In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
In Islamic tradition, there is a point where creation ends — a boundary that marks the limit of what any created being can reach. That boundary is called Sidrat al-Muntahā, often translated as “the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary.”
Air Tea is a new technology. Instead of drinking tea, you inhale herbal vapor through warm air extraction. There is no water and no combustion. The warm air releases essential oils that are often lost in hot water and digestion.
Health emerges from a continuous energy and material flow from water through food to human physiology. Technical energy systems support this cycle through water treatment, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Whether you are a commercial grower, hobbyist beekeeper or retail equipment supplier, this system opens a new income stream with minimal environmental impact.
Two thousand years ago, all roads led to Rome. Now, thanks to modern data science, they finally do again — this time in high resolution. A newly released digital atlas Itiner-e what they call a “Google Maps for Roman roads.”It is being hailed as a kind of “Google Maps for the ancient world”, charting nearly 300,000 kilometres of Roman roads across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The project stitches together countless archaeological and historical datasets into a single interactive network, revealing the sheer scale of the viae Romanae that once bound the empire together.
Ancient Roman roads
At its peak around AD 150, the Roman Empire stretched from Britain’s Hadrian’s Wall to the banks of the Euphrates, from the Atlas Mountains to the Black Sea. Its lifeblood was the road — engineered with stone, gravel, and astonishing precision — that carried soldiers, grain, ideas, and empire itself. But despite centuries of scholarship and excavation, our understanding of this network has remained incomplete.
Romans mastered self-healing mortar, which works well in wet environments
Although the roads are one of the best-known aspects of Roman history, it’s surprising how many details about them we still don’t know. According to the new dataset, the locations of only 3% of Roman roads are known with certainty; the rest have been inferred from satellite imagery, topographical analysis, and fragmentary archaeological evidence.
The map, created through a collaboration of classicists, GIS specialists, and open-data archivists, pulls together previously siloed regional studies — from Britain’s Watling Street to Israel’s Via Maris — into a single digital ecosystem. Each route can be explored interactively, complete with estimated construction dates, trade significance, and terrain context.
For ordinary viewers, it’s a revelation — a chance to visualize how Rome’s engineers carve through deserts, mountains, and marshes to keep an empire alive. It is, quite literally, the skeleton of Western civilization rendered as pixels and coordinates.
But this project isn’t just a nostalgic look backward. It’s also a powerful reminder of what sustainable infrastructure once meant. Roman roads were built to last millennia, with local materials, drainage systems, and low-maintenance stonework that endured centuries of weather and war. Many of today’s highways and rail lines still trace their original foundations. Roman concrete was self-healing and lasts until today.
In an age of asphalt sprawl, potholes, and short-term urban planning, the Roman network offers a strange kind of hope for our future. Ancient engineers designed for permanence and adaptation — concepts that modern infrastructure often neglects. The Romans understood maintenance as a civic duty, with roads meant to connect people, not just move things.
Roman law (Lex Julia Municipalis, 45 BCE) required local communities and landowners to maintain the sections of road passing through their territory. Public funds (the cursus publicus) supported major arteries, showing that upkeep was embedded in governance.
Some sustainability researchers see parallels between the Roman viae and today’s green corridors: both seek to balance movement, resilience, and local ecology.
“This issue can be examined from several perspectives to clarify the reasons behind the emergence of such a project in the heart of this site. The construction of multiple mosques in the West should be understood within the policy seen in Paris, where, due to the fear of the rise of fundamentalism following the migration of Muslims caused by war, poverty, and other reasons to the West, the directive to build numerous mosques was issued to organize these communities.
“Saudi Arabia and several Arab countries also contributed financially (to building mosques). It is undeniable that every person has the right to have a place of worship according to their faith, but the question is whether this is the right approach. This should be seen from the political roots and the role of governments in power relations.
“I do not view the formation of this mosque outside of this perspective.
“Keep in mind that this project began before the current Aga Khan.
The Shia Islam center in Houston is the latest eco-mosque – launched in 2025
“The new Aga Khan studied environmental sciences in the United States and is expected to be both aware of and sensitive to such issues. These policies were not in place during his tenure. The Aga Khan Award manager is Iranian, a person with significant influence whose development-oriented approach is old school and largely symbolic, very close to Farshid Moussavi, the Iranian architect based in London. These connections are not coincidental.
“I mention these points to clarify the small but important reasons behind the formation of such projects. It must be emphasized that a project of this scale cannot truly support the environment unless they themselves transparently disclose or reveal that they have offset the carbon footprint or have fully transparent reports. Otherwise, such projects should have been undertaken at smaller scales and within smaller neighborhoods.
“Ms. Moussavi generally works on large-scale projects and even has some failed projects in her record; for example, some speculative developments in Turkey. A beautiful object with high spatial quality is no longer considered successful architecture in today’s world.”
Ronak Roshan. Image supplied to Green Prophet.
Roshan’s critique reframes the Houston Ismaili Center not as a beacon of progress, but as a mirror reflecting the entanglement of faith, politics, and greenwashing in contemporary architecture — a beautiful object whose sustainability remains, for now, a matter of belief rather than proof.
Qatar, the world’s richest per-capita nation and the planet’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), has announced an ambitious set of “environmental sustainability goals” for 2030. On paper, the Gulf state pledges to cut emissions by 25 percent, generate 4 GW of renewable power, and protect 30 percent of its land and marine areas.
It’s a vision wrapped in the language of decarbonization, resilience, and “global cooperation.”
But who’s keeping score? The answer, it turns out, is Qatar itself. The same petrostate that fuels the global gas market has quietly built its own “oversight” mechanism to monitor, verify, and approve its climate progress. The Global Accreditation Bureau (GAB)—a Doha-based body established by the government—recently became the first Middle East entity to sign an international agreement allowing it to accredit greenhouse gas verifiers.
On paper, this gives Qatar international recognition for tracking emissions. In practice, it means the fox is now in charge of the henhouse.
Qatar’s self-styled climate governance system includes a national MRV framework (Measurement, Reporting and Verification) designed to track carbon output across sectors. The country touts it as a transparent, UN-aligned process developed in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute. Yet the data pipeline, the audit process, and the publication of results all sit under the Qatar Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. There is no independent audit, no investigative press to scrutinize numbers, and no civil society oversight. No free press can criticise Qatar. No one person or NGO can hold it accountable.
In theory, “international alignment” sounds good. But in the absence of true independence, it’s little more than bureaucratic choreography. A climate governance façade, built for export. The GAB may tick ISO and IPCC boxes, but it remains accountable to the same state apparatus responsible for expanding LNG exports well into 2050.
Qatar calls this sustainability; the rest of the world might call it self-certification.
Qatar’s contradictions are stunning. The country burns vast amounts of fossil fuel to desalinate water and cool indoor stadiums, then advertises solar plants and metro lines as symbols of green progress. It finances one of the most powerful propaganda networks, Al Jazeera; reporters who work there cannot investigate environmental issues at home. The same “news outlet” runs climate-awareness campaigns on the London Underground.
It’s a nation that sells gas by night and lectures the world by day on carbon offsetting.
Building one’s own watchdog is the natural next step in that narrative. With no freedom of the press, no parliamentary opposition, and no public-access climate data, Qatar’s self-auditing system ensures that the only emissions counted are the ones convenient to count.
In the end, Doha may not just be exporting LNG. It’s exporting a new model of green authoritarianism — where the state burns, monitors, and praises itself, all in the same breath.
