Some of those who have fled abroad say political situation in Egypt is more oppressive now than before 2011 revolt: 'It’s much more serious, it’s much deeper and much darker'

After wave of mass protests calling for political change was largely snuffed out by repression and civil war, some activists still hope that reform will eventually come

Autocratic regimes still in power, cracking down on dissent in Egypt and Syria, where thousands have died in custody and more harbor scant hopes of freedom

In Syria, Libya and Sudan, revolutionaries see national banners of the past as a way of showing their rejection of the regimes they wish to overthrow

As traditional powers like Egypt, Libya and Syria struggled with upheaval and internal conflict, Gulf nations forged ahead, including normalizing ties with Israel

Unlike UAE, which saw little backlash to accord with Jerusalem, Bahrain has history of political opposition and civil society, with leading group calling agreement 'illegitimate'

180 members of Egyptian-Jewish Diaspora return to fete renovated Eliyahu Hanavi shul, even as country's tiny Jewish community prepares for a Jew-free future

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, 83, was first leader to be toppled by Arab Spring, viewed as bulwark against Islamist extremism, but muzzled opposition and shunned democracy

The often violent upheaval sweeping the Middle East in the last decade has also spurred women to cling to gains earned as they fight, and rebuild, alongside men

Beji Caid Essebsi won office in 2014 after Arab Spring uprising