Temple of Trajan, Pergamum, Turkey
Pergamum is an ancient Greco-Roman city in western Turkey, about 15 miles from the Aegean coast, 60 miles from Izmir, the closest airport, 110 miles from Ephesus, and about 320 miles from Istanbul. The modern town on the site is Bergama.
Only forty years ago, the gleaming metropolis of Abu Dhabi that we know today was a hungry, mud-brick speck on the edge of the desert. Most people lived as their ancestors had done, scrapping a meager living from the sea and inland oases.
In 1761, a hunting party of Bedouins followed a gazelle out of the desert to a pool of fresh water near the coast, a miraculous find in that place. (Abu Dhabi means “a place with lots of gazelles.”) They built a well and a watch tower out of coral, sea stone and crushed sea shells to protect and control the water, at that time the greatest form of wealth they knew. The ruling sheikh moved into the fort and Qasr al-Hosn (which means “palace fort”) remained the residence of the local rulers for 200 years there after. Today, Qasr al-Hosn still stands, the cornerstone of Abu Dhabi, now in the shadow of glass and steel skyscrapers, watch towers of another kind built by liquid wealth of another kind.
A settlement grew up around the fort and pearling, fishing and trading industries developed. Piracy also developed and the coast around Abu Dhabi became known as the Pirate Coast by the British, who were passing by regularly on their way to and from India. In the 19th century, the pirate problem led to a series of treaties or truces between the British and area sheikhs. Hence the next British name for the area – Trucial Coast. British influence lasted until 1971. Some contend that the British used piracy as a pretext to get a foothold in the Arabian Gulf ahead of other European powers.
The pearl harvest and trade made Abu Dhabi economically vital through the 19th century and into the 20th. The development of cultured pearls in the 1920s and the global depression of the 1930s all but ended the natural pearl industry, leaving Abu Dhabi pretty much destitute. They fished, grew dates and herded camels and got by, barely. Then came oil.
Oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi in 1958 and exports began in 1962. In 1966, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan sent his older brother Shakhbut into exile and took control. Shakhbut was stuck in the past and making no real effort to put his new wealth to good use. It was a bloodless coup. Sheikh Zayed began right away to invest the new oil wealth in Abu Dhabi and to share it with his neighbors. He built roads, an airport, schools, hospitals, all the infrastructure that a society needs to prosper and progress.
In December 1971, Abu Dhabi joined with five other emirates – Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain – to form the United Arab Emirates. The seventh emirate, Ras al-Khaimah, joined in February of 1972. Abu Dhabi became the capital of the UAE and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan its first president.
Since independence, and oil, Abu Dhabi has become an economic powerhouse, with a per capita GDP in line with countries like Germany, France and the UK. Besides crude oil, natural gas contributes significantly to Abu Dhabi’s wealth and the emirate is actively working to diversify its economy, with steady growth in real estate, banking, tourism and manufacturing. The UAE as a whole is listed in the Very High category of the Human Development Index, which tracks life expectancy, literacy, education, standards of living and quality of life.
Click to see tours of Abu Dhabi on our web site.
from the museum web site
The Maison de la Photographie is a little gem of a museum, which captures a range of Moroccan life through photographs taken 1870-1950, as well as a fascinating 1957 documentary film.
The collection is arranged by region over three levels of a lovely riad in the Marrakech medina. An hour or so spent in the serene galleries and rooftop terrace makes a nice contrast to the intensity of the old city outside. From the café, you have a 360-degree view across the medina to the Atlas Mountains. If you time your café visit to catch the sunset, with the evening call to prayer ringing out over the city, it’s especially magical.
Reasonably priced prints are for sale in the museum shop.
The Maison de la Photographie can be tricky to locate in the medina maze.
A Ya’lla guide will lead you right there.
Click to see Ya’lla tours to Morocco.
Istanbul
Istanbul
Athens
Dubai
Peace
the view from Safed, looking out over the Sea of Galilee, photo courtesy of the Israel Ministry of Tourism
Safed (also spelled Tsfat, Tzfat, and a number of other ways) is a town in the Upper Galilee region in the far north of Israel. It’s one of the few cities in Israel that has been continuously inhabited by a Jewish community for over 2,000 years. At an elevation of 3,000 feet, it’s the highest town in the country, with views out across the Galilee, the Golan Heights and Mt. Meron.
Safed is one of the 4 holy cities in Judaism (along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tiberias). According to legend, the Messiah will come through Safed on the way to Jerusalem and the great Kabbalist Yitzhak Luria taught that the divine presence of the Lord will reside in Safed until the building of the 3rd Temple. Legend also tells that the sons of Noah settled in Safed and established a religious school, where Jacob later studied.
In the 16th century, after the Jews were expelled from Spain, Safed became a center of Kabbalah (mystical Judaism) and Jewish learning. Yitzhak Luria, known as Ha ARI (the Lion) studied with renowned rabbis there and went on to develop his own interpretations of sacred texts and pass them on to his own students. His mostly oral teachings were written down by students and went on to have immense influence on the practice of Medieval Judaism and are the basis for the study and practice of most Kabbalah still today.
