Petra

Petra UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for Petra: Situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and inhabited since prehistoric times, the rock-cut capital city of the Nabateans, became during Hellenistic and Roman times a major caravan centre for the incense of Arabia, the silks of China and the spices of India, a crossroads between …

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Wadi Rum Protected Area

Wadi Rum Protected Area UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jordan

From the World Heritage inscription for the Wadi Rum Protected Area: Wadi Rum Protected Area (WRPA) is located in the southern part of Jordan, east of the Rift Valley and south of the steep escarpment of the central Jordanian plateau. It comprises an area of 74,200 hectares. WRPA’s natural values include desert landforms developed within …

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Quseir Amra

Quseir Amra UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jordan

From the World Heritage inscription for Quseir Amra: Quseir Amra bears exceptional testimony to the Omayyad civilization which was imbued with a pre-Islamic secular culture whose austere religious environment only left behind insignificant traces in the visual arts. It is the best conserved architectural ensemble, if not the most complete, of all the Omayyad palaces …

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Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa’a)

Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a) UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa’a): Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa’a) is strongly associated with monasticism and with the spread of monotheism, including Islam, throughout the region. The artistic and technical qualities of the mosaic floor of St Stephen’s church justify describing Um er-Rasas as a masterpiece of human creative genius. It …

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Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan”

Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” - UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan”: Situated on the eastern bank of the River Jordan, nine kilometers north of the Dead Sea, the archaeological site consists of two distinct areas: Tell Al-Kharrar, also known as Jabal Mar-Elias (Elijah’s Hill) and the area of the churches of Saint John the …

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Places Everyone Should Visit in the Middle East

Places Everyone Should Visit in the Middle East

From Petra to Pamukkale, the Middle East is bucket list worthy, with natural wonders, ancient history, and vibrant culture. Mesmerizing ancient architecture is a huge part of visiting the Middle East as well as satisfying culinary delights, distinctly different as you move from place to place. While many flock to the obvious wonder,: the Pyramids …

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Out of Africa

The last 60 hours have been interesting to say the least. To tell the story will take a bit of time and is a great reminder of how things on the road are totally out of your control. The plan was to leave Luxor on Friday evening hoping to take a bus to Hurghada on …

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On to Petra

I’m now in Petra. I spent the last two nights in a bedouin camp in Wadi Rum. I spent all of yesterday there taking a camel through the desert taking photos, slept in a tent, and ate semi-traditional bedouin food with mini version of the UN: Italians, Koreans, Japanese, Sweeds, Malaysians, British, French, Germans, Jordanians, …

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McArabia: McDonald’s in the Arab World

Since I last wrote about McDonald’s when I was in Dubai, I’ve been in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan. As all of the McDonald’s in the Arabian Peninsula are owned by the same company, there isn’t a whole lot to add to what I had to say about McDonald’s in Dubai. I managed …

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