On September 8, a massive earthquake struck the Marrakesh–Safi region of Morocco, the largest recorded in the country's history and the deadliest since 1960. CMES mourns the thousands of lives lost in this disaster. Local and international rescue and relief efforts are underway. A group of prominent Moroccan scholars in the United States have set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for relief efforts and are working with local NGOs and community leaders to ensure all funds make the biggest, most direct impact to support families.

In the summer of 2022, after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies’ five-week Arabic language program in Tunis made its long-awaited return. Led for a fifth time by the Gordon Gray Research Professor of Arabic and outgoing CMES Director William Granara, the program synthesized modern Tunisian history, literature, and culture through various texts dating from the early-twentieth-century pre-Independence period to the contemporary, post-Revolution setting. Nicolas Pantelick ’24, a joint NELC and government concentrator pursuing a concurrent AM degree...

Sihem Lamine is the Administrative and Program Manager of the Tunisia Office of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Prior to officially joining CMES, Sihem worked as a consultant for CMES and Harvard Global Research and Support Services and played a major role in the transformation of the office space in Tunis from an empty shell to a functional and beautiful multi-purpose facility. For over six years she has been welcoming students, faculty, and visitors to the office, the city of Tunis, and the country of Tunisia, facilitating research projects, organizing public events, and generally helping visitors navigate and enjoy the resources and opportunities that Tunisia has to offer.... Read more about Q&A with CMES Tunisia’s Sihem Lamine

In northern Tunisia, seaside Tabarka has played a central role in coral fishing and cross-Mediterranean trade since at least the 15th century. Today, red coral continues to be traded across the sea, despite reef degradation and the informal workings of coral trade networks. In an essay for Mashallah News, CMES PhD candidate in Anthropology and Middle East Studies Myriam Amri followed the Mediterranean red coral trade through time as it made the fabric of the small town of Tabarka in Tunisia. Read the essay at ...