Fossil fuel giant Qatar—the world’s top LNG exporter and a known sponsor of extremist and terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, has no free press at home, yet floods London with glossy ad campaigns telling the West how to manage carbon credits and climate change. It’s the height of green hypocrisy: a petrostate profiting from the crisis while pretending to cure it.
If you’ve taken the London Underground lately, you may have seen them — sleek Al Jazeera English ads urging governments to “redouble their efforts to tackle climate change.” The image: a man knee-deep in floodwater, dragging what looks like the remains of a livelihood. The message: urgent, moral, global. The messenger here to save us: Qatar.
I’ve seen similar ads from Saudi Aramco about how we need to invest in clean energy on the back pages of the New York Times as they pump out megatons of oil.
It’s a curious irony — the world’s richest per-capita fossil fuel state paying for climate virtue ads in the West timed with COP30 in Brazil. Qatar, a monarchy built on liquefied natural gas exports and one of the highest per-capita carbon footprints on Earth, is telling London commuters how to save the planet. The country that bankrolls the world’s most polluting industries, limits press freedom, and funds a network forbidden from criticizing its own rulers now positions itself as a moral voice for climate action. You can’t make it up.
The Al Jazeera campaign has plastered slogans across London, part of a broader PR push to soften Qatar’s image ahead of the next round of UN climate talks happening now in Brazil, COP30, a charade of do-gooders where not much gets done. In a just world, no fossil fuel companies should be leading this conversation. Like cigarette companies, they should be banned from buying ads.
Until then, Qatar remains a master of doublethink—burning gas by the megaton while selling “sustainability” to a world desperate for clean air. Wake up from your slumber people.
Remilk, an animal-free cloned milk, hits the market in Israel
I once lived on a kibbutz in Israel for a year. The saddest sound I ever heard was a newborn calf crying for its mother. That’s the hidden soundtrack of the dairy industry — cows separated from their calves within hours, udders swollen, pumped with hormones, antibiotics, and additives like Bovaer to squeeze out more milk. All that pain, all that chemistry, ends up in our coffee cups.
Enter Remilk, an Israeli foodtech pioneer creating real milk without cows. In partnership with Gad Dairies — one of Israel’s best-known dairy brands — Remilk has just launched The New Milk, a lactose-free, cholesterol-free, animal-free milk identical in taste and nutrition to cow’s milk. The product is now pouring into cafés and restaurants across Israel and will hit major supermarket chains in January 2026.
While we think safe, healthy, regenerative slow food is the best place to aim for, Remilk might be the healthy in-between until we get there.
Slow Food cows make high fat milk using regenerative agriculture. Such food made by mistakenly labeled as unhealthy.
Remilk’s milk is not plant-based. It’s real dairy protein, created using precision fermentation — the same process used in the biotech world to make insulin or vitamins. Scientists insert the gene for a cow’s milk protein into a microbe, which then “ferments” and produces that protein without the cow. The result: milk that’s biologically identical to dairy, minus the animal, methane, and moral compromise.
Remilk’s CEO Aviv Wolff calls it “a better, healthier, and tastier world through real milk made without cows.” Amir Aharon of Gad Dairies adds that the collaboration is “a defining moment where generations of dairy tradition meet groundbreaking technology.”
Three products are debuting under The New Milk line: a Barista Milk for cafés, and two retail versions — a regular milk and a vanilla-flavored option. They froth, foam, and taste just like the real thing, yet contain 75 percent less sugar. The milk is fortified with calcium and vitamins and, being kosher-pareve, can be served right after meat meals — a quiet revolution for Jewish kosher consumers long frustrated by dairy separation rules.
What Israelis really think about milk
Ahead of the launch, Remilk and Gad commissioned a national survey with Geocartography Knowledge Group. It found that 92 percent of Israelis still drink animal-based milk, but more than half also consume milk alternatives. There are more vegans per capita in Israel than anywhere else in the world. The main barrier for more people going vegan and dairy-free? Taste. Fifty-five percent said current substitutes “aren’t tasty enough,” while 50 percent of kosher-observant respondents said they’d happily drink coffee with milk after a meat meal — if the milk tasted real.
The New Milk may have found the perfect sweet spot: authentic flavor, ethical production, and a format that fits Israel’s dietary laws and café culture.
Beyond dairy guilt
Remilk’s animal-free protein has already been approved by regulators in Israel, the U.S., Canada (Canada gives the green light to cloned milk), and Singapore. Each market confirmed the protein’s safety and molecular identity with traditional milk. The company has raised more than $150 million USD and is scaling production globally.
Precision fermentation still uses energy, and its total carbon footprint depends on where and how it’s produced. Yet Remilk’s life-cycle analysis shows significant reductions in land and water use compared to industrial dairy. If scaled efficiently and powered by renewables, it could help phase out one of the most resource-intensive sectors of modern agriculture.
Read more on Israel’s uneven contributions to the alt meat and airy markets
While X is abuzz with news that Canada may be selling cloned meat, in truth cloned milk is not quite market ready. But what is ready for the marked is cloned milk. It’s a fermented, hormone-free, cruelty-free milk made in a lab, without cows and may be on the shelves sooner than you think.
Canada has just approved what could be the future of milk — without cows.
The foodtech company Remilk has received Health Canada’s coveted Letter of No Objection for its animal-free dairy protein, becoming the first producer of animal-identical milk protein to gain approval in the country. Canada joins the U.S., Singapore, and Israel in giving the regulatory nod to this new form of “cloned milk.”
Remilk uses a process known as precision fermentation: they take the genes that code for cow-milk proteins and insert them into microbes (e.g., yeast or other single-cell organisms). Those microbes then manufacture the identical protein.
This isn’t a plant-based milk like oat or soy milk that is full of sugar or estrogens and which can cause glucose spikes. It’s real milk protein — beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) — made through precision fermentation, a process that uses genetically engineered microorganisms instead of cows to produce identical dairy proteins.
Remilk on the market in Israel
For the first time, Canadians may soon find milk, yogurt, or ice cream made entirely without animals, yet indistinguishable in taste and nutrition from traditional dairy.
The approval marks a watershed moment for Canada’s nascent foodtech sector, signaling that its regulators are ready to engage with cellular agriculture and fermentation-based food production. Dana McCauley, CEO of the Canadian Food Innovation Network, called it “a transformative era in our food supply,” one that could help feed growing populations with fewer resources and less environmental harm.
A global first for safety validation
Remilk offices
Remilk’s co-founders, Aviv Wolff and Dr. Ori Cohavi, say the approval followed an extensive review of the company’s data on safety and molecular equivalence. “Health Canada’s acceptance of our animal-free protein is additional validation of its safety and purity,” said Cohavi. “Each of the four regulatory agencies that have examined our protein has found it to be identical to traditional milk protein.”
Wolff adds, “Canada’s process was rigorous. We met with Health Canada’s team, provided the data they requested, and were thrilled to receive their Letter of No Objection. It’s an honor that opens the door for Canadian companies to develop animal-free dairy products.”
What it means for consumers and the planet
Remilk says its protein allows manufacturers to make familiar dairy products — milk, cream cheese, or yogurt — that are lactose-free, cholesterol-free, and hormone-free. For consumers, that means indulgence without digestive distress or ethical compromise.
