Looking A Tyrant In the Eye: Iran’s Long Struggle for Freedom and Justice
Originally published in TIME magazine on March 14, 2026. I knew he was watching. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s portrait is everywhere in Iran. His head is usually turned slightly away, while
Welcome to the Beef Capital of India
In Hyderabad, a cosmopolitan culinary culture fights back against the Hindu nationalist current sweeping the nation. A dish of tallava gosht slow frying in peanut oil on a cast-iron tava
Muscat: Where the Arab World Meets the Indian Ocean
Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on August 27, 2019. All photos by author Alex Shams. In Muscat’s souq, Arabic, Baluchi, Urdu, Hindi, and Malayalam mix freely, alongside a variety
Iran After Khamenei
Originally published in the Boston Review on March 3, 2026. An interview with sociologist Asef Bayat on the U.S.-Israeli war, democratic opposition to the Islamic Republic, and the country’s uncertain
From City to Slope in Iran
Originally published in Kinfolk Travel in September 2021, pgs. 146-153.
Inside Mexico’s deep and unexpected legacy of Iranians
The Iranian presence in Mexico dates back centuries, but became even more pronounced when the Shah of Iran sought refuge there after he was overthrown in 1979. Originally published on
Learning the Language of Jesus Christ
Originally published by Roads and Kingdoms on November 2, 2015. Just a few hundred feet west of the church built atop the site where the Christian faithful believe Jesus was
Poetry fills Tehran streets as Iranians adapt Nowruz rituals to Corona restrictions
Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on March 24, 2020. This is the second article in a series about how Iranians are adjusting their lives as they enter the second
Hormuz: A Psychedelic Ride through a Geological Wonder
Originally published in Kinfolk Islands in September 2022, pgs. 74-85. The Strait of Hormuz gets a bad rap. Sandwiched between Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf, this
Naskh va Taaliq: Connections Between Iran and Pakistan, Old and New
In February 2020, I was invited on behalf of Ajam Media Collective to organize a workshop at the Lahore Biennale. Entitled, “Naskh va Taaliq,” the workshop explored cultural connections between
Alex Shams
Alex Shams is a writer and anthropologist with a PhD from the University of Chicago.
He is editor-in-chief of Ajam Media Collective, a platform focused on culture, society, and politics in West and Central Asia. He previously worked as a journalist and researcher in the Middle East, based in Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine.
He has curated several artistic projects, including a workshop at the Lahore Biennale (2020) and the Mexican photographic series Sementerxs (2024). He is currently working on a non-fiction book, a historical novel, and a TV series.
He received his master's from Harvard University and his bachelor's from the University of Southern California. His articles are archived on this site.