The village of Imlil is tucked into the High Atlas Mountains. Trekkers use Imlil as a base for climbing Mt. Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa. However, you needn’t be a mountain climber to enjoy the crisp air, soaring views and traditional charms of this Berber village. It makes a great day trip from Marrakech, only 90 minutes away.
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About seventeen miles south of the Sea of Galilee is one of the world’s most extensively excavated Greco-Roman sites – Beit She’an (aka Scythopolis). Blessed with fertile land and abundant water, this strategic location at the convergence of the Jordan and Jezreel Valleys has been occupied at least since the 5th millennium BCE and holds remains from Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Israelites, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines in 18 distinct layers. At its peak, as the main Roman Decapolis city, Beit She’an had a population of 40,000.
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The funerary temple of Djoser at Saqqara (Sakkara) pictured here was built nearly 5,000 years ago for one of the earliest kings of our mystery country.The area served as the burial grounds for the national capital at Memphis. Djoser’s nearby tomb was an architectural prototype of the world-famous royal tombs at Giza, some 15 miles to the north.
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According to legend the island of Delos, pictured above, was the birthplace of the twin Olympian gods Apollo and Artemis, making it a sacred place. In antiquity it was a major religious, political and trading center. The Cyclades island group is so-named because it encircles and protects Delos. That a group of islands should be named based on their position in relation to Delos, is one indication of its importance. Today, the island’s only permanent inhabitants are the toppled remains of an illustrious past, and those remains are some of the best we have from Classical antiquity. Modern visitors to the island come on short excursions from neighboring islands. The 6th-century BCE lions lining the Sacred Way once numbered 12. What we see in the open air today are replicas, with the remaining originals protected from the elements in the nearby museum.
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Where the Aegean and Mediterranean meet, near the resort town of Fethiye, Ölüdeniz is one of the favorite beach areas in our mystery country. The sandy-pebbly beach sweeps in a long, gentle crescent past Ölüdeniz village and wraps around a sandbar at its western end. The sandbar forms the sheltered Blue Lagoon, a national nature reserve. Beaches here are awarded the Blue Flag designation by the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE) for meeting high standards of environmental protection, safety and access.
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The leaning tower pictured above is known as Capital Gate. It is located in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, aka UAE, and is the center piece of the National Exposition Center. With an 18-degree lean to the west (more than 4 times the lean of the tower at Pisa), Capital Gate holds the current record as the leaningest of leaning towers. Unlike the Pisa tower, this one leans on purpose.
A number of innovative engineering measures assure that the building will not topple, among which is its pre-cambered core, which means the concrete core was built to lean in the opposite direction of the completed building. The tension between the core and the outer structure provides stability.
The building’s design is meant to evoke the surrounding natural environment of desert and sea, with the tower representing swirling sand and the wave-like canopy, known as the “splash.”
The tower’s 35 levels are occupied by offices on the lower floors and the Hyatt hotel in the upper floors. The asymmetry of the building means every room has a unique shape. The exterior of the building is covered in 12,500 panes of glass, each of which is a different size.
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The Museum of Islamic Civilization pictured above is in Sharjah, about a 30 minute drive from fellow emirate, Dubai. Housed in the historical Souq Al Majarrah building, the museum’s extensive permanent collection is exhibited in sections on religion, science and technology, and 4 galleries of Islamic art.
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In the capital city of our mystery country, the Malecon seawall and waterfront boulevard is a popular gathering place, especially for young lovers watching the sun drop into the Gulf of Mexico. The Malecon stretches for 5 miles around the heart of the city and is lined with elegant, dilapidated villas.
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Ajloun Castle (Qal’at Ar-Rabad) is a 12th century fortress built by the Muslim Ayyubid dynasty to enforce order amongst local tribes, guard nearby iron mines and defend against Crusaders in the northern Jordan Valley. The castle sits at about 4,000 feet atop Mt. Auf the highest ground in the area, with gorgeous views across olive groves and pine forests for miles around. A visit to Ajloun Castle pairs well with the Roman site of Jerash, about 30 minutes away. This is also a beautiful area for hiking and the protected, cool mountain forests are a welcome retreat from sweltering summer temperatures in this desert country.
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This Sahara desert camp is tucked into the Erg Chebi dunes near the village of Merzouga near the southeastern border of our mystery country. Most campers at this spot come through the oasis town of Erfoud, about a 90 minute drive to the northwest. This is glamping for sure. Tents are furnished with very comfortable beds, antique carpets and private toilets, showers and sinks. Sumptuous, multi-course meals are prepared in a kitchen tent right on the spot and served in a dining tent or in the open-air. After dark, local villagers entertain with traditional music and dancing around a central bonfire. Exploring the dunes by camel or on foot is encouraged, especially at sunset and sunrise, but only with a guide.
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