The company uses a patented fermentation process to manufacture its BLG protein at commercial scale. Precision fermentation is resource-efficient compared to livestock farming, though it does require significant energy. Remilk recently completed a life-cycle analysis that reportedly shows “substantial reductions in land, water, and greenhouse-gas emissions” versus conventional dairy. The data will be peer-reviewed before publication.
While the environmental benefits still need independent confirmation, Canada’s approval signals a larger trend: the mainstreaming of fermentation-based proteins as credible climate solutions. The country’s openness could attract more innovators working on sustainable fats, egg proteins, and alternative meats — such as Israel’s Aleph Farms and other Israeli foodtech startups.
For now, the symbolic impact is huge. “Reinventing dairy by removing cows from the equation” was once a science-fiction idea. With Canada’s green light, it’s officially a market reality — and the race to define the future of milk has entered a new phase.
Jewish tradition tells of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a mystic who fled Roman persecution and hid in a cave for years, living on a single carob tree and a spring of water. From this hardship came the mystical teachings of the Zohar, a foundational book in the Kabbalah. The carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua, became a symbol of endurance and nourishment across the Mediterranean. In Israel, carob has been used as a vegan alternative to chocolate for years. Little kids don’t notice the difference and it’s a natural way to satisfy the sugar craving.
Two thousand years later, the same fruit is being reborn as a sustainable, functional superfood.
Carobway can be used in prebiotic gummies
The Swiss–Israeli bio-ingredient company CarobWay has announced an exclusive US distribution deal with GRA Nutra Corp. to launch CarobBiome in 2026 — a clean-label prebiotic fiber derived from upcycled carob fruit.
Carob pods are rich in natural fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and D-pinitol, a compound linked to blood-sugar balance. The new ingredient CarobBiome contains about 85% total fiber, combining soluble and insoluble fractions that promote digestive comfort and metabolic wellness. It is made using only water and heat, producing a neutral-flavored powder for supplements, baked goods, snacks, and meal replacements.
“CarobBiome™ was designed to be gut-friendly, label-friendly, and highly functional,” says Udi Alroy, CarobWay’s CEO and co-founder. “We wanted to honor the ancient fruit while applying modern science to support everyday health.”
Partnership rooted in sustainability
Carob pods on the tree
GRA Nutra CEO Lynda Doyle says the partnership will help bring carob’s potential to the North American functional food and supplement market. “By integrating CarobWay’s high-quality, responsibly produced ingredients into our portfolio, we expand what we can offer across the functional food, beverage, and supplement industries,” Doyle explains. “Our shared commitment to sustainability and integrity drives this collaboration.”
CarobWay grows and processes its own carob trees across the Mediterranean, creating a zero-waste, vertically integrated supply chain. The seeds and pulp are all reused in new products, and the drought-resilient trees contribute to carbon sequestration and soil health — making carob one of the planet’s most sustainable crops.
Even the sages warned about balance
Not everyone in the ancient world viewed carob as a miracle food. The great medieval physician and philosopher Maimonides (Rambam) wrote in his dietary teachings that, “One should refrain from eating too many tree fruits… carobs are always harmful… while figs, grapes, and almonds are always beneficial.”
Rambam believed that health was derived from food and it is advisable to not eat too much at any meal. His warning about carbos are likely rooted in the medical science of his time, reminds us that moderation was once the ultimate prescription for health.
Today, modern nutrition is rediscovering that same principle — but with new tools and evidence. While carob in excess may have troubled medieval digestion, its natural fibers and polyphenols are now recognized for supporting gut balance and metabolic health when used properly.
Once a symbol of survival and divine simplicity, carob bars are born from a new generation of sustainable foods aligned with the global “food as medicine” movement. We do believe however the best source of nutrition is food that is not processed and altered and then put back together.
Carob is an easy and sustainable chocolate replacement. You can make your own carob nut balls.
The carob tree thrives where little else grows, using minimal water and resisting pests naturally. As droughts worsen across the Mediterranean and Middle East, carob’s resilience offers a model for regenerative agriculture. Its deep roots stabilize soil and provide shade for biodiversity, aligning with climate-smart farming goals across the region. Hiking in the Sea of Galilee region in Israel it is easy to come across a carob tree and have a healthy snack. Watch out for the seeds. They can break your teeth.
Competition in the U.S. prebiotic market
CarobWay isn’t alone in the growing gut-health race. The U.S. market is already rich with functional fiber innovators:
TIC Gums (Ingredion) — A major player in carob powder and hydrocolloid ingredients, supplying functional fibers and clean-label texturizers to major food brands.
Nexira — Its inavea Carob Acacia blend combines acacia and carob fibers with proven prebiotic effects, already marketed in North America.
Traditional prebiotics — Inulin, soluble corn fiber, and tapioca fiber dominate the category, though brands are actively seeking novel, sustainable alternatives like carob.
With consumers shifting toward “food as medicine,” the emergence of carob-based prebiotics positions CarobWay among a small but promising circle of next-generation fiber innovators.
Water systems are on the verge of collage in Iran’s holiest city Mashhad, second in size only to Tehran
Iran’s second-largest city, Mashhad, is facing an acute water emergency after dam reservoirs feeding the city fell below three percent capacity, according to Iranian state and local media. Officials warn that without rainfall or improved inflows from neighboring Afghanistan, the city’s supply could soon collapse. It’s happened before that Iranian generals have accused Israel for stealing their clouds.
Iranians on X are talking about murdered bodies showing up in the dried sediment. “Reports that at least 74 bodies have been found in the Karaj Dam in Iran, all thought to be executed anti-regime dissidents,” says X commentator Nioh Berg.
“Because of the drought and lack of rain, this dam has dried up almost completely and revealed a MASS GRAVE. The victims had their hands and feet tied, and they were rolled into rugs, as well as wrapped in plastic. Their murderers didn’t account for the drought, and thought the bodies would never be found. This news story was published and then quickly deleted by regime media, after they realised it’s probably their own doing.”
Dead bodies are being exposed in dried sediment of dams in Iran
“The water storage in Mashhad’s dams has now fallen to less than three percent,” Hossein Esmaeilian, the chief executive of the water company in Iran’s second largest city by population, tells ISNA news agency. He adds that “the current situation shows that managing water use is no longer merely a recommendation — it has become a necessity.”
Mashhad lies in Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran, a semi-arid region dependent on a small network of dams for drinking water, agriculture, and limited power generation. The most critical of these are the Doosti (Friendship) Dam, built jointly by Iran and Turkmenistan on the Hari (Harirud) River; and the smaller Kardeh and Torogh dams that directly supply the urban network.
The Doosti Dam, completed in 2004 near the Turkmen border, was designed to provide up to 60 % of Mashhad’s potable water. But its inflows have plummeted after Afghanistan’s Taliban government inaugurated the Pashdan Dam upstream on the Hari River near Herat earlier this year. Iranian officials accuse Kabul of violating cross-border water agreements and cutting off critical flows. The Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami warned this week that the new Afghan dam “threatens the very survival” of Mashhad’s reservoirs.
An ancient Qanat system in Persia. Spread throughout the arid Middle East, these systems predated Roman aqueducts but the historical narrative isn’t told.
The Hari River — about 1,000 kilometers long — originates in Afghanistan’s central highlands, flows west through Herat into Iran, and ends in Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert. Historically, its seasonal floods recharged aquifers and sustained farming along the Iranian border. But with multiple new Afghan dams under Taliban control, less water is reaching Iran’s northeastern provinces, even as rising temperatures and a prolonged regional drought accelerate evaporation.
