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

Premium

Pod Mike Carr WL

Trading and crusading in the Middle Ages . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

Premium

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 . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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?