Berbers in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains

Photos by Mosa’ab Elshamy Deep in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, the ancient Berbers live on, defying a harsh environment and loyal to their traditions and way of life in some of the most hard-to-reach parts of the African continent.

AP Monthly Staff Photo Contest

Each month The Associated Press management honors photographers for outstanding coverage while on assignment.

Ancient Jewish Community Endures on Tunisian Island

Photos by Mosa’ab Elshamy When school lets out, the streets around the ancient synagogue on this Tunisian island fill with rambunctious boys wearing Jewish kippahs and girls in long skirts, shouting to each other in Hebrew, Arabic and French.

The Hajj Journey of Black Americans

As Shahidah Sharif, an African-American Muslim, joined millions of fellow pilgrims from around the world on the hajj this year, she felt a renewed connection. To her own “blackness,” she says, but also to humanity as a whole.

Two Million Muslims Start Hajj Pilgrimage

Photos by Mosa’ab Elshamy More than 2 million Muslims on Tuesday started the first rites of the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest pilgrimages that draws people from different countries to the holy city of Mecca to perform a series of rituals and prayers aimed at erasing past sins.

Daily Life Around the World

For this week’s installment of AP’s Daily Life series, we feature photography from all over the world: A diver performs with a school of fish in an aquarium in Seoul, a couple walk across a bridge crossing to Beeston Castle in England, and a Pakistani Muslim devotee lights an oil lamp at a local shrine in

Egypt’s Urban Expansion

Photos by Mosa’ab Elshamy Lush green farms once stretched all around the Nile River, the fertile dark soil a vital source of life since the Pharaonic times, when ancient Egyptians developed some of the first sophisticated farming methods in the region.

Stranded in Djibouti

Photos by Mosa’ab Elshamy Fleeing the war at home, thousands of Yemenis have made it across the Gulf of Aden to find refuge in Djibouti, a sleepy Horn of Africa nation where the United Nations has set up a staging hub for aid for the conflict-torn Arab country.

Daily Life Roundup

For this week’s installment of AP’s Daily Life series, we feature photography from all over the world: People walk through an underground passage leading out of King’s Cross tube station in London, college graduates take part in the annual Toss Your Caps class photo in Philadelphia, and lights are switched on in apartments as dusk descends

Worldview: Sudan Daily Life

For this installment of Worldview: Daily Life, we focus on Sudan. 

Afloat on 2 Niles with the Fishermen of Khartoum

Photos by Mosa’ab Elshamy At the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile near Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, 35-year-old Younis Hamad al-Nil sails his wooden boat from sunrise to sunset, searching the wide waters for today’s catch.

Daily Life Roundup

For this week’s installment of AP’s Daily Life series, we feature photography from all over the world: A young shepherd boy carries a lamb on his back in Kashmir, a cargo ship plies up the Mississippi River towards New Orleans in Louisiana, and Buddhist nuns gather as they visit Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar. 

Sudan Elections

Photos by Mosa’ab Elshamy Sudan began voting Monday in an election expected to be won by President Omar al-Bashir, the world’s only sitting leader wanted on genocide charges.

Powder-Covered Workers Toil in Egypt’s Quarries

Photos by Mosa’ab Elshamy In the desert of southern Egypt, workers in limestone pits look as though they stepped out of a blizzard, covered in the white powder of the stones that are the economic lifeblood of this region.

Daily Life Roundup

For this week’s installment of AP’s Daily Life series, we feature photography from all over the world: A man lights a controlled fire in a pasture near Lawrence, Kansas, a Pakistani girl crosses a stream in a suburb of Islamabad, and a fisherman throws his line under a bridge during a foggy morning in Lisbon. 

World Water Day

It courses through Bangkok’s bustling canals and the world’s mighty rivers. It is the lifeblood of the desert oasis as well as North America’s Great Lakes.

Daily Life Roundup: Jan. 26, 2015

For this week’s installment of AP’s Daily Life series, we feature photography from all over the world: A Tanzanian girl smiles as she makes her way back from school, skiers take to the slopes of Nanshan ski resort in Beijing, and a baby cries after being vaccinated against polio in Islamabad.  Click any image to launch