The New and Old of Jordan

February 3, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Within a few hours of arriving in Amman, I was weaving through the tiny, traffic clogged arteries of the old city centre, the Ballad. The fluorescent green light of the city’s many mosques, fleck the surrounding hills as dusk falls. The red, white, black and green of Jordan’s national flag hangs from nearly every white-stoned building in the city, with pictures of a smiling King Abdullah II and his glamorous wife Queen Rania, lit up outside all official buildings. This is a big year for Jordan. 2009 marks 10 years... [Read more]

The Beauty of Muscat, Oman

January 7, 2010 · 2 Comments 

Craggy brown mountains breaking into a cloudless horizon, artistic ornamentation decorating the roadways, the aroma of frankincense hanging in the air and smiling, friendly people – this is some of what I found soon upon arriving in Muscat, Oman, a city of unique Arabian beauty.

Saudi Arabia looms large to Oman’s west, and Yemen runs along its southern border. The U.A.E. sitting on its western tip, though, is Muscat’s closest neighbor and an influence they try to avoid. Determined not to metamorphose... [Read more]

Yazd, Iran and Bahrain

July 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

The City and province of Yazd in Iran holds many wonders of architectural significance. A Zoroastrian Fire Temple in Yazd holds a traditional fire, which has been kept alight by Zoroastrian priests, continuously for over 1100 years. Caravansaries, Islamic architecture including the Friday mosque and wind-towers or badgirs, which act as incredibly effective cooling systems for homes and public structures.

Bahrain is an archipelago of 33 islands in the Arabian Gulf and offers a blend of ancient and modern. Skyscrapers... [Read more]

Baalbeck, Lebanon and Palmyra, Syria

July 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

Baalbeck, Lebanon’s greatest Roman treasure, can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world. The largest Roman temples ever raised, they are built on an ancient tell that goes back at least to the end of the third millennium BC. The Romans placed the Temple of Jupiter on an enclosed court that was first built on the tell during the first millennium BC and was enlarged during the Hellenistic period. The first view the visitor has of Baalbeck is the six Corinthian columns of this temple soaring into the sky.... [Read more]

Krak des Chevaliers, Syria

July 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

The hill on which Krak des Chevaliers was constructed, was originally the site of a smaller fort called the “Castle on the slope”. The Emir of Homs, who garrisoned his Kurdish soldiers there to protect the Syrian interior, took it over in 1011. In 1110, the Crusaders under Tancred, Prince of Antioch, occupied the small fortress. It housed a garrison of four thousand soldiers and fortifications were built throughout their occupation.

The stronghold was attacked in 1163 by Nur ed-Din Sultan of Damascus... [Read more]