Stories from the Middle East Region

A selection of repeat worthy Instagram posts from our favorite feeds.

My sensory influences

I was exposed to a million and one different scents growing up in Morocco. From the delicious smells emanating from my mother’s kitchen and the spices of the souks, to the gorgeous scents of orange blossoms and nature when I traveled to the countryside. Scent is very important to Arab culture, and Moroccans are no exception: all the adults I knew wore perfumes. I remember smelling the distinct scent of each person every time I walked into a room of adults. I noticed a sharp difference between scents when it came to gender: men smelled musky and masculine, the women sweeter and more floral. These scents further fueled my imagination.