Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Apocalypse Cave, Patmos, Greece
St. John Monastery, Patmos, Greece
Beit Alpha, Israel
Beit Shean, Israel
Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey
Madaba, Jordan
Qasr Amra, Jordan
Volubilis, Morocco
All the clues in this post refer to one Ya’lla Tours destination: Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Turkey, or United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai).
We’ll show you images of popular tourist sites in our mystery country, along with descriptions of those sites. Continue reading
HAGIA SOPHIA, ISTANBUL, TURKEY
Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) rises like a rust-colored mountain near the end of Istanbul’s Historic Peninsula, overlooking the confluence of the Sea of Marmara, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus Strait. The city originated on this peninsula and Hagia Sophia has been there almost since the beginning. OK, that’s not quite true, but it has been there for a very long time. The city originated, as Byzantium, in the 7th century BCE. In the 4th century, the Roman emperor Constantine claimed Byzantium as his capital and renamed the city Constantinople. Constantine was the first Christian emperor of Rome. The building we know as Hagia Sophia was built in 537 CE by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, on the ruins of two previous cathedrals. Hagia Sophia stood as the largest cathedral for almost 1,000 years. The dome spans over 100 feet and is 180 feet high. Upon conquering the city in 1453, Sultan Mehmet II was so impressed with the building, he made it his imperial mosque. The design of many subsequent mosques built in the city was influenced by the Hagia Sophia.
It’s very impressive from the outside but, for me, the real WOW experience happens inside. It’s just so big and wide-open, you really feel like a speck of dust in there. Continue reading
Here’s a look at the shopping experience in some Ya’lla countries:
Dubai souk
Dubai souk
All the clues in this post refer to one Ya’lla Tours destination: Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Turkey, or United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai).
We’ll show you images of popular tourist sites in our mystery country, along with descriptions of those sites. Continue reading
All the clues in this post refer to one Ya’lla Tours destination: Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Turkey, or United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai).
We’ll show you images of popular tourist sites in our mystery country, along with descriptions of those sites. This time, our subject is not technically a country but more of a city-state Continue reading
Eye of Horus, Eye of Ra, Daughter of Ra, and Wadjet are just some of the names associated with the enigmatic symbol pictured above. Surely you’ve seen it, whether or not you have been to Egypt. It’s one of the most recognizable symbols of Ancient Egypt, but what does it mean?
Primarily, the eye is a protector. However, the symbol has been around since the very early days of Egypt and over many centuries numerous, sometimes conflicting, stories arose about its origins, actions and significance. It’s pretty confusing. 3,000 years of stories and traditions are not easily digested and squeezed into a nutshell. So, I’ll just give the most common meanings here. Continue reading
All the clues in this post refer to one Ya’lla Tours destination: Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Turkey, or United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai).
We’ll show you images of popular tourist sites in our mystery country, along with descriptions of those sites. This time, our subject is not technically a country but more of a city-state Continue reading
All the clues in this post refer to one Ya’lla Tours destination: Bahrain, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Turkey, or United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi and Dubai).
We’ll show you images of popular tourist sites in our mystery country, along with descriptions of those sites. This time, our subject is not technically a country but more of a city-state Continue reading
Volubilis, Morocco – This is the main street, Decumanus Maximus, leading to the triumphal Arch of Caracalla. Porticoed walkways and shops lined the street.
Volubilis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in a fertile plain at the foot of the Jbel Zerhoun (jbel = mountain), about a 30-minute drive from Meknes and about 1 hour from Fez in northwestern Morocco.
CLICK to see tours to Morocco. A stop at Volubilis can be added to any of our Morocco tours. Continue reading
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