Under the Earth

Crosses of devotion stand as a symbol of Lithuanian resistance – but are far from a cemetery.

A Colombian New Year’s custom gets the year off to a fresh start

How I discovered the magic of storytelling on the Syrian radio

Historian Frauke Heard-Bey moved from Berlin to Abu Dhabi in 1967 for love. More than fifty years later, she calls the Emirates her home - and has helped build up an entire national archive.

Doors wide open in the Cuntum Madina neighbourhood

We know only a fraction of what lies beneath our feet. Yet we are more closely connected to the depths than we realise

The world around you starts to vibrate – that only happens elsewhere, you think. Until it happens to you. Reflections on an extraordinary day

Hums, buzzes, squeaks: It’s surprisingly loud underground. What do these noises tell us?

The British sculptor Antony Gormley has been exploring caves since childhood. A conversation about fantasy, fears and the traces of our ancestors that he has encountered underground

A man from the countryside starts a new life in the tunnels beneath an Indian metropolis. A story.

In Beijing, some people on low incomes dwell in basements beneath the city. Photographer Sim Chi Yin depicted them in her photo series “The Rat Tribe”. A conversation

The notorious Mexican drug lord “El Chapo” escaped through a tunnel from the high-security prison El Altiplano in 2015. How in the world was that possible?

From a symbol of prosperity to a lawless space: New York’s underground has changed with the city. A journey through its history

Four kilometres below the earth’s surface lies the deepest mine in the world. A worker tells of his day-to-day life in South Africa’s Mponeng gold mine

There have been more dinosaur bones excavated in Zhucheng, China, than at almost any other location in the world. But it all started with a search for something completely different

Plant seeds from all over the world are stored in Norwegian permafrost. Biologist Åsmund Asdal explains how important these seeds are for our future. A conversation

In Quechua culture, life above ground is closely linked to the subterranean. From birth to after death, the Pachamama plays a vital role

Politicians keep repeating the same old mantra about how oil and gas are obselete and renewable energies are the future. But when will there finally be some action? Rana Adib, director of  REN21, an initiative promoting renewable energies, sees hope in what cities and communities are achieving at the local level

On the Greek island of Samos, refugees are being crammed into a remote, high-security camp akin to a prison. Local volunteers are appalled

In Crimea, Ukraine’s future – and its cultural heritage – is at stake

Twenty years ago, the historic Taipei neighbourhood of Treasure Hill was going to be demolished. Today, it is an enclave for both international and Taiwanese artists

Were gender relations hierarchical among prehistoric humans? Marylene Patou-Mathis has evidence to disprove this theory

Libraries, archives and manuscripts: ever since they have existed, they have also been at risk. Librarian Richard Ovenden has written a history of their destruction

In her debut novel, author Kayo Mpoyi digs deep into her own family history