Sights in Middle East
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Valley of Jehoshaphat
The word Jehoshaphat in Hebrew means 'God shall judge', and this narrow furrow of land, located between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives, is where it is said that the events of the Day of Judgement are to take place.
According to belief, all of humanity will be assembled together on the Mount of Olives, with the Judgement Seat on the Haram opposite. Two bridges will appear, spanning the valley, one made of iron and the other made of paper. According to God's judgement each person will be directed to cross one or the other. But there's no suspense, the Bible gives the ending away: the iron bridge will collapse and those sent across it die, while the paper bridge…
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Abila (Quwayliba)
Lying just 10km north of Irbid, between the twin hills of Tell Abila and Tell Umm-al-Amad, are the ancient remains of the Decapolis city of Abila. At first glance you’d be forgiven for thinking that this site could only be enjoyed by the committed ruin hunter or the aspiring archaeologist. Indeed, little remains of this once-great city, especially since the earthquake of AD 747 did a pretty thorough job of turning Abila into a rock-strewn field. To date, much of Abila remains largely unexcavated and the site certainly isn’t set up for visitors, though you don’t need a guide to find the Roman-Byzantine theatre or the scattered remains of columns from the markets,…
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Temple of Bacchus
Temple of Bacchus . This temple was in fact dedicated to Venus/Astarte, not Bacchus, and is the most beautifully decorated temple in the Roman world. Completed around AD 150, it is also in a great state of preservation. While it wasn't built on the scale of the Temple of Jupiter, it more than makes up for this with style and decoration.
Ironically it was called 'the small temple' in antiquity, although it is larger than the Parthenon in Athens. The entrance is up a flight of 30 stairs with three landings. It has a portico running around it with eight columns along the façade and 15 along the sides. They support a rich entablature; the frieze is decorated with lions and…
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Al-Mohammediyya
Hama's most distinctive attractions are its norias, wooden water wheels up to 20m in diameter (the equivalent in height of a four- or five-storey building), which have graced the town for centuries. The land around the Orontes is considerably higher than the river itself, which is deeply incised into its rocky bed, making it hard to irrigate. The norias were constructed to scoop water from the river and deposit it into aqueducts, which then channelled it to nearby fields and gardens.
There have been norias in Hama since at least the 5th century AD, as attested by a mosaic displayed in Hama's new museum, but the wheels seen today are the design of the 13th-centruy…
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Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles
The city is dominated by the vast Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles , known as Qala'at Sanjil in Arabic. In AD 1102 Raymond de Saint-Gilles occupied the hill which overlooks the valley, the town and the coast. He decided to transform this position, which he called Mont Pelerin (Mt Pilgrim), into a fortress. The original castle was burnt down in 1289, and again on several subsequent occasions.
It was rebuilt (1307-08) by Emir Essendemir Kurgi, and was added to right up until the 19th century. As a result, only the foundation stones remain of the original construction.The first entrance is a huge Ottoman gateway, over which is an engraving from Süleyman the Magnificent,…
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Christian Quarter
Jerusalem's Christian Quarter is an attractive blend of clean streets, souvenir stalls, hospices and religious institutions belonging to 20 different Christian sects. At its centre stands the Holy Sepulchre, and everyone, tourists and pilgrims alike, tends to be drawn towards it.
As you enter from Jaffa Gate, the first two streets to the left - Latin Patriarchate Rd and Greek Catholic Patriarchate Rd - indicate the tone of the neighbourhood, named as they are after the offices there. The roads lead to St Francis St and in this quiet area around New Gate the local Christian hierarchy resides in comfort.
Heading straight across Omar ibn al-Khattab Sq you'll find a narrow…
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National Museum of Beirut
Once situated on a strategically important intersection of the former Green Line, the must-see National Museum of Beirut has an impressive collection of archaeological artefacts, statuettes and sarcophagi. Every hour, between 09:00 and 16:00, the museum screens 'Revival,' a fascinating short documentary on how staff saved the collection from the destruction of the civil war and subsequently restored the museum to its former glory.
The easiest way to get to the museum is to either take a 15-minute walk from Sodeco Square along Rue de Damas (part of the former Green Line), or hail a service taxi and ask for Musee or the Hippodrome.
Inside, the exhibits are organised from…
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Qasr al-Azraq
This imposing fort is where TE Lawrence and Sharif Hussein bin Ali based themselves in the winter of 1917–18 during the Arab Revolt against the Turks. Lawrence set up his quarters in the room above the southern entrance, while his loyal followers braved the elements in other areas of the fort. They were holed up here for several months in crowded conditions with little shelter from the intense cold – gaping holes in the roof were patched up with nothing but palm branches and clay. Despite the hardships endured during his stay at Azraq, TE Lawrence writes fondly about the time spent with his men at arms. In the evenings everyone would assemble before a great fire in the…
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Great Colonnade
The spine of ancient Palmyra was a stately colonnaded avenue stretching between the city's main funerary temple in the west and the Temple of Bel in the east, and covering a distance of almost 1km. Unlike the typical Roman model, Palmyra's main avenue was far from straight, pivoting decisively at two points - a result of piecemeal growth and improvisation.
