A surgeon's skillful hands, a sculptor's eye and a horse-lover's heart work together on a southeast Texas farm to produce stirring works of art - and commemorate the beautiful bond that links Arabian horses with humans.

Whimsical miniatures in stone, the dovecotes and "bird castles" of Istanbul are a charming expression of the Islamic attitude toward animals. They may also be valuable documents in the history of the city's architecture.

Once an important seafaring nation, Oman is using its modest oil reserves to revitalize itself as a modern state. Money is being invested in farming, fishing and mining - and above all in education for its young people.

Had one of the world's finest collections of Islamic art really perished in World War II? Luck took a hand in the 40-year search for the missing Vever collection.

Sultan Abdulhamid II was a despotic ruler and a great modernizer, who used photography to improve his government's image abroad. The effort failed, but the photographs provide a glimpse of the Ottoman Empire's waning days.

Paris's most exciting new building in a decade is as ambitious culturally as it is architecturally. The Arab World Institute - showcase and resource center - is putting Arab civilization firmly on Europe's cultural map.