Safed, Israel
Safed, Israel
In Safed you’ll find a charming, labyrinthine old town to stroll about, Medieval synagogues, lots and lots of art galleries and artists’ workshops, and stellar views in all directions. In particular, look for the beautiful Abuhav Synagogue and the Sephardic Ha ARI Synagogue, where the Lion himself spent many hours studying and teaching.
Abuhav Synagogue, Safed, Israel, photo by Itamar Grinberg, courtesy of IMOT
art gallery, Safed, Israel, photo by Itamar Grinberg, courtesy of IMOT
kabbalist artist, Safed, Israel
The annual Safed Klezmer Festival is held in August. Performers from all over Israel and the world play venues around town, many open-air, galleries set up shop in the streets and the whole place parties for three days. Klezmer music is a genre of celebratory, secular music, which originated with Eastern European Jews. Check it out below.
Driving time from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv to Safed is about 2-2.5 hours, from Tiberias it’s about 40 minutes.
See tours that include Safed here.
Roman theater, Jerash, Jordan
Gerasa (modern Jerash), 30 miles north of Amman, is the second most visited tourist site in Jordan, after Petra, and one of the world’s most extensive Roman sites outside of Italy.
There is evidence that the area has been inhabited since the Neolithic period but serious development began with the Hellenistic Greeks in the 3rd-century BCE. The city grew and prospered under Roman rule and was a member of the Decapolis, ten politically important city-states in the far eastern reaches of the empire. At its height, in the 2nd-century CE, 20,000 people lived in Gerasa.
Temple of Artemis, Jerash, Jordan
The ancient remains sprawl across an elevated, rolling plain with the modern town and cultivated fields looking on from the surrounding slopes. Much has yet to be uncovered. Demonstrations of gladiator fights and chariot races take place in the hippodrome every day except Tuesday. For three weeks each summer (around late July-early August) the site hosts the Jerash Festival, an acclaimed arts festival with theater, music and dance performances staged among the ruins.
Oval Plaza, Jerash, Jordan
The modern city of Madaba Jordan sits on top of multiple layers of previous inhabitation, going back some 4,000 years. Walking around town you can see the remains of buried structures poking up through the grass. Among Madaba’s excavated past (and probably the unexcavated as well) is a large collection of mosaic floors, walls and ceilings.
After being mostly abandoned for almost 1,000 years, Madaba began to be resettled in the 1880s by Arab Christians. The first mosaics were discovered as they mined the ancient rubble to build their new town. In 1896, the famous mosaic map of the holy land was found and excavation and preservation of Madaba’s mosaics has continued pretty steadily ever since.
St. George’s Church – This is where you’ll find the mosaic map that put Madaba on the map. A modern-era church stands atop the remains of a 6th-century Byzantine church, the floor of which contained this detailed depiction of the Mediterranean basin. The map was originally over 1,000 square feet but only about 1/4 remains.
the famous Madaba Map
detail of the famous Madaba Map
Archaeological Park – This fine open-air museum encompasses the remains of several churches and houses including, of course, some very good mosaics.
Hippolytus Hall mosaic, Madaba Archaeological Park
Church of the Virgin mosaic, Madaba Archaeological Park
Archaeological Museum – Here is a nice little collection of mosaics from Madaba and the vicinity, as well as other artefacts and cultural displays.
Church of St. John the Baptist – Climb the bell tower for sweeping views, then explore the maze of passages that burrow through the hill underneath the church.
Church of the Apostles – If you really can’t get enough mosaics, walk a bit away from the city center to the Church of the Apostles, which houses a beautiful, large mosaic floor.
Church of the Apostles mosaic, Madaba
Um er-Rasas – This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, although it seems utterly forgotten. Hidden in the expansive field of debris, you’ll find Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim ruins in early stages of excavation. The most spectacular discovery to date is the beautifully preserved mosaic floor of the Church of St. Stephen. The site is about 19 miles south of Madaba.
This photo of Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa’a) is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Wadi Jadid – For a nice juxtaposition to the detailed, micro-artistry of Madaba’s mosaics, travel about 6 miles to the southwest to find a field of megalithic tombs from the 3rd millennium BCE. Most of the dolmens are tumbled down but there are enough standing to give a very satisfying sense of mystery and extreme ancientness.
dolmen at Wadi Jadid, Jordan
Madaba is located along the famous King’s Highway, about 20 miles south of Amman.
It pairs nicely with visits to Mt. Nebo, Bethany Beyond the Jordan and the Dead Sea.
To see tours to Madaba click here.
Dhofar, Oman
Amra Castle, Jordan
camel races, Oman
Chora Museum, Istanbul, Turkey
Deira, Dubai
Ya’lla group at Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt
El Aqabat in Egypt’s Western Desert
Fez medina, Morocco
Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo, Egypt
on the Nile in Egypt
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