Tag Archives: Middle East
A-Z April Challenge (Cities Visited) – P for Petra
Hamish and I visited the ‘Rose City’ of Petra in 2005 as part of an independent tour of Jordan. I pick up as we journey from Madaba near Amman. Journey to Petra, Jordan. We set off bright and early for what promised to be the highlight of our trip – we were not to be […]
Sunday Sunsets – Beirut, Lebanon
I have discovered a blogging family on Twitter who encourage people to post a picture of a sunset on the first Sunday of the month. Mine comes from my 2000 trip to Lebanon. Beirut sits on the shores of the Mediterranean and there is a lovely promenade sweeping around the bay known as the Corniche. […]
A-Z April Challenge (Cities Visited) – A For Aleppo
As many of you may know, Aleppo is my favourite city I have ever visited. We all know the fate that befell this metropolis inhabited for the past 6,000 years that is situated on the ancient Silk Road. I won’t dwell on the horrendous occurrences of the last 9 years though, but will show things […]
My Top Ten Big Cities Outside Europe – Number One, Aleppo, Syria
Aleppo, Syria – population 1.8 million (estimated) Vying with Damascus to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world (6,000 years and still counting despite the recent devastation), Aleppo became my favourite from the moment that we met in May 2009. I had travelled by train from Istanbul to Adana in Turkey and then […]
My Top Ten Big Cities Outside Europe #6 – Beirut
#6 – Beirut, Lebanon (population estimated 1.3 million) I visited the Lebanese capital in 2000 with Hamish, a mighty fine way to start our travels in the new millennium. Beirut had been synonymous with civil war, terrorism & kidnapping but the city I visited was more akin to the Paris of the East title it […]
My Top Ten Big Cities Outside Europe #7 – Damascus
#7 – Damascus, Syria (population estimated 1.8 million) I visited Damascus in 2009, two years before civil war broke out. As a government stronghold, the main city has seen relatively little damage compared to the territories that were held by ‘rebel factions’ or ISIS. I have documented my love of Syria many times on this […]
Monday Morning Blues #16 – Umayyad Mosque, Damascus
Every working Monday me and a few of my Twitter pals (@wilburstravels) post a picture on Monday morning aimed at beating those Monday morning blues. Why not join in and spread the word? Post a picture from a wonderful place that features the colour blue. My choice today is of the fabulous mosque in the […]
