1,000 Places to See Before You Die

by Patricia Schultz

  WHERE: 220 miles/360 km north of Damascus. BEIT SISSI: Tel 963/21-221-9411. Cost: dinner $25. MANSOURIYA: Tel 963/21-363-2000; www.mansouriya.com. Cost: $360. YASMEEN D’ALEP: Tel 963/21-212-6366; www.yasmeenalep.com. Cost: $135 (off-peak), $240 (peak). BARON HOTEL: Tel 963/21-211-0880. BEST TIMES: Mar–May after the winter snows; Sep–Nov following the summer heat.

  Islamic Gem at the Heart of a Historic City

  OMAYYAD MOSQUE

  Damascus, Syria

  Although Damascus can trace its roots back to the 3rd millennium B.C., the city’s golden age was during the period immediately following the founding of Islam in A.D. 610. It was at this time that the revered Omayyad Mosque was built, named for the 7th-century caliphate responsible for spreading Islam from the Middle East across North Africa and eventually as far as Spain. It was the largest contiguous empire the world has ever seen, and its capital was Damascus.

  The mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, anchors the Old City and today is one of the most important sites in all Islam—second in spiritual significance only to the mosques of Mecca and Medina (see p. 467). Built in A.D. 705 on the remains of a Byzantine cathedral (itself built on the site of earlier temples), its design influenced Islamic art and architecture around the world. Unlike Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock or Istanbul’s Blue Mosque (see pp. 449 and 580), the Damascus Omayyad’s most eye-catching features are within, where detailed golden mosaics cover the façades of its enclosed central courtyard. A sacred site that is open to non-Muslims, the mosque complex houses the remains of three legendary figures: the 7th-century martyr Hussein (Mohammed’s grandson); John the Baptist, who is revered as a prophet in Islam and for whom there is a small shrine believed to contain his head; and the Crusade-era warrior Saladin.

  Just west of the Mosque is the Souq al-Hamidiyeh, the Old City’s main market. It’s actually a clutch of mini souks clustered according to the goods they sell: spices, sweets, handicrafts, and textiles such as damask, named after the city where it was first made.

  Damascus’s dining scene has become increasingly sophisticated. Naranj—“orange” in Arabic—across from the Roman Arch on the wrongly named Straight Street—is always busy with those who come for its traditional, regional menu. Enjoy lamb cooked with okra and a sublime sayadieh (fish with rice) in a lively inner courtyard or on the roof terrace.

  Outside the Old City, near the National Museum, the Four Seasons is a classic Western retreat that distinguishes itself by its Syrian hospitality. For those who crave Oriental charm, the eight-room Beit Al Mamlouka, set in a 17th-century Damascene home, was the first in the city’s burgeoning boutique-hotel scene.

  The Dome of the Treasury has eight mosaic-covered sides.

  NARANJ: Tel 963/11-541-3443. Cost: dinner $35. FOUR SEASONS: Tel 963/11-339-1000; www.fourseasons.com/damascus. Cost: from $340. BEIT AL MAMLOUKA: Tel 963/11-543-04-456; www.almamlouka.com. Cost: from $180. BEST TIMES: Mar–May for nice weather; Nov for Eid al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan.

  “The Finest Castle in the World”

  KRAK DES CHEVALIERS

  Syria

  Castles are the stuff of knights and legends, but no fanciful tale could ever live up to the reality that is the Krak des Chevaliers (Castle of the Knights). Indeed, back in 1909—long before becoming known as Lawrence of Arabia—a 20-year-old T. E. Lawrence declared that Krak des Chevaliers was “the finest castle in the world. Certainly the most picturesque I have ever seen—quite marvelous.”

  Bleak and brooding, the impregnable castle sits alone like a vast battleship on an impenetrable spur above an endless green plain in western Syria and remains one of the world’s best-preserved medieval castles. Most of it was superbly constructed and expanded, from 1144 on, by the Knights of St. John. Under their care, the castle became the largest Crusader fortress in the Holy Land.

  The Krak is ideally located on an age-old caravan route between Damascus and Beirut, at the only significant break in the mountain range between Syria and Lebanon. As for its construction, so mighty was this moated bastion, with 13 watchtowers studding its fortified walls and the capacity to hold 5,000 soldiers, that it was impenetrable. Even the fearsome Arab sultan Saladin forebore to attack the Krak, taking one look at its thick walls and retreating without a fight. Ultimately, the castle did fall, taken in 1271 by folly rather than force when a forged letter convinced the knights of their commander’s order to surrender.