Within Iran, years of poor water management compound the crisis. Kardeh and Torogh dams, both built in the 1970s, are now near “dead storage,” with barely enough volume for municipal use. Over-extraction of groundwater around Mashhad — home to more than three million people and millions of pilgrims annually — has further destabilized the system, causing land subsidence and salinization of wells.
Iran has also been spending billions normalizing terror by finding Palestinians to join Hamas, Lebanese to join the Hezbollah and for the Yemenites to become Houthis. Paying for conflict and not supporting your own people, comes with a high cost. The Iranian regime hates Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel so much that it will sacrifice anything in its global jihad.
Experts say the situation underscores both climate vulnerability and political risk in transboundary basins. Iran’s government is pressing for negotiations with the Taliban over shared water rights, as Afghanistan pulls the plug on its water by creating its own dams, but cooperation remains uncertain amid border skirmishes and mistrust.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile — Africa’s largest hydroelectric project reshaping East Africa’s power supply and sparking regional water security debates.
If inflows from Afghanistan remain restricted and rainfall fails again this winter, Mashhad could face mandatory rationing and long-term aquifer collapse — a warning sign for the entire region as climate change and geopolitics converge in Iran’s drying east. Could we see a bigger conflict between Iran and Afghanistan? A good possibility. Similar tensions have been brewing for years between Ethiopia building the GERD dam and Egypt which is being denied water upstream.
If you’ve ever travelled to cities like Amman, Jordan, the water-stressed city shows how life goes on with water stress. Some city folks get water piped in once a week, but because municipal supply is so limited, many households, businesses, and institutions buy extra water from private tanker trucks and store this in private reservoirs so they never run out.
When you think of Japan, you probably picture cherry blossoms or neon-lit sushi bars. But in winter the country reveals a different kind of magic: snow-covered mountains, steaming outdoor onsen baths that are piped in from natural hotsprings, and one of the most unique ski cultures on Earth. From Hokkaido’s deep powder to Nagano’s Olympic valleys, Japan offers a winter experience that blends sustainability, tradition, and breathtaking natural beauty.
Start in Hokkaido, Japan’s northern island and snow capital. The Niseko region is internationally famous for its reliable powder and long winter season. The combination of cold Siberian winds and Japan’s maritime climate creates light, dry snow that falls almost daily between December and March.
The four main resorts—Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village, and Annupuri—are connected by lifts and shared passes, making it easy to explore all the mountain areas without a car. The nearest airport is New Chitose near Sapporo, and the journey from Tokyo by train and regional rail takes about five hours. In recent years Niseko has also begun introducing renewable-powered facilities and electric buses to reduce carbon emissions. We like that!
Skiing in Japan
For travelers arriving from Tokyo, Nagano Prefecture on Honshu island is the most convenient option. The Hakuba Valley, which hosted events during the 1998 Winter Olympics, includes ten interconnected resorts that receive generous snowfall from mid-December to March.
Hakuba Happo-One and neighboring Iwatake are especially popular for their mix of wide beginner runs and challenging alpine terrain. The Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train connects Tokyo to Nagano in under two hours, followed by an hour’s scenic bus ride to Hakuba. Several hotels and lodges here now run on renewable electricity and promote zero-waste practices in partnership with the village’s sustainability initiative.
Nearby, Nozawa Onsen is perhaps Japan’s most atmospheric ski destination. The mountain offers more than thirty-six runs, and the village itself—famous for its natural hot springs—has been welcoming skiers for decades. Thirteen public baths bubble with geothermal water, free for anyone to use. Streets are narrow and walkable, and the entire community is heated partly by geothermal systems that prevent snow from icing the roads. The easiest route from Tokyo is by Shinkansen to Iiyama, followed by a short local bus ride.
Farther north in Niigata Prefecture, Myoko Kogen offers a quieter, more traditional atmosphere. The area includes several classic resorts such as Akakura Onsen, Ikenotaira, and Suginohara, known for tree skiing and soft snow that lingers into spring. Myoko’s municipal tourism office has committed to the national “Zero Carbon Tourism” framework, encouraging resorts and lodges to convert to renewable power and hybrid transport.
When to ski in Japan?
An onsen in Japan, perfect for after skiing
Japan’s ski season typically runs from mid-December to late March, although Hokkaido’s colder climate often allows skiing into April. The best conditions tend to occur in February, when snow depth peaks and crowds thin after the holidays. Climate data from Japan’s Meteorological Agency show that average winter temperatures have risen by about 1.5 degrees Celsius since the 1970s, shortening the season at lower-altitude resorts. In response, several ski areas are investing in energy-efficient snowmaking systems powered by renewable energy and reforesting slopes to stabilize the snowpack.
What sets Japan apart from other ski destinations is how seamlessly nature and culture intertwine. After a day on the mountain, most visitors trade ski boots for slippers and head to an onsen—an outdoor hot spring surrounded by snow and cedar trees. In Hakuba, bathhouses draw water from volcanic sources deep beneath the Alps. In Hokkaido, ryokans such as those near Niseko or Jozankei combine minimalist architecture with local cuisine and geothermal heating. Soaking in mineral water after skiing under falling snow is not just a ritual of comfort; it’s an immersion in the country’s centuries-old respect for natural energy.
Traveling sustainably in Japan is straightforward. The Shinkansen network, powered mainly by electricity from renewable and low-carbon sources, connects all major ski areas. Rail passes like the JR East or JR Hokkaido Pass make it affordable to combine multiple resorts in one trip without relying on rental cars or domestic flights.
Local bus systems in Hakuba, Myoko, and Niseko are expanding electric and hybrid fleets. Choosing rail over air travel can reduce your carbon footprint by as much as 80 percent for domestic journeys. We’ve rented cars in Japan and while it was find for a couple of days, most of the highways are boring, expensive and give little extra value along the way. The cars are small so you won’t be able to fit much if any gear, and you need to navigate driving on the wrong side of the road if you are from the United States.
Bringing gear or renting it?
Ski and snowboard rental shops in major resorts like Niseko, Hakuba, Furano, and Nozawa Onsen are exceptionally well equipped. Many rent out high-end gear from brands like Rossignol, Atomic, Burton, and Salomon — often less than two seasons old. Shops like Rhythm Japan (Niseko, Hakuba) or Spicy Rentals (Nozawa, Myoko) offer performance packages that rival what you’d find in the Alps or Rockies. The gear is also calibrated to the snow and getting around on public transport in Japan will be cumbersome with gear brought from home.
Skiing in Japan isn’t just about chasing powder and getting around fast —it’s about slowing down and seeing how a country deeply attuned to the seasons adapts to a warming world. From the geothermal heat that warms its baths to the electric trains that glide through frozen valleys, Japan shows how winter tourism can evolve without losing its soul. The snow still falls, the onsen still steam, and in every village the quiet rhythm of winter endures. And maybe you’ll get to see a snow monkey along the way.
Forget the cherry blossoms in Japan. Take the train north, breathe in the cold air, and ski your troubles away. A little saki can warm you up at the end of the day.
Planning your winter holidays and want something a little more exotic for the family? Lebanon offers a rare alpine escape in the Middle East—high-altitude slopes within close reach of the coast, cedar forests and mountain villages. You can ski by day and swim by night. Resorts such as Mzaar Ski Resort Faraya, Cedars (Bsharri) Ski Resort, Zaarour Club, Laqlouq, Faqra and the nearby Cedars of God (Bsharri) forest region deliver a mix of skiing and nature. But the future of winter tourism here is being challenged by changing seasons and climate change.
