Aleppo, war and earthquake does not stop the people
We did not know what to expect when we arrived in Aleppo. What would the city look like after years of war and the recent earthquakes? In the countryside, we had seen so many...
Category: Middle East
Damascus, the beauty is under the surface
It was with anticipation and excitement we left Beirut for Syria and Damascus. We did not know what to expect; would we feel welcome? I joined this group with Against the Compass, and five...
Syria, it is the people that suffer
Some will say you support Bashar al-Assad’s regime if you go to Syria. I want to emphasize; I support the people of Syria. They are the suffering victims of boycotts and blockades. I did...
Baalbek has the best Roman ruin outside of Rome.
Baalbek might not be a hidden secret, but many people do not know these Roman ruins exist. You will be blown away when you visit it—absolutely one of the finest examples of Imperial Roman...
Byblos, The Phoenician alphabet was developed here
Byblos, Jbail in Arabic, has immense importance in History. But between here and Beirut, you can also see a giant statue of Maria, and if you leave the coastline, drive into one of the...
Tyre and Sidon, the cradel of history
Two essential cities from the Phoenician era were Tyre and Sidon. Both were flourishing commercial centers for international trade. On the UNESCO list, you will find the Roman-era architecture of Tyre. At the same...
Tripoli, where is the danger?
You can read and hear many places that Tripoli is an unsafe city to visit. Maybe it is, but so are so many other places worldwide; I had an exciting day in the city....
Beirut, the former Paris of the east
For decades Beirut was touristically a no-man`s-land—the 15-years civil war descent into anarchy. Today Beirut might lack the old-world charm, but the restoration of Ottoman- and French-era architecture is eminently present. Downtown is the...
Lebanon, a green oasis in the middle east
Nature has been good to Lebanon; it has the sea, beaches, green wallies, forests, vineyards, snowy mountains, and still a tiny country. All this abundance has also been its curse since so many people...
Wadi Rum, caravans have journeyed here for millennia.
Wadi Rum was once part of the Silkroad, and goods were transported between different cultures in this desolate landscape. T.E. Lawrence Wadi Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T.E.Lawrence, who...