  For the next several centuries, the Krak maintained its military usefulness, though by the early 1800s European travelers were beginning to appreciate its form as much as its function. It is one of the few places displaying frescoes from the time of the Crusades. Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt—who would ultimately rediscover Petra and Abu Simbel (see pp. 459 and 380)—described Krak as “one of the finest buildings of the Middle East I ever saw.” Today, it remains just as fine, thanks to light restoration work carried out in 1936 by the French, who ruled the country (along with Lebanon) in the period between the two World Wars.

  WHERE: 93 miles/150 km north of Damascus; 111 miles/180 km south of Aleppo.

  Grandeur in the Desert

  PALMYRA

  Syria

  “It is lovely and fantastic and unbelievable,” enthused Agatha Christie of Palmyra, which she visited while living in Syria and writing Come, Tell Me How You Live. Palmyra (City of Palms) dates back to the 19th century B.C., when it was known as Tadmo; it emerged as an important oasis centuries later, a stop on the fabled Silk Road, a vital link between feudal China and the Crusader-era Mediterranean. Palmyra’s coffers brimmed as it levied heavy tolls on caravans transporting precious cargo; because of its wealth and prestige it became known as the “Bride of the Desert.”

  What remains today of Palmyra are its incomparable ruins—elegant arches and pillars crafted from pink stone that rise from the desert across a 100-acre site and date to the town’s zenith during the 2nd century, when it was an annex of Rome. At that time some 200,000 people inhabited the city, which was so prosperous it mimicked Rome itself in its elaborate architecture. The half-Greek half-Arab Queen Zenobia mounted a successful rebellion against Rome in A.D. 269—an act that made her a heroine in both the ancient and modern worlds. But Palmyra’s decline followed a few centuries after, beginning with a conquest by the Muslims in 634 and ending with a massive earthquake in 1089.

  Almost 9 centuries later, in 1924, excavation began on Palmyra, most notably of its magnificent Temple of Bel (circa A.D. 32) and its amphitheater, both of which have been partially reconstructed. The Great Colonnade, Palmyra’s main street, is almost a mile long and is lined with more than 300 standing columns. An unusual series of more than 150 tower tombs serve as vertical repositories for the dead. Looming over the site are the nearby mountaintop ruins of a 17th-century Arab citadel, an atmospheric perch from which to view the sunset and to see the ruins bathed in pink and orange light at the day’s end.

  Romans called the ancient oasis city Palmyra, which meant “city of palms.”

  WHERE: 135 miles/217 km northeast of Damascus. HOW: U.S.-based Travcoa’s 9-day “Essence of Syria” tour includes Palmyra. Tel 800-992-2003 or 310-649-7104; www.travcoa.com. Cost: from $4,285, all-inclusive. Originates in Damascus. When: Oct. BEST TIMES: Oct–Jan to avoid the scorching heat; 1st week of May for Palmyra Music Festival.

  Oasis in a Sea of Sand

  THE EMPTY QUARTER

  Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

  Despite its unpromising name, there’s much to see in the Empty Quarter, a massive 250,000-square-mile desert expanse encompassing parts of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. It is earth’s largest uninterrupted desert, a no-man’s-land bigger than Holland, France, and Belgium combined.

  The Quarter, as it is known, is characterized by an ocean of sand dunes reaching up to 820 feet in height. There is little plant or animal life and lots of extreme heat, along with some of the largest oil fields on the entire planet. Explorers, geographers, geologis
ts, and other scientists have traversed this forbidding space since the 16th century; biologists have recently discovered new plants and birds whose ability to survive in such conditions continues to confound them.

  As for tourists, they have begun to explore the area close to Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Desert, near the Saudi border. This is where you’ll find the new Qasr al Sarab Resort, a mirage-come-true modeled after an ancient Emirati fort. Built on a vast scale, its rooms, suites, and villas are sumptuous, decorated with hand-woven textiles and carpets. At night its crenellated towers and turrets are lit with torches straight out of Ali Baba. It’s a carefully staged production that gets all the details right, from the palm-lined pool to the Asian/Arabian Anantara Spa offering coconut body wraps and sand exfoliation. Dinner is served in a Bedouin tent under a star-studded desert sky.

