November 2010. A man by the name of Brandon Stanton decides to go out everyday and photograph strangers on the streets of New York. He figured he'd get to know them, ask them a few questions, and share the story online. Three years later, the “Humans of New York” photoblog is one of the biggest things online. With over 2 million followers on Facebook, it stands out on his own as a phenomenon worth checking out. But the “Humans of” movement didn't stop in New York. From India to Latin America passing by Europe and Australia, it has now gone viral, covering our planet city by city. Our region, the Middle East and North Africa, has proven to be no exception. The following is an overview of the main “Humans of” pages of our region. Humans of Cairo “What's your greatest struggle right now?” “To survive the faculty and marry the one I love.” “And if you could give advice to people what would that be?” “Break your taboos, and be free. Taken from the Humans of Cairo page Humans of Cairo was started by Salma Hegab, a 22 year old blogger and multimedia journalism graduating senior from the American University of Cairo. Created in November of 2012, and currently with over 3,500 likes and counting, it aims to capture Cairo's diversity. This is what she has to say about it: “I believe that Cairo is such a vibrant city. Although I hate living here most of the time, I think that starting a project like this will help me to reflect on the city through my eyes, and it'd give the city the chance to reflect itself through my lens! The fact that I have been using professional cameras for a couple of years does not deny that I still have SO much to LEARN, and I hope this will give me great chances to improve my photography skills.” You can check out her interview with Ta3beer here. Humans of Egypt was created by a (so far) unknown photographer sometime in 2012. Not much is said about it, and it hasn't been updated in months. But it is definitely worth a look. Also from Egypt is “Humans of Mansoura“. Humans of Tehran “Where's my favorite hangout place? Near the Tehran University Campus. There's a design center where all artists, whether graphic artists or sculptors such as myself, like to come together and work. I just love that place.” Susan, seen near Tehran University From the “Humans of Tehran” page Humans of Tehran started on May the 9th, 2012 and has now over 100,000 followers, making it MENA's most popular “Humans of” page. This is what the photographer had to say about it: “Tehran is not as faraway as you think it is. Inspired by “Humans of New York”, this page offers a pictorial glimpse into the daily lives of Iranians in their beloved dusty rusty capital.” Also from Iran are “Humans of Esfahan“, “Humans of Tabriz“, “Humans of Shiraz“, “Humans of Ahvaz” and “Humans of Kermanshah“ Humans of Istanbul “I study medicine and sometimes I feel like I'd never be able to become a doctor; but now I'm happy cause I succeeded in my mid-term exams. So now I'm waiting for a friend of mine to celebrate it!” From the “Humans of Istanbul” page Humans of Istanbul was created in 2012 as part of the Istanbul Photo Contest. Today, it has over 2,200 followers. This is what the founder, Shawn Ryan had to say about his project: “To photograph humanity in Istanbul, a city full of people from around the world, and rich with culture, tradition, history, language, hospitality. To capture photos of the wonderful human beings in this wonderful city is the project, and each photo tells a human story.” Also from Turkey are “Humans of Ankara“, “Humans of Izmir” and “Humans of Antalya“ Humans of Tel Aviv Meet Michal. “It's a little bit embarrassing but I am actually reading: ‘Why Men Love Bitches?’ for me, the subtext of the book is not to be a Bitch if you want to get a man. There is a huge difference between been a bitch and standing on your emotional rights in a relationship. Love yourself first, then the right man will turn out .” From the “Humans of Tel Aviv” page. Humans of Tel Aviv can boast a pretty decent 20,000+ followers. Created on the 7th of April, 2012 by Erez Kaganovitz, it enjoys a decent loyal group of followers. Why does it exist? Kaganovitz answers: “Tel Aviv is one of the most interesting places on Earth. Come and meet the People who make it so interesting.” Humans of Palestine Palestinian farmer work during the olive harvest in the West Bank. Photo by: Ahmad Daghlas Taken from the Humans of Palestine page Humans of Palestine was founded in 2012 with an invitation: “Come and meet the People who makes Palestine so interesting. Talk with them, live with them.” Also from Palestine is “Humans of Nablus“.