Where the modern asphalted road slices across the ancient way is an imposing monumental arch ( M04D2). Dating from the reign of Septimius Severus, when Palmyra was at its peak, the construction is actually two arches, joined like a hinge to swing the street through a 30-degree turn, aiming it at the Temple of Bel.
The…
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Yazd Water Museum
For at least 2000 years Iranians have been digging qanats (underground water channels) to irrigate crops and supply drinking water. To build a qanat you first need to find an underground water source. This source could be more than 100m deep, but as the whole system is reliant on gravity the source must be higher than the final destination. Then you dig a tunnel just wide and tall enough to crawl along, so the water can flow across an extremely shallow gradient to its destination.
The mounds of soil you'll see in long lines across the desert are the top of wells, dug to dispose of excavated soil and allow ventilation.
Because of the hazards and expense of constructing a …
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Main Museum
Bequests and donations from the faithful fill the Haram’s fascinatingly eclectic museums. The Main Museum kicks off with chunks of now-superseded shrine-décor interspersed with contemporary sporting medals presented by pious athletes. The basement stamp collection includes a 1983 commemorative featuring the ‘Takeover of the US Spy Den’. The 1st-floor Visual Arts Gallery offers you the opportunity to shower money (or hats) down onto the top of the Holy Shrine’s fourth zarih tomb encasement (replaced in 2001). Amid seashells and naturalist landscape-paintings of Surrey, notice Mahmood Farshchian’s modern classic Afternoon of Ashura. It’s a grief-stricken…
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Khan al-Franj
Khan al-Franj is the largest, most beautiful and best preserved of the many khans built by 17th century Fakhreddine, and was donated to the French by Fakhreddine to encourage trade relations. The khans all followed the same basic design, with a large rectangular central courtyard, fountain, covered arcades (used for stables and storage) and a galleried second storey providing accommodation for merchants and travellers.
In the 19th century, the Khan al-Franj was Sidon's principal khanand the city's centre of economic activity, also housing the French consul. Today, it has been painstakingly restored courtesy of the Hariri Foundation.
The activities of the foundation, many…
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Nad al-Sheba Club
A passionate love of Arabian thoroughbreds courses through the blood of Emiratis, and the Dubai-based Godolphin stables are well known to horse-racing enthusiasts worldwide. Though racing season officially starts in November, the Dubai International Racing Carnival (late January through March) is when things really heat up. But it’s not the white-linen set that packs these weekly races. It’s the not-so-civilised drunk expats in shorts and T-shirts – at least in the public areas. For access to the stands, you must wear a ‘lounge suit’, basically a jacket and trousers. The season culminates in the Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest horse race, with prize money…
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Aqaba Castle
Aqaba Castle, measures around 50m by 50m although it is unusual in having sides of slightly uneven length. It is worth looking around as it has been partially reconstructed and gives some sense of its original form. The first castle may have been built by the Crusaders in the 13th century, but most scholars attribute its construction to the Mamluks during the reign of the sultan Qansur al-Ghuri (1510-17), as attested by the attractive relief inscriptions in Arabic inside the entrance gate.
In one of the eastern rooms off the main courtyard are further inscriptions suggesting that the castle was renovated and enlarged by the Ottomans in both 1587 and 1628. In subsequent…
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Basilica of the Annunciation
Dominating the Nazareth skyline is the Roman Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation, the largest church in the Middle East and one of the Christian world's most holy shrines. The church is believed to stand on the site of Mary's home where the Angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she was pregnant with the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38).
Commissioned by the Franciscan church and consecrated in 1969, architect Giovanni Muzio was told to create something 'modern, multinational and mysterious'. With its imposing dome, the church (the fifth to have stood on this spot) certainly has a modern feel. The rather weird mix of artwork, mother-and-child themed gifts donated by…
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National Museum
Once the pride of Kuwait, this museum is still under restoration. The centrepiece of the museum, the Al-Sabah collection, was one of the most important collections of Islamic art in the world. During the Iraqi occupation, however, the exhibition halls were systematically looted, damaged or set fire to.
Following intense pressure from the UN, the majority of the museum's collection was eventually returned, but many pieces had been broken in transit, poorly stored and, some suggest, deliberately spoiled. Nonetheless, this beleaguered collection has since been displayed in London's British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York while waiting to be restored in…
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Beiteddine Palace
Beiteddine (House of Faith) is the name of both the village and the magnificent palace complex that lies within. The palace, perched on a steep elevation, rises from the surrounding landscape like a fairytale vision, a Scheherazadean delight rendered with Italianate flair (in fact, the architects were Italian).
Work began on the palace in 1788 but wasn't completed for another 30 years, during which time Emir Bashir, the Ottoman-appointed governor, oversaw the building of a monument that would reflect the power and glory of his reign.