  All across the Liwa are those mythic, massive red dunes, home to both desert villages and the oasis of Al Ain, where fresh waters sustained the ancient caravans of traders. Today Liwa offers some of the most adrenaline-pumping off-road adventures. Dune bashing is a roller coaster ride for 4WD buggies that blaze vertical trails up and over the towering dunes. There is plenty for the serenity seeker here, as well, including early-morning rides to watch the sunrise and silent desert walks in the late afternoon. The resort can also arrange camel treks with the local Bedouins and lessons in the traditional Arab pastimes of archery and falconry.

  WHERE: Al Ain is 90 miles/144 km south of Abu Dhabi. QASR AL SARAB DESERT RESORT: Tel 971/2-886-2088; www.anantara.com. Cost: from $490. BEST TIME: Jan–Apr, when the desert heat is less.

  A Desert Town’s Meteoric Transformation

  DUBAI

  United Arab Emirates

  A gleaming, towering, skyscraping, Persian Gulf–front metropolis, the pint-size emirate of Dubai has risen from the desert floor in a never-ending quest for the world’s biggest, brightest, and costliest urban amenities. Under the leadership of its prime minister, the visionary Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, it has become the region’s leading cultural, commercial, and leisure destination seemingly overnight. But beyond the sleek towers and Jetsons-like modernity, Dubai’s historic core still resonates with surprising Arabian authenticity. Experience it firsthand at the Dubai Museum, housed in the 1787 Al-Fahidi Fort, one of the city’s oldest buildings. The museum’s interactive installations explain in fascinating detail the story behind the city’s meteoric transformation.

  Another glimpse into pre-petrodollar Dubai can be had next door in the historic enclave of Bastakiya, where coral- and gypsum-walled buildings are capped by the traditional wind towers that kept Emiratis cool in an era before electric power. Bastakiya has been transformed into a cultural district, with cutting-edge galleries, boutique hotels, and restaurants. Basta Art Café offers lunch in the leafy courtyard of a traditional home; order from a menu of simple, regional dishes, such as grilled haloumi cheese and a lemony asparagus salad. Things turn romantic at Bastakiya Nights, where Emirati and Arabian cuisine is served in either a candlelit courtyard or on the rooftop, with views of Old Dubai.

  Dubai Creek is the city’s original thoroughfare, and the best way to experience it is with an evening cruise aboard a traditional dhow. Hop on an abra (a water taxi) to reach Dubai’s celebrated souks in the old Deira district: Follow the smell of saffron, chiles, and frankincense to the Spice Souk, but save your money for the Gold Souk, Dubai’s—and one of the gulf’s—largest and most famous. The long promenade lined with hundreds of tiny gold shops, offering finished pieces as well as raw metal, is a regulated market and an international center of gold trade.

  At Dubai’s opposite extreme is a spectrum of man-made wonders. Although its brand-new appeal is mellowing (it was completed in 1999), the city’s most recognizable structure remains the Burj al-Arab, an elegant sail-shaped hotel perched on its own private island in the emerald Persian Gulf. The seven-star resort may be beyond most budgets, but come for a look (though visits for nonguests aren’t free, and even a table for tea in the hotel’s 27th floor Sky Bar will cost you).

  New architectural arrivals include the eye-popping Burj Khalifa, which opened to much fanfare (and with a price tag of over $1.5 billion) in 2010 as the world’s tallest building at 2,717 feet. On 30 of its lower floors is the Armani Hotel: Each of the 160 rooms and suites is a showcase of design from high priest of fashion Giorgio Armani. Both the tower and the hotel are part of Dubai’s downtown development, where you’ll find The Address, a 63-floor hotel-and-apartment hybrid whose guest rooms offer perhaps the best Burj Khalifa views in town.

  With barely a third of its residents actual Emirati citizens, Dubai is powered by the labor of millions of foreign workers. Many are Muslims, for whom the stunning Jumeirah Mosque was built in 1998. Crafted from smooth white stone and capped by a pair of elegant minarets, the mosque is one of the few in the UAE open to non-Muslims, with frequent informative tours.

  The Burj Khalifa rises over the city.

