some way below pre-pandemic levels, and master coppersmith Mohammed Kobbi says the high cost of the metal has hit profit margins. "The situation is starting to improve," he told Reuters as he hurried past Seffarine Square to deliver an order of eight large pans to a local restaurant.

Heavy rains brought on by tropical storm Dianmu have flooded ancient ruins and temples in Thailand's southern Ayutthaya, about 60 km (40 miles) north of Bangkok.

In the ancient Syrian village of Maalula, whose residents still speak the language of Jesus, volunteers rake stones and scrub graffiti in preparation for the return of Christian pilgrims after years of war. Nestled among towering cliffs in the mountains north of Damascus, Maalula is one of the world's oldest Christian settlements.

Lavender, basil or roses: history and aromatic plants are being grafted in Cyprus to broaden its sun-and-sea appeal and regain its lofty status dating back to Roman times.

Indigenous Guatemalans practice an ancient ball game in which only the hip can be used to hit the ball. Guatemala boasts 11 teams, all of which have their eyes on December's Mesoamerican Championship.

Enthusiasts of ancient Egypt can now take home replicas of famous artifacts and statues made available through the first of its kind factory in the country to be sold at the recently inaugurated Egyptian museum of civilization.

Against the backdrop of rock-cut tombs and sand-swept ruins, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli regales revellers in an ancient Saudi desert city at the centre of the kingdom's tourism push. Bocelli performed alongside family members at UNESCO World Heritage site Hegra in the kingdom's Al-Ula governorate, a long-isolated area seen widely as an open-air museum.

The latest trove was found in 22 burial shafts at Saqqara, south of Cairo, and date back four millennia. The finds include a long papyrus Book-of-the-Dead roll said to guide the dead "through the underworld."

An ancient courtship ritual in which Wodaabe tribesmen dress up and wear makeup to attract a wife or a lover, the Gerewol festival in Chad is an extraordinary spectacle.⁣ ⁣