Photos of Konya, Turkey
Konya, in central Anatolia, is known for its association with the Persian poet and mystic, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, or Rumi (1207 – 1273). Rumi spent much of his life here as a religious teacher and his tomb is housed inside the Mevlana Museum, the main attraction in the city…
Photos of the Mosaics in Madaba, Jordan
Since the Middle Bronze Age, Madaba has been home to the Israel and Moab kingdoms, the Roman and Byzantine empires, Christians and the Umayyad Caliphat. It’s in present-day Jordan where you can find the Byzantine-era mosaic map of the Holy Land.
Photos of Ma’in Hot Springs Resort & Spa near Madaba, Jordan
Tucked into a ravine, the Ma’in Hot Springs Resort & Spa is a gorgeous accommodation near Jordan’s side of the Dead Sea. The 30 kilometre drive from Madaba takes you on a snaking road through desert countryside…
Mujib River Canyon: Hiking through the lowest nature reserve on earth (Jordan)
The desert air pulls the liquid from my lungs with each step up the mountain. It has been 20 minutes of climbing on packed sand, with monstrous dunes breaking out of the earth in all directions. We’re exploring the Mujib Nature Reserve, the lowest altitude nature reserve on earth…
Lunch in the Eastern Desert of Jordan
A small, white, concrete house with a simple, white, concrete wall around it looks unremarkable in Azraq, a little town known for its wetland in the eastern desert of Jordan. And it is. It’s the family home of Tahseen, his wife, and their three children.
Photos of Jordan: the Eastern Desert Castles
The main population of Jordan spans the western side of the country, from the north above Amman to the southwestern corner of Aqaba. I was intrigued, then, to hear about the eastern “desert castles.”
Photos of Jordan: Wadi Rum
The night is still, the sun has set, the stars are twinkling above. My friend and I leave the handful of people still awake and venture out into the silent desert. We are staying in a campsite in Wadi Rum, a 720-square kilometre desert in southern Jordan…
Photos of Petra, Jordan
The capital of the Nabateans, Petra, is an archeological site that dates back to the first centuries BC to AD. It then became a major caravan centre in the Hellenistic and Roman times for trading: silks from China, incense from Arabia and spices from India.
Photos of Jordan: Amman
“Hello, what’s your name?” asks a small voice behind my left hip. I turn around to see a young girl of about nine years old beaming up at me, her large brown eyes twinkling with curiosity. Although she only knows a few practiced phrases in English, she is quick to pose for my camera and invites her friends along.
The things I learned from sitting in a Bedouin tent
After dinner, a small group of us were invited to the home of one of the local families who lives a few minutes walk away. A gathering of seven male family members greet us with warm smiles and words of welcome. We sit down in a circle on well-worn carpets and are offered coffee…