The ancient Parthenon, a classic Greek temple to the goddess Athena, perches atop the massive rock outcropping known as the Acropolis. Located in the center of Athens, it is undoubtedly a stunning architectural accomplishment. However some interesting Parthenon facts illustrate the truly unique nature of this temple. First, construction on the structure originally began in … Read more
Over my past eleven years of round-the-world travel I’ve probably flown through Doha, Qatar, a dozen times. While I was intimately familiar with the airport at Doha, I’d never actually visited the city, so I decided to rectify that this summer. On my way from Jordan to Nepal, I stopped over in the Qatari capital … Read more
The sun assaulted me at Baalbeck ruins in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Brilliant blue skies were perfect for viewing this world’s largest Roman temple, but in the 90-plus degree temperatures I soon ran out of water. I blinked sweat out of my eyes and headed for the nearest kiosk to buy another bottle. A middle aged … Read more
Google “Lebanese flatbread” and you will find more than half a million web sites, but the lion’s share of them discuss thicker breads that lie somewhere between a Middle Eastern-style pita and an Indian naan. Having traveled extensively in Asia and, more recently the Middle East, I have eaten poori, chapati, parotha, roti, lavash, and … Read more
This large palace is one of the more impressive structures at the Umayyad archeological site in Anjar, Lebanon. The settlement, which was founded at the beginning of the 8th century, is located in the Beqaa Valley (sometimes written as the Bekaa Valley). Though today it is a dusty backwater, in its heyday Anjar was an … Read more
