July edition of National Geographic Al-Arabiya explores nomadic heritage, digital archaeology, ‘maligned' wildlife
The magazine's 178th issue begins with an extensive feature on Africa's largest nomadic group, the Fulani — some 20 million people who traverse the continent's vast desert areas. These modern-day Bedouins continue their ancestral migrations with herds of livestock, journeying from Africa's eastern reaches to its western borders in an eternal search for water and grazing lands.
The investigation examines how this ancient pastoral society confronts 21st-century challenges, from climate change to social upheaval, while working to elevate women's roles in their deeply rooted herding culture.
A striking counterpoint emerges in 'The New Archaeologists' which profiles an unexpected phenomenon along London's Thames riverbanks — social media influencers turned amateur archaeologists. These digital-age treasure hunters have sparked both remarkable discoveries and heated debates over proper archaeological protocols.
The feature captures an emerging conflict between grassroots passion for historical discovery and established scientific methodology in an era where technology democratizes access to archaeological exploration.
The issue's centerpiece investigation, 'Our Maligned Wildlife,' challenges readers to reconsider nature's most misunderstood creatures. From the notoriously pungent and ferocious honey badger to small-eyed vultures and scruffy aye-aye lemurs, the feature argues these 'ugly' animals play crucial ecological roles — and that their supposed flaws may actually be evolutionary strengths.
Readers then journey to Romania's Transylvanian countryside, where traditional farming communities maintain centuries-old agricultural practices despite mounting pressure from modernization.
The magazine concludes with a photographic retrospective marking New York City's 400th anniversary, tracing the metropolis's remarkable evolution from a small settlement to a global powerhouse pulsing with life and renewal.
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