Where to Ski in Lebanon:
Lebanon has downhill and cross-country skiiing. From In the Snow
Mzaar Ski Resort Faraya: Located in the Keserwan-Jbeil mountains and just over an hour from Beirut, Mzaar is Lebanon’s largest ski resort and a go-to for all ski levels. It offers dramatic views across the Bekaa Valley. For travelers, this is the most accessible destination and contains a wide range of slopes, accommodations and après-ski options.
Cedars (Bsharri) Ski Resort: In the Bsharri region, the Cedars resort lies near the famed “Cedars of God” grove and operates at higher altitude than many Lebanese resorts. Because of the elevation, it tends to offer better snow cover and is a strong choice for those seeking reliability and dramatic alpine scenery.
Zaarour Club: Zaarour is situated on Mount Sannine in the Matn district, about 35 km from Beirut. With north-facing slopes, activities beyond skiing, and a quiet setting, it’s ideal for families or visitors who want a gentler ski trip within close reach of the city.
Laqlouq lies at a lower base altitude (around 1,650-1,800 m) and while it offers charm and authenticity, its lower elevation means more sensitivity to warm weather and shrinking snow cover. If you visit, plan for a flexible schedule and keep an eye on snow conditions.
Faqra combines winter sports with historic Roman ruins and natural beauty. Though not always as large as Mzaar or the Cedars, it offers a distinctive ski-holiday option in Lebanon’s mountain belt.
Cedars of God (Bsharri) Region: While not strictly a ski resort itself, the Cedars of God forest near Bsharri forms a spectacular backdrop to the ski resort experience. The high-altitude forest of Lebanese cedar trees is emblematic of Lebanon’s mountain ecosystem. It adds ecological and cultural value to a ski visit in the region.
Why the Ski Seasons Are A-Changin’
Ski by day and stay in Beirut by night
Lebanon’s ski industry is under pressure from climate change. According to Reuters, snow cover is expected to shrink by up to 40 percent by 2040. A recent review notes that ski resorts in Lebanon face the challenge of insufficient snow, increasingly shorter seasons and rising expenses. For example, at Mzaar only about 70 percent of slopes were able to open in one season due to insufficient snowfall. Lower snowfall, delayed season openings, and rising temperatures all contribute to uncertainty for visitors and operators alike.
What this means for you as a skier: choose resorts with higher elevation (like the Cedars), monitor local snow and weather reports ahead of your trip, and set realistic expectations—the skiing season may begin later, end sooner, and conditions may not be the same every year.
Lebanese resorts and communities have begun to adapt. And despite the country lacking basic resources such as continuous power or a safe water supply, some of the measures include upgrading snow-making infrastructure, improving the efficiency of ski lifts, and diversifying into four-season mountain tourism.
Ski resorts in Lebanon are coping by turning the region into a full-season tourist destination, like Blue Mountain in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, which turns its ski lifts into bike lifts for downhill bike riding on extreme trails. The Canadian ski town also offers forest treks and climbing sports, along with man-made pools and family packages for the resorts that normally don’t generate income in the summer.
So if the snow is melted for your ski holiday in Lebanon, this is what you can do: enjoy hiking, mountain biking, wellness retreats—to compensate for shorter ski seasons. Participate in forest conservation and the protection of mountain ecosystems (such as the Cedars of God) to maintain snow-catch and water-storage functions.
Planning Your Ski Trip to Lebanon
Here are some tips to maximize your ski holiday in Lebanon:
• Go early or late in the season: mid-January to early March tends to offer the best conditions, though keep an eye on real-time snowfall. Book a flexible ticket for flights and hotel rooms if possible.
• Choose high-altitude resorts: resorts like the Cedars have more reliable snow because of elevation.
• Flexibility helps: check snow reports, know that slope availability may vary, and look for resorts that offer other activities if snow is thin.
• Book accommodations near the slopes: resorts like Mzaar and Zaarour are close to the coast and Beirut, making logistics easier.
• Respect the environment: Lebanon’s mountains are ecologically fragile—choose resorts and services that demonstrate sustainable practices.
If you’re looking for a ski escape that blends altitude, Mediterranean views and unique mountain culture, Lebanon is still an exciting choice and one you can talk about when you return home. Resorts like Mzaar Ski Resort Faraya, Cedars (Bsharri) Ski Resort, Zaarour Club, Laqlouq and Faqra offer a range of experiences from lively slopes to tranquil escapes. However, the window for consistent snow is narrowing, and the effects of climate change are real. Planning ahead, choosing your resort wisely and embracing the full mountain experience (not just snow) will give you your best chance of a memorable trip. Lebanon’s mountains aren’t just skiing locations—they’re landscapes in transition, and your visit can both enjoy and support their evolving future.
According to Planet Ski, “There are currently 68 countries in the world that offer equipped outdoor ski areas covered with snow. Even if snowfields are much more numerous there are about 2,000 ski resorts worldwide. Besides the major ski destinations in terms of skier visits, there are a number of other, smaller destinations, where skiing has been an industry for a long time, or is currently developing.”
The most obvious emerging destinations are Eastern Europe and China, according to the expert ski site. There are a number of other small players spread out across the globe and they are in: Cyprus, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Lesotho, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey and several more. Have a ski experience to share in a less-travelled area? Send us a report [email protected].
If you’re comparing Lebanon with other regional options, see 5 Top Ski Holidays in the Middle East,
which includes Mzaar in Lebanon alongside other regional ski spots.
For a broader look at eco-conscious winter travel and skiiing, link to our past coverage on Where to go for a sustainable ski holiday?, which weighs up greener ski choices and resort practices.
Most developers see economic downturns as something to endure. Michael Shanly has consistently seen them as opportunities to strengthen his business for the long term. Across five major crises – from the 1974 property crash to the COVID-19 pandemic – his approach has remained remarkably steady: adapt quickly, stay close to operations, and make decisions that build resilience rather than short-term relief.
The record speaks for itself. While many of his competitors have retrenched, restructured, or disappeared altogether during economic turbulence, Michael Shanly has emerged from each cycle stronger. His companies have built more than 12,000 homes, developed 1,500 commercial tenancies and maintained consistently high standards of quality – all while facing the same economic headwinds that have undone much of Britain’s property sector.
This isn’t a story of good fortune. Over five decades, luck evens out. The more interesting question is what principles have allowed Shanly to keep finding stability when others could not.
1974: Building a Foundation in Crisis
In 1974, Britain’s economy was in disarray. The global oil shock had sent inflation spiralling, credit was tightening, and the property market was grinding to a halt. Mortgage rates soared and development finance all but dried up.
At a construction site in Maidenhead, Shanly found himself managing a project that had suddenly become financially uncertain. Where most developers chose to pause and wait for the market to recover, he took a more pragmatic view. On the site sat a house marked for demolition. Rather than proceed with the original plan, he converted it into rental flats to generate income that would support the wider development.
It was a small, adaptive decision that kept the project alive when others stalled. More importantly, it revealed a broader truth: property could be managed for steady, long-term income rather than short-term speculation.
That insight became the foundation of what would later be Sorbon Estates, formally incorporated in 1994 but built on habits formed two decades earlier. The willingness to adapt, to find practical solutions rather than wait for ideal conditions, would define his career and shape the group’s approach to every crisis that followed.
