Before Gaza became synonymous with conflict, it was a place where merchants sold wine from local vineyards, pilgrims crossed continents, fishermen set out before dawn, and generations of families lived between sea and desert. RFI explores its deep history.  

Sitting on the coastal corridor linking Egypt, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula and the Mediterranean, the port city has always been a strategic crossroads.

Like many places around the Mediterranean, Gaza's identity wasn't built by a single people or culture. It was shaped by generations of arrivals, departures and exchanges. 

As the Mid-East Junction podcast returns from a six-year hiatus, we'll trace the city's history from the age of the Philistines until the creation of Israel in 1948. 

In this first episode of season 3, a Gazan archaeologist, a historian, and a professor of contemporary Arab people shed light on Gaza’s little-known yet fascinating ancient history. 

Mid-East Junction is produced by RFI's English-language service. This episode was mixed by Vincent Pora.

The practice of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, is so deeply ingrained in some cultures that it has only recently been brought into question. But what are its origins? Where is it practiced? And why does it need to stop?

This month's edition of Mid-East Junction looks into Female Genital Mutilation, through its history and impact on women, telling the stories of two victims who explain why the practice must be brought to an end.

You can read more here.

*two pieces of music provided by Adam Daudrich*

Click the 'play' button to listen or subscribe to the podcast by searching for 'rfi mid east junction'.

The rising star in the world of olive oil, or liquid gold to some, is not found in Europe but in North Africa in the small and often overlooked country of Tunisia. Here olive trees are intertwined with its culture  and history for thousands of years.

Production in Tunisia is considered to be the second most important in the world. It is also one of the most underrated country's compared to the big names like Italy, Greece, Spain, Palestine, Israel, Syria and Jordan.

But how did the olive tree wind up in Tunisia?

Find out in this month's edition of Mid-East Junction that takes us to a very overlooked powerhouse in the olive oil market.

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You can also read more about it here.

In October 2016, Iraqi Special Forces launched an operation to take back Mosul and parts of Iraq from the Islamic State armed group. Since 2014 they had subjected the Iraqi people to their extreme and harsh interpretation of islam. But the operation to liberate them proved equally dangerous as those caught in the middle of the fighting had no where to go. One photographer met those caught in the cross fire and told their stories through his camera lens in this edition of Mid-East Junction.

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Iran is again in the headlines in an increasingly tense spat with the US and a number of other western countries.

This is nothing new, however. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been involved in almost continuous diplomatic rows since its creation in 1979.

Sayyid Ruhollah Mūsavi Khomeini drove the revolution of 1979 that drastically changed the country.

Better known in the west as Ayotollah Khomeni, he put an end to the corrupt constitutional monarchy of the Shah and created a theocracy that promised a better life for every Iranian.

June of this year marked 30 years since his death. What legacy did he leave?

We find out more in this edition of Mid-East Junction as we meet one man's journey from the streets of Tehran in support of Khomeini to the streets of Paris in fear of Khomeini. (Read more about the legacy of Khomeini)

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Even though no Middle Eastern countries qualified for this year's Women’s World Cup , the sport is alive and growing across the region. In this edition of Mid-East Junction, we meet Honey Thaljieh, the woman behind the first women's national Palestinian team.

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In this month's Mid-East Junction, we delve into the culinary delights across the region that have been miles ahead of the vegan trend for decades, even centuries in some cases.

Click here to read the article.

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In this month’s podcast, we’re going to take a break from politics. And social anxiety. And uprisings and laws.

Because the Middle East doesn’t just make headlines.

It also has a sensitive musical soul.

And this side to the region often comes out in the musical instrument the oud.

Or the oriental lute.

Find out all about it in this month's podcast of Mid-East Junction or read about it here.

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On 30 March 1936, the Palestinian Broadcasting Service hit the radio waves.

The new service, referred to as PBS, catered to the growing population in British-mandated Palestine that included Palestinian Arabs, Palestinian Jews and the British.

In this month's Mid-East Junction, we take a look at the short life of the PBS and the role it played in airing culture, news and social programmes aimed at all the three different audiences.

Click on "Play" above. You can also subscribe to this podcast on your favourite podcast platform when you search for RFI Mid-East Junction.

You can read more here.

In this week's Mid-East Junction, we meet Julia*, a young woman who escaped her life and marriage by force in Saudi Arabia to find freedom in France.

She, like hundreds of others of women caught in the oppressive male guardianship system in the kingdom, are choosing to risk everything for a life where a woman is respected and ultimately free to make her own decisions.

*Her name has been changed for security reasons

You can read more about it here