Visitors to Beiteddine have to be grateful for the Ottoman's streak of egomania. The result is one of the finest remaining examples of…
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Dubai Museum
Unless some mad scientist invents a magic time-travel machine, this nifty museum is your ticket to exploring Dubai’s history, culture and traditions in an hour or so. Exhibits are housed in the 1799 Al-Fahidi Fort, considered the oldest building in Dubai and once the seat of government and residence of Dubai’s rulers.
This low-key museum tells the Dubai story with minimal fuss and plenty of charm. Start with a quick spin around the courtyard with its old-time fishing boats and traditional dwellings, including a barasti house with wind tower. Pop behind the heavy carved wooden doors to check out modest displays of instruments and handcrafted weapons before heading down…
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Mount of Olives
Offering visitors a big slice of biblical history, along with some of the most spectacular views over Jerusalem, is the Mount of Olives. According to the Book of Zechariah, this is where God will start to redeem the dead when the Messiah returns on the Day of Judgement. In order to get a good place in line, Jews have always preferred to be buried here and to date some 150,000 people have been laid to rest on these slopes.
Aside from being the world's oldest continually used cemetery, there are many churches commemorating the events that are believed to have led to Jesus' arrest and his ascension to heaven.
Most of the Mount's churches and gardens are open in the morning,…
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Al-Qurain Martyrs' Museum
Located in the residential suburb of Qurain, a 20-minute taxi ride southeast of the city centre, this small museum is a memorial to a cell of young Kuwaiti patriots who tried to resist arrest in February 1991. Early in the morning, a minibus (the one that is still parked outside) drew up outside the house. When no-one answered the door, the Iraqis bombarded the house for hours with machine guns, bombs and eventually a tank.
Nine of those under siege were captured and tortured to death, while four hid in a roof space. General Schwarzkopf, who visited the house on 14 April 1994, commented that 'when I am in this house it makes me wish that we had come four days earlier then…
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Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora
The Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora doesn't actually display any artefacts from the past. Rather, this is a good collection of models, dioramas, films and presentations chronicling the diversity of Jewish life and culture in exile. The main role of the museum, Beth Hatefutsoth in Hebrew, is to relate the unique story of the continuity of the Jewish people through exhibition, education and cultural endeavours.
Special attractions in the museum include the Feher Jewish Music Centre, the Douglas E Goldman Jewish Genealogy Centre (where visitors can register their family tree to be preserved for future generations) and a Visual Documentation Centre, which is the…
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King Abdullah Mosque
Completed in 1989 as a memorial by the late King Hussein to his grandfather, the unmistakable blue-domed mosque can house up to 7000 worshippers inside, and another 3000 in the courtyard area. This is the only mosque in Amman that openly welcomes non-Muslim visitors. The cavernous, octagonal prayer hall doesn’t have any pillars, yet it’s capped by a massive dome, 35m in diameter. The inscriptions quote verses from the Quran. The blue colour of the underside of the dome is said to represent the sky, while the golden lines running down to the base of the dome depict rays of light illuminating the 99 names of Allah. The huge three-ringed chandelier contains more Quranic…
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Muslim Quarter
Strolling does not come easy in the Muslim Quarter - visiting the sights here is more a matter of dodging, weaving and ducking. You'll need agility as heavily laden carts go trundling past, children zip by with reckless abandon and merchants manhandle you into their shops.
Challenging as it may seem, the hustle and bustle of the Muslim Quarter is relieved by the fragrance of the spice shops, the sight of colourful headgear bobbing amid the crowd and the joy of a hot tea taken on the roof of a guesthouse, with the Dome of the Rock dominating every view.
The Muslim Quarter runs from Damascus Gate east and south towards the Temple Mount. Enter the melee at permanently…
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Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo
Dubai Mall’s most mesmerising sight is this gargantuan aquarium where 33,000 submarine beasties flit and dart amid artificial coral and behind the ‘world’s largest acrylic viewing panel’, as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. Sharks and rays are top attractions, but other crowd-pleasers include a Sumo-sized giant grouper and massive schools of pelagic fish. You can view quite a lot for free from the outside or pay for access to the walk-through tunnel. A highlight here is a darkened cave where you can go nose-to-nose with dozens of toothy sharks. If that’s not close enough, don a wetsuit and join a dive instructor on a shark dive (Dh625 if PADI-certified,…
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Rothschild Blvd
This pleasant leafy boulevard was named after the Jewish family of financiers. At one time Rothschild Blvd was the address to have. It's no longer so exalted but former glories are invoked at Independence Hall (16 Rothschild Blvd), where on 14 may 1948, Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel. Previous to that, the building had been the home of Meir Bizengoff, one of the founders of Tel Aviv.
Entry includes a short introductory film and a tour of the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
West of the junction with Allenby St, the Haganah Museum (23 Rothschild Blvd) chronicles the formation and activities of the Haganah, the military…
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