Ma’ameer, Bahrain, February 21, 2011.

Men listen to an audio recording of a speech made by top Shiite cleric, Sheikh Isa Qassim, at a mosque in the village of Ma’ameer.

Malkiya, Bahrain, March 18, 2011. 

Painted portraits of men killed during the uprising are seen at the Shiite Muslim village of Malkiya.

Sitra, Bahrain, March 18, 2011.

Several thousand Bahrainis gathered for the funeral of Ahmed Farhan, a 29-year-old anti-government demonstrator who was killed by state security forces in the Bahraini island of Sitra. Earlier that day, the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, declared martial law outlawing rallies and protests. However, thousands of mourners attended the funeral to support the Farhan family as they bury their son.

Cairo, Egypt, February 1, 2011.

A demonstrator is lifted as a rally marches in Tahrir Square calling for the end of the Mubarak regime.

Cairo, Egypt, February 4, 2011.

Two days after repelling pro-regime attackers in bloody street fights, tens of thousands of people pack central Cairo waving flags and singing the national anthem as part of their emboldened campaign to oust President Hosni Mubarak.

Cairo, Egypt, November 23, 2011.

The battle zone along Mohamed Mahmoud Street in Cairo. At least 45 protesters died in the five days of street battles that began on November 19, 2011, to put pressure on the military, which took power after a popular uprising overthrew Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. 

Cairo, Egypt, June 18, 2012.

Supporters of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi celebrate in Tahrir Square after the Brotherhood claimed victory in the presidential vote.

Cairo, Egypt, December 14, 2012.

Protestors opposed to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi wave Egyptian flags as they stand on a wall surrounding the presidential palace.

Cairo, Egypt, December 15, 2012.

A polling station in Cairo’s Shoubra neighborhood. The referendum appeared to be another turning point for Egypt’s nearly two-year-old revolution. After weeks of violence and threats of a boycott, Egyptians voted peacefully in a referendum on an Islamist-backed draft constitution. People hoped that this would end the three weeks of violence, division, and distrust between the Islamists and their opponents over the ground rules of Egypt’s promised democracy.

Tobruk, Libya, March 24, 2012.

The February 17 Restaurant in Tobruk looks out onto Liberation Square, the scene of the town’s first revolutionary celebrations in February 2011 after rebels expelled Qaddafi’s forces from the eastern part of the country. Before the revolution, the restaurant was called “Fatih”—which in Arabic means “conqueror” or “victor” and was a common name for things under Qaddafi’s rule. On February 17, when the revolution started, the owners promptly renamed their restaurant to commemorate the beginning of the uprising. Once Qaddafi was defeated, the people of Tobruk renamed the square to Liberation Square.

Benghazi, Libya, March 28, 2012.

Former rebels play sports and lift weights at a former rebel brigade that is now being transformed into a “rehabilitation center” for youth who participated in the war. “Our motto now is ‘From a revolution to a state, and from liberation to reconstruction,’” says the camp’s spokesman Adel Shoahdi. The camp’s new roster of activities—ranging from language classes to computer training, sports, and counseling—offers former rebels, especially those not interested in joining the military or police, a way to reintegrate into Libyan society after the year-long war that toppled the regime of Muammar Qaddafi.

Sirte, Libya, March 31, 2012.

The city of Sirte sustained severe damage during the Libyan war, but almost all of the destruction came as the result of heavy shelling in September and October 2011. Sirte is the hometown of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, and it was one of the last loyalist holdouts in the nearly year-long revolution, which ultimately resulted in Qaddafi’s capture and killing at the hands of the Libyan rebels.

Misrata, Libya, April 1, 2012.

Tripoli Street in Misrata.

Misrata, Libya, April 1, 2012.

Misrata’s largest prison houses some 860 prisoners of war, most of them captured from stronghold towns of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Former rebel fighters-turned-militia members control this makeshift prison and its inhabitants, along with at least six other known prisons in the war-ravaged coastal city. The militias say prisoners are treated well; they provide ample food and medical care to the men held captive here. But some of the men say they have been in captivity for more than a year without seeing a lawyer or any sign of an impending trial; many insist that they are also innocent. With the Libyan justice system still in disarray, the fates of pro-Qaddafi supporters—those who fought for or sympathized with Qaddafi—hang in limbo.

Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, December 1, 2011.

A portrait of Mohamed Bouazizi hangs outside the governor’s office almost a year after he set himself on fire. Bouazizi, a young street vendor, killed himself near the office in protest against the government.

Sanaa, Yemen, May 2011.

Yemeni women at the tent city outside Sanaa University visit a shrine to demonstrators killed during protests.

Sanaa, Yemen, July 13, 2012.

In the capital, residents and protestors dismantle a sprawling tent city that was home to thousands of protesters for more than a year. Some refuse to leave the tent city at Change Square. Others say it’s time to get on with building a country.

Sanaa, Yemen, September 29, 2011.

Saddam Nazhwan, 25, from Al-Mahweet, was wounded by gunfire during the protests.

Sanaa, Yemen, September 29, 2011.

“Victory or death. Even if my legs and hands are cut and even if my children are dead, we have to change,” says Ameer Ahmed, 33, who was recently wounded in clashes with security forces.