I started in Cairo and for Egypt I focus on Mount Sinai and the Monastery of St Katherine, the oldest working one in the world. No doubt many will wish to know more about Syria, a country which these days is difficult to visit. Krak des Chevaliers was a major crusader fortress and was greatly admired by TE Lawrence. A photo is shown on the main page.
The Citadel at Aleppo
The souk is one of the biggest in the Middle East, while other buildings are featured such as the famous Barons Hotel.
The souk is one of the biggest in the Middle East, while other buildings are featured such as the famous Barons Hotel.
Palmyra unfortunately cannot be viewed these days, but I was fortunate to visit it before it was extensively damaged. This Greco- Roman establishment was a major trading hub in the region and as such Roman buildings sat beside earlier ones such as the temple of Bel above.
On the left below is the mausoleum of An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub otherwise known as Saladin in Damascus. Damascus at the time I visited it was a city where the Catholic cathedral happily co-existed side by side with a mosque. Other points of interest include the Umayyad Mosque and early Christian churches.
In Jordan at Petra amongst tombs carved in the rock and Roman colonnades, perhaps the most notable building is the Treasury below right. Also in Jordan is Wadi Rum, where TE Lawrence had his headquarters during the Arab Revolt against their Ottoman rulers.
Worth inclusion is the underground city at Derinkuyu Cappadocia and some scenes from Istanbul.