Principle One: Lead from the Ground, Not the Boardroom
The most telling part of that 1974 episode isn’t the rental conversion itself, but how Shanly handled it. He took over day-to-day site management to control costs and keep the project on track. It wasn’t symbolic; it was necessary.
That operational involvement became a consistent feature of his leadership. By understanding the details of his developments first-hand, Shanly has always been able to make decisions grounded in practical reality. It also set a cultural tone: accountability starts at the top, and leadership means engagement, not distance.
As he puts it, “I like to do things the best we can. I still go round our sites tweaking and improving so we can be proud of what we’ve built.”
This attention to the operational side of business builds credibility internally and foresight externally. Problems are spotted earlier, decisions are more informed, and teams are more aligned. It’s a habit that compounds over time.
2020: Agility in a New Kind of Crisis
By 2020, Shanly had weathered recessions, housing slumps and banking crises. The COVID-19 pandemic posed a different challenge altogether – not a property collapse, but a nationwide standstill that disrupted every sector at once.
The response of the Shanly Foundation showed how deeply the group’s long-term principles had taken root. Within weeks, the foundation had created an emergency fund distributing nearly £185,000 to more than 100 local charities supporting those most affected by the crisis.
This was not a reactive act of goodwill but an example of institutional readiness. The systems and relationships built over decades allowed the foundation to act quickly and effectively. Agility, in this case, wasn’t improvised – it was the natural outcome of long-term planning.
The lesson was clear: resilience is not built during the crisis. It’s built in advance, through decisions that favour strength and stability over convenience.
Thinking in Decades, Not Quarters
Shanly’s approach rests on a simple but often neglected principle: think in decades, not quarters.
The most sustainable advantages come from long-term thinking – prioritising relationships, quality and reputation over immediate returns. Sorbon Estates has embodied this by holding its properties rather than selling them on, favouring stable income and tenant longevity over speculative growth.
That philosophy shapes its tenant mix too. More than half of Sorbon’s retail tenants are independents, a deliberate choice that brings diversity and resilience to local high streets. When national chains falter, independent traders tend to adapt and endure. It’s a quieter, steadier model that has repeatedly proved its worth in difficult markets.
In downturns, this focus on quality and relationships provides a buffer. Tenants who are treated as partners are more likely to renew, diversify and grow. The real advantage comes afterwards: when the market recovers, companies that have stayed consistent, kept their standards and maintained their reputation are in a far stronger position to grow.
Quality as a Form of Insurance
Perhaps the most distinctive part of Michael Shanly’s approach is his insistence on quality, even when conditions are toughest. Where others cut costs, he has chosen to protect standards.
His philosophy is straightforward: “True development is not about speed or cost-cutting, but about crafting spaces with lasting value that meet the needs of their communities and endure for generations.”
It’s a principle that pays off over time. Well-built developments hold their value better, attract repeat buyers and tenants, and build trust with planners and communities. Those who compromise during crises often spend years rebuilding both their reputation and their margins.
The Shanly Group’s integrated model – from land acquisition through to construction, investment and affordable housing – allows this quality control at every stage. It’s one reason Shanly Homes was recognised as Thames Valley’s Housebuilder of the Year in 2021 and 2025 and Sorbon Estates was awarded Commercial Landlord of the Year, also in 2025.
The Compounding Effect of Consistency
Across five decades and five major crises, Shanly’s career demonstrates how resilience compounds. Each downturn provided lessons and systems that strengthened the organisation for the next.
The decision to convert a single house into rental flats in 1974 led to an income-based investment model that underpins Sorbon Estates today. The careful infrastructure behind the Shanly Foundation allowed a rapid pandemic response in 2020. The refusal to compromise on quality has become a brand asset in its own right.
For business leaders, the message is straightforward. Resilience isn’t built from grand gestures or sudden innovation, but from steady, consistent decisions repeated over time.
Lead from the ground. Maintain standards. Think long-term. Build relationships.
None of these ideas are new. But few have been applied with such consistency, across so many challenges, for so long.
On November 6, 2025, Houston welcomed its newest civic landmark: the Ismaili Center, Houston, a luminous Shia Muslim complex overlooking Buffalo Bayou Park that merges Islamic art, architecture, and landscape design.
It was inaugurated by Mayor John Whitmire alongside Rahim Aga Khan V.
Aga Khan is the new Imam of the world’s Shia Ismaili Muslims — the Center marks the first Ismaili civic and cultural complex in the United States, and perhaps the most ambitious example of faith-based sustainable design built in the South. It is the first Ismaili Center in the United States, joining those in London, Vancouver, Lisbon, Dubai, Dushanbe, and Toronto. The project fulfills a vision set in motion by Shia leader Karim Aga Khan IV (1936–2025) and realized by his son and successor.
In September 2025, Governor Abbott signed a law banning what the state describes as “Sharia compounds” — developments “open only to Muslims” or controlled by religious law structures. This was in response to a Muslim-built EPIC city that discriminates on who can buy homes in the community based on religion.
A Civic Oasis in a Divided State?
The estimated $170 million project sits at the intersection of Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard, within walking distance of the Rothko Chapel and the Menil Collection — Houston’s spiritual-artistic corridor.
That spirit will be tested. In recent months, Governor Greg Abbott has come under fire for launching a campaign to halt construction of a proposed Islamic-planned community near Dallas, drawing accusations of Islamophobia from faith leaders and civil-rights groups (Houston Chronicle). Elsewhere, redistricting maps have cut Black and Latino representation in Houston by half, prompting protests by local clergy and activists (Houston Chronicle).
Amid this climate, a Muslim-led institution dedicated to “shared human values” carries political resonance. The Ismaili Center, Houston, designed by London-based architect Farshid Moussavi and landscape architect Thomas Woltz, aims to model pluralism through design witnessed by open courtyards, shaded eivans (verandas), and gardens meant for dialogue, art, and quiet reflection.
The building’s green credentials are strong — at least on paper. Rising above the 500-year floodplain, its underground garage doubles as a flood reservoir. The 11-acre landscape slopes gently toward the Bayou, channeling runoff through terraces, reflecting basins, and flood-adaptive gardens. It’s parking lot underground can hold runoff in the case of a flood.
Woltz calls it “a transect of Texas,” planted with desert agave, prairie grasses, and Gulf Coast reeds — a living metaphor for ecological and cultural adaptation.
Materials were chosen for longevity — stone, steel, and ultra-high-performance concrete with a 100-year life cycle. Natural light filters through perforated screens that recall Persian craft traditions. The design philosophy echoes the global movement for regenerative Islamic architecture explored in Green Prophet’s stories on Hassan Fathy’s legacy and green architecture across MENA.
Ismaili center concrete
The Shadow of Aga Khan Greenwashing
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which oversees the Ismaili Centers and funds the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture, has faced increasing scrutiny over how it markets “sustainability.”
Green Prophet’s recent investigation, “When Greenwashing Overwrites Ecology at the Superadobe Majara Residence”, questioned the ecological validity of one of the Aga Khan Award’s 2025 winners in Iran. That project — celebrated for its earthy “superadobe” domes — was found to rely heavily on unsustainable materials, tourist economics, and a romanticized desert aesthetic. They did not reply to our questions and ignored an Iranian architect Ronak Roshan who embodies ecological integrity above all in her practice.