  VISITOR INFO: www.definitelydubai.com. DUBAI MUSEUM: Tel 971/4-353-1862; www.dubaitourism.ae. BASTA ART CAFÉ: Tel 971/4-353-5071. Cost: lunch $20. BASTAKIYA NIGHTS: Tel 971/4-353-7772; www.bastakiya.com. Cost: dinner $40. BURJ AL-ARAB: Tel 971/4-301-7000; www.jumeirah.com. Cost: from $1,500; afternoon tea $110. ARMANI HOTEL DUBAI: Tel 971/4-888-3888; www.dubai.armanihotels.com. Cost: from $450 (off-peak), from $1,000 (peak). THE ADDRESS: Tel 971/4-436-8888; www.theaddress.com. Cost: from $350. JUMEIRAH MOSQUE: Tel 971/4-344-7755. BEST TIMES: Nov–Mar for mildest weather; last Sat in Mar for Dubai World Cup.

  The Unique Architecture of Arabia Felix

  OLD SANAA

  Sanaa, Yemen

  Sanaa, located in a deep mountain valley some 7,200 feet above sea level, was supposedly founded by one of Noah’s sons and claims to be the oldest inhabited city on earth. Its ancient medina quarter, Old Sanaa, is a miragelike confection of extraordinarily ornate mud-brick houses that form an intoxicating architectural tableau—some 6,000 of them are 400 or more years old.

  Most of the flat-roofed homes rise four to six stories along the narrow streets and are decorated with delicate moucharabies (the projecting windows and balconies enclosed with elaborate wooden filigreed screens that are ubiquitous throughout Arabia). Mud-brick walls are embellished with brilliant white gypsum that lends the façades a wedding-cake-like appearance. Blue doors and slim window panes made of delicate alabaster serve as final accents on this unique form of medieval architecture.

  The structural wonders continue. A thicket of minarets rise from more than 100 mosques. Sanaa’s Great Mosque is among the most striking in the Islamic world. Dating back to A.D. 630, the time of the Prophet Mohammed himself, it is also among the oldest. More than 40 markets make up the labyrinthine Suq al-Milh, each with its own specialty. Frankincense and myrrh are sold here, together with roasted locusts, sticky dates, sequined fabrics, and handwoven carpets. There are endless spices, some used to spike fiery kebabs, which can be sampled along with flat breads, honey cakes, and dried fruits at hole-in-the-wall eateries.

  While there are numerous modern hotels in the new city, staying in the old quarter is a great way to get lost in its endless charms. The Burj al Salam (Tower of Peace) is the best of the lot. Located in the heart of the old city, it is a modest but atmospheric hotel with 47 comfortable rooms in a traditional building. It provides both Old Yemeni hospitality and modern conveniences, along with a rooftop terrace where you can experience the sunset, when Sanaa is at its most magical.

  Rounded minarets are frequently seen in Old Sanaa’s ornate mud-brick architecture.

  HOW: U.S.-based Caravan Serai offers a 13-day tour that includes Old Sanaa. Tel 800-451-8097 or 206-545-1735; www.caravan-serai.com. Cost: $3,480 all-inclusive. Orginates in Sanaa. When: late Jan–early Feb. BURJ AL SALAM: Tel 976/1-483-333; www.burjalsalam.com. Cost: $85. BEST TIME: Oct–Mar for good weather.

  The Manhattan of the Middle East

  SHIBAM

  Yemen

  Eight stories may not seem parti
cularly tall by modern city standards, but in Shibam—an ancient walled city in eastern Yemen’s Wadi Hadhramawt oasis—it’s high enough to have once earned the town the title “Manhattan of the Desert,” bestowed by British explorer Freya Stark, who first came here in the 1930s. A wadi is a verdant valley during the rainy season, and Hadhramawt is the largest in the Arabian Peninsula, owing its wealth to both its fertile soil and its prime position on Yemen’s historic Incense Route. For 500 years, from roughly the 3rd century B.C. onward, caravans laden with frankincense—then the region’s most valuable commodity—plied these ancient corridors. The trade of frankincense, along with dates, textiles, and myrrh, fueled and funded a building boom that resulted in a wealth of unique, multistoried, cube-formed architecture.

  Today, some 500 of these “tower” houses are crammed into Shibam’s walled core, a car-free quadrangle barely half a mile long. Most were completed in the 16th century, crafted from straw-reinforced mud bricks and painted at their tops and bases with white lime plaster. Delicate-yet-angular wooden screened windows festoon their façades, which average five to ten floors in height. Strict building codes mean that newer homes are virtually indistinguishable from Shibam’s originals. And a new, joint Yemeni-German preservation program is helping ensure that Shibam’s distinctive design is not lost to modernity.