Like any other large and growing city, Nairobi has a rough underside that travelers are well advised to avoid. But Nairobi is also the vibrant, multicultural epicenter worth a few days to experience. We spent around a week exploring all its interesting parts during the day and lively...
Lamu is a town, port, and island in the Indian Ocean off the East African coast, 240 km northeast of Mombasa. A former Persian, then Zanzibari, colony, Lamu Island rivaled Mombasa until the late 19th century as an entrepôt for gold, spices, and enslaved people. The town of Lamu, the...
We arrived at the charming 15th-century stone village of Dana, which dangles beneath the King’s Highway on a precipice, commanding exceptional views of the valley below. That valley and the surrounding area make up the Dana Biosphere Reserve. The village of Dana has been occupied...
We took a scenic drive from Umm Qais to Pella, near the modern Arab village of Taqabat Fahl. It was one of the cities of the fabled Roman Decapolis. It’s essential to archaeologists because it reveals evidence of 6000 years of continuous settlement. Many of the ruins are spread out...
We spent a night in the northwestern corner of Jordan, in the hills above the Jordan Valley, where the ruins of the Decapolis city of Gadara are now called Umm Qais. The site is striking because it juxtaposes Roman ruins with an abandoned Ottoman-era village. It also has a tremendous...
We arrived in stormy and windy weather at the Umm Al-Jimal near the Jordanian–Syrian border. An extensive rural settlement in the lava lands east of Mafraq. The incredible ruins are located on the edge of a series of volcanic basalt flows that slope down from Jebel Druze, providing high...
We overnight close to the “Monastery of Caves,” a purpose-built Roman fort in the 4th century. The fort primarily served as a sentry post. Like its famous neighbor Umm Al Jimal, Dayr Al Kahf is also constructed of black basalt, though the scattered ruins here are not nearly as...
After our service in Saluki Motorsport, we spent our free afternoon again in Old Dubai around the Al Fahidi historical district. We got there by Dubai Metro (🎟️8 AED, GOLD🎟️ 14 AED), it was supposed to take us some 14 minutes to walk from the Sharaf DG Metro Station, so we first had a...
We had a lovely day in the more conservative emirate of Sharjah (no alcohol available). Sharjah takes a more subtle approach, forgoing glitz to concentrate on culture and history. It is home to some of the country’s best museums and art galleries: the restored Sharjah Heritage Area...
We made it to the smallest of the seven emirates. Most people come here for a beach break. But we parked next to the excellent museum in the fort from the late 18th century. The fort served as the ruler’s residence until 1970 and also saw a stint as the police station. Now, its...