Another Green Prophet piece on the 2025 Aga Khan Architecture Winners argued that the Award risks functioning as a form of cultural branding — celebrating Islamic modernity while skimming over deeper environmental costs and issues. These critiques raise a question for Houston: will this Center be an authentic green civic landmark, or a monumental case study in eco-optics and religious politics?
Unlike many mosques or churches, the Ismaili Center Houston explicitly presents itself as civic infrastructure: a place for performances, classes, and lectures, with a café and art exhibitions open to all. The Aga Khan center does the same in Toronto. Yet when we see the way a dominant group politically includes projects with little merit for the sake of politics, we believe this is more politics and optics than true pluralism.
The Aga Khan’s global network has a record of genuine impact — funding hospitals, universities, and rural-resilience projects from East Africa to Pakistan. Yet critics note a lack of public reporting on carbon metrics or third-party audits.
If the Ismaili Center Houston truly evolves into a community green hub — hosting lectures on climate justice, native gardening workshops, or open dialogues on the energy transition — it could redefine how faith institutions serve cities in crisis. But given the rise of antisemitism across the United States and Canada, much of it fueled by extremist rhetoric, it’s fair to ask whether this is also a political project dressed in the language of pluralism. If its lush gardens and polished stone remain mostly symbolic, the Center risks becoming yet another addition to the Aga Khan’s portfolio of beautifully designed but tightly managed “sustainable” showcases.
Whether the Ismaili Center becomes a true model for green faith architecture or just another chapter in the Aga Khan’s controversial brand of eco-diplomacy will depend on what happens after the press photos fade.
Several 3,300-year-old Canaanite artifacts, including a ram-shaped vessel, were unearthed in archaeological excavations along Highway 66, near Tel Megiddo in northern Israel, in a discovery announced on November 5, 2025. (Katerina Katzan/Israel Antiquities Authority)
Long before prophets, before Israelite kings or Jerusalem temples, the people of Canaan lived by the rhythm of the soil. They planted vines on the slopes of the Jezreel Valley, crushed grapes beneath their feet, and poured the first sweet liquid to their gods. Now, a remarkable discovery near Tel Megiddo in Israel reveals how ancient wine and worship intertwined at the dawn of urban life in the Holy Land.
An Israel Antiquities Authority excavation conducted ahead of road construction on Highway 66 has uncovered one of the earliest known winepresses in the country — about 5,000 years old — and a collection of ritual vessels that bring to light the domestic cult of the Canaanites. The excavation, financed by the Netivei Israel – National Transport Infrastructure Company, was part of a large-scale development upgrading the main artery that links Yokneam, the Jezreel Valley, and the Gilboa region.
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, “Impressive evidence of Jezreel Valley settlement expansion at the onset of urbanization, and of the Canaanite cult that existed in the land before the Israelites entered the region, was recently uncovered east of Tel Megiddo.”
The discoveries reveal how daily life, agriculture, and religion once merged seamlessly across the northern valleys.
From the Early Bronze Age IB, a small rock-cut winepress was exposed — a sloping treading floor that channeled juice into a hewn collection vat. “This winepress is unique, one of very few known from such an ancient period when urbanization first took place in our region,” explained Dr. Amir Golani and Barak Tzin, Excavation Directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“Winepresses are indeed very common throughout the country, but it is very difficult to date them. Until now, indirect evidence indicated that wine could have been produced 5,000 years ago, but we did not have conclusive proof of this – a ‘smoking gun’ that would clearly show when this happened in our area. This winepress finally provides new and clear evidence that early wine production actually took place here.”
Around the press, the team uncovered dwellings and courtyards that hint at an early village economy. The winemaking enterprise was likely community-based, tied to the cycles of agriculture and celebration. Megiddo’s residents were already part of a regional network that shipped jars of oil, grain, and perhaps even wine to Egypt and the wider Mediterranean world.
Folk Worship in the Fields
A later phase of the excavation, dating about 3,300 years ago to the Late Bronze Age II, uncovered evidence of popular Canaanite worship just outside the ancient city’s gate. Archaeologists found a miniature ceramic model of a shrine, imported Cypriot jugs, and an intact set of vessels used for libations — the ceremonial pouring of liquids.
Among them was a zoomorphic vessel in the form of a ram. The IAA described how it worked: “A small bowl, which was attached to the ram’s body, was designed to function as a funnel; and a similar bowl – with a handle – was probably held to pour the liquid into the funnel during a ceremony. The ram’s head was shaped like a spout. Once the vessel was filled, tilting the ram forward spilled the liquid out from its mouth to collect it into a small bowl placed before it. The vessel seems intended for pouring a valuable liquid such as milk, oil, wine or another beverage, which could either be drunk directly from the spout, or poured into a smaller vessel for consumption, or as a votive gift.”
A 5,000-year-old wine press was unearthed in archaeological excavations along Highway 66, near Tel Megiddo in northern Israel, in a discovery announced on November 5, 2025. (Yakov Shmidov/Israel Antiquities Authority)
The vessels had been deliberately buried in the earth. Their placement suggested small-scale rituals carried out by farmers outside the city’s main temple precinct. In the words of the Authority, “The burial locations of these ritual vessels in the ground yet in the direct line of sight to the large temple area operating at Tel Megiddo in the Late Bronze Age II – may indicate a Canaanite folk cult that took place outside the city on the way to the main city gate – possibly by local farmers who could not enter the city and its temple, coming from their nearby fields to offer consecrations of liquids or valuable agricultural produce, such as wine or oil.”
This “folk cult” reveals a side of ancient religion often missed in grand temple ruins. These were ordinary people, not priests or kings, giving thanks to the land through what they produced. Wine, oil, and milk were not merely commodities but sacred mediums that connected the human and divine.
Layers of Faith and Soil
The Megiddo discoveries illuminate the continuity of belief that tied Canaanite farmers to their earth. For more than a century, excavations at Tel Megiddo have revealed palaces, temples, and gates that mark the rise of urban civilization. But these new finds, uncovered along the modern highway, extend that story beyond the city walls. They show that devotion was not confined to elites but lived in courtyards and fields.
“Megiddo has been excavated for over a century,” the researchers summarized. “While it is long-recognized as a key site in the study of ancient urbanism and Canaanite worship, the excavations we conducted east of the tel have revealed a new part of the matrix between the known settlement in the city – evidence of which has been revealed upon the tel – and the activities taking place in the area around and outside the city. The 5,000-year-old hewn winepress places the beginnings of the local wine industry in a very early urban-settlement context, while the offerings from the period about 3,300 years ago indicate the continuity of ritual consecration and libations outside the sacred complex within the tell, possibly expressing aspects of the local Canaanite folk cult.”
As Eli Escusido, Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, noted, “The Israel Antiquities Authority’s extensive excavations along the route of the Jezreel Valley road are revealing, layer by layer, the wealth of history hidden and embedded in the soil here. The exposure of ancient wine-making facilities, and the evidence of folk worship outside of Megiddo, allow us to become acquainted with the daily life and beliefs of the region’s residents over the course of thousands of years.”
The finds will soon be displayed at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of the Land of Israel in Jerusalem. “These remarkable discoveries are a national asset and proof that advancing national infrastructure can proceed with full responsibility towards the past,” added Nissim Peretz, CEO of Netivei Yisrael.
The soil of Canaan still holds the scent of crushed grapes. Five millennia later, wine remains part of the region’s spirit — a testament to how the people of this land once turned harvest into holiness, and work into prayer.
