Kuwait City
When Kuwait City was protected by a wall, gates such as this one allowed folks to enter and exit while the wall protected the city from attack. Around a…
Must-see attractions in Middle East
Jerusalem
The Mishkenot Sha’ananim ('Tranquil Dwellings') neighbourhood was largely developed by English Jewish philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore, and its 1857…
Iran
In the mid 20th-century the Pahlavis swept away a former Safavid precursor to build a two-storey palace that, apart from its two Corinthian columns, is an…
Amman
Built in AD 191, this elaborate public fountain was once a large, two-storey complex with water features, mosaics, stone carvings and possibly a 600-sq…
Bur Dubai
This colourful cluster of Lego-style buildings in Creek Park was designed for kids to playfully explore scientific concepts, the human body, space…
Tel Aviv
The story of the Palmach, from its establishment in 1941 until the end of the Arab–Israeli War of 1948, is the focus of this multimedia museum. Starting…
Tel Aviv
Built in the 18th century, this imposing stone building just south of Kedumim Sq originally served as a hostel for Jewish pilgrims arriving at Jaffa and…
Bethlehem
Built in the 19th-century church, the Lutheran Christmas Church is linked to the International Center of Bethlehem and was inaugurated by Kaiser Wilhelm…
Tel Aviv
Built in 1916 by Jaffa’s Ottoman governor of the same name, this white limestone mosque built on the border of Tel Aviv and Jaffa has always had symbolic…
Tel Aviv
An icon on Habima Sq, this looming, minimalist steel sculpture by Menashe Kadishman (1932–2015) was constructed from 1967 to 1976 to address the economic…
Jerusalem
Perhaps challenging your definition of 'new', the New Gate was completed in 1889 under Sultan Abdul Hamid, to allow direct access from the newly built…
Jeddah
Built in the early 20th century as the British legation’s headquarters in Jeddah and serving in that role from about 1915 to the mid-1930s, Beit Al Balad…
Israel
Planetanya is part of the recently-opened Madarame Centre for Science, Space and Culture. Besides the planetarium and its space films, it also has…
Al Ula
A few kilometres north of old Al Ula, Umm Al Daraj (Mother of Steps) is worth a detour. Climbing the hill reveals three red-sandstone religious structures…
Manama
This large, modern mosque is named after the second caliph of Islam and has an architectural style and interior common across the city. There are no…
Kuwait City
This is the official seat of the emir’s court. The L-shaped Sief Palace that faces the roundabout is the original structure, dating from the early 20th…
Bahrain
A traditional house from the pre-oil period, Beit Seyadi once belonged to a pearl merchant. The house, located off Sheikh Isa Ave and closed for…
Al Ula
This 300m-high mountain east of Al Ula features stone settlements and caves with pre-Islamic inscriptions and drawings, but there was no access to it at…
Bethlehem
Midnight Mass at this pink-toned church, next door to the Church of the Nativity, is broadcast across the world on Christmas Eve, but there’s nothing like…
Israel
Though it doesn't look particularly impressive from the outside, this is one of the few Crusader buildings in Israel to have survived almost completely…
Bethlehem
If you’ve always wondered where exactly ‘shepherds watched their flocks by night’, drop into Shepherds’ Field, a parklike area just outside Beit Sahour…
Muscat
Marking the approach to the capital's main military camp, this attractive roundabout with its seafaring murals and proud clock tower has become a major…
Bethlehem
The museum, housed in a typical 19th-century Palestinian home, is made up of three rooms recreated as a traditional Bethlehem family abode, with many…
Kuwait City
Back when Kuwait's main industry was pearl diving, this old city gate (around a century old) allowed traders in and out of the city's walls. While the…
Kuwait City
City gates once lined Al Soor St – one that remains is Al Jahra Gate, at the centre of where Al Soor St meets the First Ring Road. Despite the gate's…
Israel
The quaint historic museum is housed in a collection of period buildings that lend insight into the pioneer spirit that drove the early Zionist immigrants…
Tel Aviv
Beyond the sea wall is a cluster of blackened rocks, the largest of which is named after the goddess Andromeda. According to Greek mythology, Andromeda…
Israel
Experts can't agree whether this 14th-century tower was built as a minaret or a watchtower. One indisputable fact is that the 30m-high structure was built…
Caesarea
Out on the the jetty, on the top floor of the Citadel, is the Time Tower, whose computer-generated graphics present the city at different periods in its…
Saudi Arabia
Built by Mohammed Bin Abdul Wahed in 1897, this historic building features a mix of Hejazi and Roman architecture with Islamic flourishes. Last occupied…
Israel
Housed in a building dating from the British Mandate, this small museum provides an overview of the town’s history. Exhibits include locally excavated…
Tel Aviv
On the south end of Rothschild Blvd is this monument and fountain that commemorates the 66 families who won the lottery for Tel Aviv's founding plots…
The Ancient City
Tucked along Wadi Siyagh, at a bend in the rocky wadi bottom, there is a hint of former excavation along the wadi walls. Most of the edifices in the…
Akko
This Greek Orthodox Church dates from the early Ottoman period, though it was built on an earlier Crusader church. Entering the courtyard, immediately on…
Madaba
Built in the late 19th century as the administrative centre of the Ottomans, this grand old building was subsequently used as the headquarters of the…
The Negev
Rota is one of the northernmost wineries along the Negev Highlands Wine Route. Run by artist Erez Rota, this small vineyard and winery, set amongst cacti…
Tel Aviv
Not quite Big Ben, this Ottoman clock tower was funded by residents to mark the 25th anniversary of the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909). The…
Doha
Visitors can see well-groomed Arabian horses up close at these stables not far from the Falcon Souq. You can walk around the indoor stables during the…
Church of St Nicodemus & St Joseph of Arimathea
Israel
Constructed in the 19th century on a site that Christians believe to be the site of biblical Arimathea, the hometown of Joseph, this Franciscan church has…
Manama
This iconic sculpture, most likely a homage to the classic Bahraini dhows, overlooks a busy roundabout and is featured on the BD1 note. Unfortunately, it…
