Middle East

Persian courtiers in the throne room at Persepolis, as depicted in a relief detail.

General ancient history

Persepolis: the creation of the Persian empire’s foremost citadel

A scene from a relief at Persepolis, ancient Persia’s magnificent ceremonial capital

General ancient history

The Persians: empire of the greats

Christopher de Bellaigue “Suleyman was just as bellicose as his father, if not as gratuitously cruel”

The Immortals shown holding long spears on a frieze from the palace of Darius the Great

General ancient history

The Persian Immortals: the feared elite guard of the Achaemenid empire

Pod Mike Carr WL

Trading and crusading in the Middle Ages

When were punctuation marks first used? Illustration by Glen McBeth for BBC History Magazine.

General History

Q&A When were punctuation marks first used?

Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in mounted combat

Richard the Lionheart: king of war

Premium

The final instalment in our 20-part series looking at decisive moments of the last 1,000 years in British history explores 1950–1999. (Image by Getty Images)

Turning points 1956: The shock of Suez . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A 14th-century illustration of a farmer leading a pack animal through the ice and snow

The surprisingly modern Middle Ages

A group of Tunisian Jews are rounded up and marched through the streets of Tunis carrying shovels in December 1942

Second World War

Holocaust in the Middle East

HEX_Voices_Michael Wood

Michael Wood on Afghanistan “A new world is emerging, reviving older connections”

HEX_Voices_AnnaWhitelock

Anna Whitelock's Talking Points A history of violence

A panel of expert historians discuss how history can help make sense of current events in Afghanistan. (Image by Getty Images)

Afghanistan: a history of instability

A homemade Ouija board helped two World War I prisoners of war escape

First World War

A homemade ouija board, a treasure hunt and fake madness: the great escape of World War I

An illustration from The Travels of Marco Polo, showing a teenage Marco on the deck of a ship sailing away from Venice

Why are Marco Polo’s travels so famous?