Peapod wine (get the recipe here) often associated with the classic British sitcom The Good Life, where the characters Tom and Barbara Good make and drink a potent “peapod burgundy”.
In the age of craft cocktails and artisan spirits, urban foraging and making the most out of the least, one unlikely throw-back is quietly making a comeback: peapod wine.
Once a humble “country wine” born out of thrift during hard times, it’s now being re-discovered for its simplicity, novelty and sustainable roots. The process involves simmering fresh green pea pods, discarding the pods themselves and fermenting the resulting infusion with sugar, grape concentrate (or raisins), yeast and other minimal additives.
Historically, peapod wine was born in rural kitchens where the shelling of peas left behind abundant pods and no desire to waste them. Rather than compost or discard, enterprising home brewers turned them into a light-bodied table wine. Vintage articles describe it as an old-school countryside favourite, and “a fine example of country wine thrift.”
The flavour profile is reportedly crisp, clean and surprisingly refined, with little trace of vegetal “pea” taste. Essentially, the fermentation and added grape concentrate mask the pod flavour, yielding a light dry white wine.
What’s driving the comeback? Sustainability. Up-cycling kitchen leftovers, minimising waste and making something homemade with basic ingredients resonates strongly with modern home-brewers and eco-aware drinkers. The DIY movement in fermentation (from kombucha to natural wines made from honey, even! ) has opened the door to recipes like this.
Also, the story and novelty add value: a wine made from what most would toss sparks conversation at dinner parties, tastings and small local producers seeking niche markets.
Want to make wine from your pea pods, or will you eat them raw?
That said, it’s not without challenges: sourcing enough pea pods in the right season, ensuring sanitary fermentation, that they are organic, and ageing time (many recipes suggest several months to a year before optimal clarity and flavour). If the pods are healthy and young, I’d probably just eat them raw.
But for those willing to experiment, peapod wine offers a bridge between heritage, sustainability and craft. It’s a reminder that innovation sometimes means looking backward — to what humble home-makers did when times were tough.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Binishell in Malibu. Courtesy of Nicolo Bini
Grocery prices and mortgages in cities are going through the roof. You’ve decided to go rural and you are looking at the options. What about an inflatable concrete home like the one built by Robert Downey Junior? If you’ve chosen this path, over superadobe, you wonder, how can you make the numbers work and make it sustainable? Read our article on inflatable concrete homes and how much they cost.
Let’s start: Imagine buying a modest rural plot, somewhere near Sudbury, Ontario, or in the Sierra foothills of California—and building a 1,000-sq-ft (93 m²) home using an inflatable-shell method like that created by Binishell. A flat, fabric form is inflated on-site and filled with a low-carbon concrete mix that hardens into a seamless, dome-like shell.
Binishell Robert Downey Junior home in Malibu
Inside, the walls are finished and insulated with hempcrete, a breathable, carbon-negative material that stores carbon as it cures. The entire build aims to reduce dependence on expensive mortgages, rising energy bills, and urban living costs while embodying resilience and ecological balance.
Because there’s no heavy scaffolding or formwork, construction is quick and more or less clean. Inflation and concrete pumping take a day; curing takes a week or so. The costs?
Ontario: Shell cost ≈ US $25–40 / sq ft.
California: Shell cost ≈ US $45–60 / sq ft.
After adding foundations (will you have a finished basement?), utilities, and finishes, total cost lands between US $120–16/sq ft—far below conventional rural builds, which often exceed US $250/sq ft. The finished home is highly energy-efficient: thick hempcrete walls and thermal-mass concrete stabilize interior temperature, lowering heating and cooling bills by up to 50%. Over 15 years, savings on mortgage and energy can reach tens of thousands of dollars. For people who want to start a regenerative farm or an online business in the country, this is a no-brainer.
Inflatable concrete house
Concrete’s carbon footprint is its biggest flaw, but newer mixes cut emissions dramatically. Take calcined-clay blends (LC³), fly-ash or slag substitutes, and carbon-mineralization technologies like CarbonCure which can reduce CO₂ output by 40 %. In California, renewable-energy credits further offset embodied carbon; in Ontario, pairing solar panels or micro-hydro with low-carbon materials can make the structure nearly net-zero.
Look out for hidden costs and restrictions. Some people prefer to buy land in unorganized townships to avoid too much government oversight. That doesn’t mean you can do what you want. Permits are still needed. In Ontario, you need a building permit for any new structure over 10 square meters (108 sq ft), or for any structure, including sheds, over 15 square meters (sq ft), depending on the municipality.
Hempcrete adds another layer of sustainability, absorbing CO₂ during curing and improving indoor air quality. Together, these materials turn a traditionally high-carbon building type into a model of circular design. Hempcrete is also fire resistant, and added bonus for people in forest fire prone areas in California.
The biggest barrier today in new sustainable building isn’t technology—it’s building codes. Inflatable concrete shells fall outside most standard residential classifications. In both provinces and states, permits require engineering certification, structural testing, and often a variance from conventional framing standards. Builders must collaborate with local inspectors early, providing proof of structural integrity, insulation values, and fire ratings. If you are into dealing with those hassles you can create a model home for your neighbors to follow.
Inflatable-shell homes offer a credible path to affordable, durable, and lower-carbon living. For those willing to navigate permitting and pioneer new methods, this approach could define the next generation of rural housing—fast to build, low in cost, and light on the planet. It always takes the first movers to start new dreams.
Inflatable Concrete Domes in Canada
The Monolithic Dome Institute (MDI) has helped bring air-formed concrete construction to Canada, proving that dome-shaped, energy-efficient homes can thrive even in cold northern climates. Its method, known as the Monolithic Dome system, relies on an inflatable air-form, steel-reinforced concrete, and foam insulation to create one continuous, highly durable shell.
In Yorkton, Saskatchewan (shown below), Canadian Dome Industries built a 40-foot (12.2 m) hemispherical home that demonstrates the system’s practicality and strength.
Another dome, located in central Alberta, measures 55 feet in diameter and was built off-grid in 2005. This structure uses passive-solar orientation, thick insulation, and thermal-mass concrete to remain comfortable year-round, reducing energy demand in both heating and cooling seasons.
Yorkton Dome in CanadaYorkdon Dome, finished
Construction begins with a flexible Airform membrane anchored to a circular foundation. The membrane is inflated to the desired dome shape, and workers spray its interior with polyurethane foam to form a stable surface. Steel reinforcement is attached to the foam, and layers of shotcrete (sprayed concrete) are applied, hardening into a self-supporting structure. The finished shell functions as roof, walls, and insulation all in one piece—eliminating many of the weak points found in conventional buildings.
Monolithic dome planning
According to the Monolithic Dome Institute, these domes use up to 50% less energy than standard homes. Their rounded shape sheds wind and snow efficiently, making them highly resistant to storms, mold, fire, and pests—key advantages in Canada’s variable climate. We just need a new shape of bed to fit a square in a rounded room.
While MDI’s technique differs from newer “inflatable concrete bladder” methods—where the form itself is filled with concrete rather than sprayed over—the principle remains the same: air replaces formwork.
Inside a Binishell home
These Canadian dome homes demonstrate that air-formed, reinforced concrete shells are a proven, climate-resilient housing solution and a foundation for more sustainable, low-carbon building methods in the future. With builds for industry, the Monolithic Domes aren’t as pretty as Binishells.
