Stories
All Stories
The Middle East's refinement, unpacked — every story from CHŪTŌ KANGA.
ART & CULTURE ・ 19 AUG 2026
What the Hand Knows: Arabic Calligraphy in the Age of AI
Against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia's national push for a "Year of Arabic Calligraphy," calligrapher Ibrahim Zaki says AI is "no more than a research tool." A look at Arabic calligraphy, AI, and the value of what the hand still knows.
ART & CULTURE ・ 19 AUG 2026
What Bahrain Is Bringing Back From the Sea Where Its Pearls Once Were
A Japanese archaeological team has joined Bahrain's pearling coast to help uncover sunken ships and memory. Alongside the still-living pearl culture — the natural pearl house MATTAR and the certification body DANAT.
HOTELS ・ 12 JUN 2026
The Silence of AlUla
In a sandstone canyon carved by hundreds of millions of years of wind, an architecture built from nothing but light and shadow stands. On the luxury of having nothing, found in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
DINING ・ 20 MAY 2026
Beirut's Table, Three Generations
Even after an economic crisis, a diner in Beirut's back alleys still keeps the recipes handed down from a grandmother's generation. On what it means for something to endure, laid out on a plate.
HOTELS ・ 03 APR 2026
Along the Canals of Madinat Jumeirah
Amid Dubai's forest of high-rises sits a resort that recreates an Arabian old town, deliberately kept low and threaded with canals. A walk through spatial design that sits at the opposite pole of spectacle.
DINING ・ 11 MAR 2026
Riyadh's New Culinary Voice
Just a few years after opening to tourism, Riyadh's young chefs are rapidly rising, reconstructing traditional ingredients through modern technique. A visit to their kitchens.
FASHION & BEAUTY ・ 18 FEB 2026
The Abaya, Reimagined
Long defined as black and unadorned, the abaya is being reworked by a new generation of designers with new fabrics and cuts. A look at the seam where tradition meets the present.
EVENTS ・ 25 JAN 2026
Light in the Desert
Every winter, artists from around the world bring installations of light and sound to the deserts of AlUla. Walking the grounds, we tried to capture what draws people here.
ART & CULTURE ・ 14 DEC 2025
Jeddah Biennale: New Voices
Jeddah's Biennale has become a driving force in Saudi Arabia's contemporary art scene. We followed the theme of "identity" as seen through the region's emerging artists.
ART & CULTURE ・ 02 NOV 2025
The Shape of Script
Through the shared language of calligraphy, Arab and Japanese culture quietly resonate with each other. We visited a calligrapher's studio in Sharjah to look closely at the brushwork.
ARCHITECTURE & TRAVEL ・ 09 OCT 2025
Muscat's Coastal Architecture
Muscat restricts high-rises and holds fast to white walls and traditional ornament. A record of its singular cityscape and a drive along its coastline.
ARCHITECTURE & TRAVEL ・ 15 SEPT 2025
Desert Modernism, Dubai
Away from the noise, in the desert on the city's outskirts, young architects are raising experimental clusters of housing. The frontier of architecture in dialogue with an unforgiving climate.