Dr Shahina Ghazanfar, the author of a series of books on the flora of the Middle East who compiled this compendium, explains: “This is not a religious book but about history and culture. It promotes the pleasure of research and learning, I hope as much for my readers as for myself”. 

Consider the humble mosquito net. It’s the cheapest and the most effective way to fend off malaria. But what about mosquito netting as high art?

It’s a sweltering Sunday afternoon outside the Oil and Gas Discovery Centre as a crowd gathers to line a narrow stretch of road in Seria.