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Alex Shams

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Iraq Reporting

A Jewish Shrine inside a Mosque: the History of Ezekiel’s Tomb in Iraq

Posted on March 3, 2019 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” Along either side of the Euphrates river as it passes through southern Iraq, a narrow band of fertile soil blossoms with verdant overgrowth, date

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India Iran Reporting

On Persian pilgrimages, Pakistanis and Indians reconnect with Iran

Posted on December 6, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Dawn on December 6, 2018. Atop a rocky hill southeast of Tehran sits the shrine of Bibi Shahrbanu, a Persian princess who was the daughter of the last Sassanian

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Reporting

Amba: The Iraqi Mango Pickle from India That Tops Palestinian Shawarma

Posted on October 22, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on October 22, 2018. Step into any Palestinian shawarma shop and the choice of toppings traverse a mouth-watering array of options: thick tahini-and-parsley bakdoonsiyyeh, crushed shatta peppers

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Iran Reporting

Samuel Jordan, the American missionary whose name graces Tehran’s most glamorous street

Posted on March 9, 2018 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” For residents of Tehran, the name “Jordan” conjures up images of luxury apartment towers, expensive brand names, and twenty-somethings in fancy cars who spend

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El Salvador Reporting USA

Reconstructing the Village of the Divino Salvador

Posted on October 31, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Los Angeles Review of Books on October 31, 2017. EVERY AUGUST, Salvadorans around the world celebrate the Festival of El Salvador del Mundo, the patron saint and

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Iraq Reporting

The Iraqi Soundtrack to the War Against ISIS

Posted on October 12, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by “Ajam Media Collective” The Iraqi military has conquered the last urban stronghold of the Islamic State group in Iraq. Following victories in Ramadi, Fallujah, Mosul, and Tel

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Iraq Reporting

Add A Little Lemon: The Food Blog Bringing Iraqi Cuisine Straight To Your Table

Posted on September 1, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on September 1, 2017. Iraqi cuisine is tremendously complex and varied. It reflects a culinary heritage that draws upon the influences of neighbors both

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Iran Reporting USA

Sedentary Fragmentation: Toward a Genealogy of Chicago’s Iranian Art Scene

Posted on August 22, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective. In 1951, a young Iranian man named Hannibal Alkhas moved from Tehran to Chicago, where he spent the next decade studying at the Art

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Iraq Palestine Reporting

The Iraqi soldiers who sacrificed everything to defend Palestine in 1948

Posted on May 15, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on May 15, 2017. The main road north from the West Bank city of Nablus winds between rolling hills covered in olive groves, abandoned

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Iraq Reporting

The Joys of Akitu, the Assyrian New Year

Posted on April 5, 2017 by alexrezashams

Originally published by Ajam Media Collective on April 5, 2017. Assyrians around the world marked the festival of Akitu this week, a spring holiday that commemorates the beginning of the

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About me

Alex Shams is an Iranian-American writer and a PhD student of Anthropology at the University of Chicago.

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Recent posts

  • Corona Ya Corona: Arabic Pop Music Takes on the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Poetry fills Tehran streets as Iranians adapt Nowruz rituals to Corona restrictions
  • Happy Nowruz from Ajam: 1398 in Review
  • Quarantine Kitchen: Iranians share recipes, flavors, and joy despite the threat of coronavirus
  • Muscat: Where the Arab World Meets the Indian Ocean
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About

Alex Shams is an Iranian-American writer and a PhD student of Anthropology at the University of Chicago. He was based in Bethlehem, Palestine from 2013-2015, where he worked for Ma'an News Agency, the largest independent Palestinian news agency. He previously received his master's from Harvard University in Middle Eastern studies. His work focuses on the intersections of gender, religion, politics, and urban space in the modern Middle East. He is an editor-in-chief of Ajam Media Collective (AjamMC.com), a platform focused on culture and society throughout Iran as well as Central and South Asia.

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Popular posts

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    How Nowruz is Celebrated Around the World
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    Happy Nowruz from Ajam: 1398 in Review

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