Four sisters plait each other's hair in the town of Kut, Iraq. 

Al Hillah, Iraq

Children play in the Euphrates near Kefal during the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq.

Among cole flowers in Rojava, Syria

Akre, Kurdistan Region in Iraq.

Hossein arriving at a high altitude camp for the night during the Kooch migration in the Zagros mountains, Iran 

Choman Province in the Kurdish Region of Iraq.

Yazidi sisters from Sinjar

Finn, my nephew, at home.

Zainab at Narayana Hospital, a cardiac hospital in Bangalore, India, that provides free medical services to Iraqi nationals who do not have access to quality care in their country and require life-saving surgeries.

An Asian elephant stands visibly traumatised, chained to a temple pillar following a six-hour procession. It was paraded through the streets of Varanasi, noisy with crowds and rocketing fireworks, in the build up to Diwali, the festival of lights. The elephant was swaying and its bloodshot eyes swirled, as its owner looked on anxiously. There are an estimated 3,600 domesticated Asian elephants in India, belonging either to the government, wealthy families or temples and used in festivals throughout the year. They are an endangered species, their wild counterparts under threat from habitat loss and conflict with humans in agricultural areas.

Basra train platform. The night train from Baghdad to Basra is all that remains of a one-time rich heritage of passenger rail travel in Iraq. An early tram system was replaced in 1914 by an Ottoman track running north from Baghdad, and eight years later the invading British constructed a narrow-gauge line to connect the southern port city of Basra.

A rural pilgrim route in Al Hillah, Iraq at dusk. Pilgrims continue to walk late into the night, some walking from as far as Basra to reach Karbala. [2017]

Dusk at a local pilgrim's route through Al Hillah. 

Boys play inside a washing vat in Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai

Baghdad train station. The night train from Baghdad to Basra is all that remains of a one-time rich heritage of passenger rail travel in Iraq. An early tram system was replaced in 1914 by an Ottoman track running north from Baghdad, and eight years later the invading British constructed a narrow-gauge line to connect the southern port city of Basra.

An Iranian nurse prepares a mammogram machine in Qom, Iran.

A man weeps inside a Masjid in the city of Leh in Ladakh.

Euphrates river, Iraq

Shepherd in Al Qosh, Kurdistan Region in Iraq.

Calcutta, India

My mother, Camilla

An Orthodox priest sits inside Archangels’ church, built in the 13th Century, at Bachkovo Monastery in Bulgaria. It is one of the oldest and largest monasteries in Europe. On assignment with SUITCASE Magazine.

Women queue at the entrance to Zeynab's Hill in Karbala, Iraq. 

Mawat, As Sulaymaniyah in Kurdistan Region in Iraq.

Sun bear in Medan, Sumatra. Sun bears are the world’s rarest bears, yet are commonly exploited for their gall bladders and bile. In traditional Chinese medicine the bile is thought to treat a range of ailments, from hangovers to hepatitis. Cubs are farmed, sometimes living permanently with a catheter used to drain the bile.

Khushboo is from the Musuhar caste, one of the most marginalised communities in India. The threat of child marriage and trafficking is critically high amongst these communities. Female empowerment organisations like Nari Gunjun provide support, safe houses and education for young girls. Khushboo now lives at Nari Gunjun's boarding school in Bihar and has won nationally in karate.

Eye hospital in Qom, Iran

Hashim Hussaini, a writer and historian inside Al-Shabandar cafe in Baghdad, Iraq. Since the cafe opened over a century ago, the establishment has become a home for Baghdad’s intellectual life, drawing poets, artists and politicians to its wooden benches and photo-lined walls.

Akre, Kurdistan Region in Iraq.  On assignment with The Abraham Path Initiative. 

Pilgrims watch volunteers dressed as Yazid horsemen recreate the 7th Century Battle of Karbala in which the Yazid army set fire to the tents of Imam Hussain’s family and companions. This form of mourning, where the Battle of Karbala is enacted is known as taziya.

Lake Malawi, Malawi

My grandmother, Caroline, under the shade of a willow tree.

Ghazale receiving an eye test at a hospital in Qom, Iran.