Bernard Khoury’s Brutalist rooftop penthouse overlooks ‘cannibalized’ Beirut
Bernard Khoury is one of Lebanon’s most sought after architects, and now he has built his own home – a rooftop penthouse bam smack in the middle of Beirut.
Super moon in the Middle East
This year’s lineup of five “supermoons” may put a sky-watcher to sleep. There were the new moons of January and February, followed by one on July 13th. So if you glimpsed one of those, did you catch another on August 10th (and the final act that happens on September 8th)? Because last night’s moon was the closest […]
Climate change means unexpected rain increase for Iran and Iraq?
The prospect of climate change sparking food and water shortages in the Middle East is less likely than previously thought, with new research by an Australian climate scientist suggesting that rainfall will be significantly higher in key parts of the region.
ISIS captures Mosul Dam threatening floods with death and destruction
Sunni fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took over Iraq’s largest hydroelectric dam last Sunday, along with three towns and an oilfield according to the commander of the Peshmerga Kurdish fighters who had been defending the facility. Facing minimal opposition, ISIS seized control of Mosul Dam after a 24-hour battle. Workers remain […]
150 graffiti artists create a giant open air gallery in Tunisia
More than 100 graffiti artists were invited to Tunisia as part of the Djerbahood project – an inventive rehabilitation initiative that uses street art to turn a dusty village into an inspiring open air gallery.
Social gas mask: because why let chemical warfare get in your way?
An Israeli industrial designer has created the world’s first “Social Gas Mask” whose sleek space-age form allows for less hindered swapping of facial expressions. In a crisis (which is pretty much any time a gas mask is needed), who wouldn’t want better visible access to other people’s faces?
Ditch your razor or sugar wax instead?
Personal grooming can be murderous! That’s the takeaway message of a two-century-old crime and modern women are taking note, inciting others to join their cause on Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr.
How Siberia’s methane craters affect the whole planet
In 2011, scientists warned that giant plumes of methane gas could fast-track planetary warming. And now – a version of this prediction has come to pass in Siberia. Despite being at the “ends of the Earth,” Yamal Peninsula’s three methane craters contain a cautionary tale for us all.
Saudi city goes underground to avert vehicular traffic
Is there anything worse than being in a hot city with cars idling, kicking up heat and pollution? We don’t think so, and apparently Erick van Egeraat agrees. The city of Unaizah has approved Egeraat’s plans to build a massive ring road around the city, as well as an underground street.
Scientists make spray-on solar cells efficiencies close to silicon
To date the most efficient way of making solar cells is using silicon. Now a team of scientists at the University of Sheffield in the UK is the first to fabricate perovskite solar cells using a spray-painting process – a discovery that could help cut the cost of solar electricity.
Eole’s double-duty turbines wick water from wind
Pull free, safe drinking water straight from the sky! The earth’s atmosphere is a huge freshwater reserve, packed with 13,000 cubic kilometers of moisture, yet over 150 million of people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water. Green Prophet has reported on billboards that harvest clean water from air. A company called Eole Water has taken the same concept and “built […]
See the haunting Rose of Jericho unfold in perfect form
The Rose of Jericho (in this case Latin name Selaginella lepidophylla) is a type of desert moss found in Israel and Jordan which has the ability to quite literally ‘resurrect’ itself after extreme bouts dehydration, sometimes for years. Christians therefore call it the Resurrection flower. When you expose the Rose of Jericho to water, the […]
Old domed Arabian architecture transformed into playful murals
Street art helps the young generation cope with discontent and dissent- making space for fresh ideas, while preserving old values. At least that’s how we see it in this fantastic series of Tunisian murals which take the old Arabian domed style architecture in Tunisia and playfully interacts with it.
Wood and aluminum designs and unusual burnt edges
Israeli designer HIlla Shamia has found a way to mix “oil and water” or aluminum and wood – two materials I’ve never seen fused together. The product designer has created a novel way to meld both poured aluminum with irregular wood chunks to create modern tables and benches with a warm industrial feel. Old world […]
Massive landfill dump transforming into central park
Israel’s Hiriya Park, also known lovingly and totally sarcastically in some circles as shi*t mountain, is the one thing you’ll notice driving from the airport to Tel Aviv. It used to be where where Tel Aviv sent all its stinky trash, and baby diapers. Now it’s becoming Tel Aviv’s Central Park.