Katara Cultural Village in Doha

1 April 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Davide Mauro/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Davide Mauro/cc-by-sa-4.0

Katara Cultural Village, also called Katara, is a cultural and commercial complex in Doha, Qatar, located on the eastern coast between West Bay and the Pearl. It was soft-opened in October 2010 during the Doha Tribeca Film Festival.   read more…

Jumeirah in Dubai

6 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Jumeirah Archaeological Site © Sahil.latheef/cc-by-sa-4.0

Jumeirah Archaeological Site © Sahil.latheef/cc-by-sa-4.0

Jumeirah is a coastal residential area of Dubai, United Arab Emirates mainly comprising low rise private dwellings and hotel developments. It has both expensive and large detached properties as well as more modest town houses built in a variety of architectural styles. The area is popular with expatriates working in the emirate and is familiar to many tourists visiting Dubai.   read more…

Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi

20 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Abrahamic Family House model © flickr.com - U.S. Embassy Jerusalem/cc-by-2.0

Abrahamic Family House model © flickr.com – U.S. Embassy Jerusalem/cc-by-2.0

The Abrahamic Family House is an interfaith complex on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The undertaking was inspired by the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis on behalf of the Catholic Church and Ahmed El-Tayeb on behalf of the al-Azhar Mosque on Feb. 4, 2019 in Abu Dhabi. It houses the St. Francis Church, Imam Al-Tayeb Mosque and Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue in separate structures.   read more…

Yazd in Iran

23 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

© flickr.com - Ninara/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Ninara/cc-by-2.0

Yazd, formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd province, Iran. The city is 270 km (170 mi) southeast of Isfahan. At the 2016 census, its population was 529,673. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.   read more…

Jizan in Saudi Arabia

3 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Jazan collage © AliAlghamdi12/cc-by-sa-4.0

Jazan collage © AliAlghamdi12/cc-by-sa-4.0

Jazan, also spelled Jizan, Gizan or Gazan, is a port city and the capital of Jizan Region, which lies in the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia. Jazan City is situated on the coast of the Red Sea and serves a large agricultural heartland that has a population of 319,119 as of 2021 and over 1.5 million, within metropolitan area. As the city is the capital of the region, it has the regional airport as well as Jazan seaport. The area is noted for its high-quality production of tropical fruits like mango, figs, and papaya.   read more…

Shushtar in Iran

26 January 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System © Razie Amirian/cc-by-sa-4.0

Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System © Razie Amirian/cc-by-sa-4.0

Shushtar is a city and capital of Shushtar County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. Shushtar is an ancient fortress city, approximately 92 kilometres (57 mi) from Ahvaz, the centre of the province. Much of its past agricultural productivity derives from the irrigation system which centered on the Band-e Kaisar, the first dam bridge in Iran. The whole water system in Shushtar consists of 13 sites called Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System which is registered as a Unesco World Heritage.   read more…

Carpet Museum of Iran in Tehran

1 November 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, Museums, Exhibitions, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Wojciech Kocot/cc-by-sa-4.0

Very interesting. While a Persian carpet with the motif of an orgy can be admired in the museum, thousands of women are currently being abused, raped and/or killed outside the museum because they no longer want to wear a headscarf and stand up for women’s and universal human rights. It is not against Islam, but against the repressive mullah regime, a completely legitimate request that is supported by millions of activists (especially exiled Iranians) around the world.
Picture © Wojciech Kocot/cc-by-sa-4.0

Located in Tehran, Iran, beside Laleh Park, and founded in 1976, the Carpet Museum of Iran exhibits a variety of Persian carpets (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists) from all over Iran, dating from the 16th century to the present.   read more…

Neom in Saudi Arabia

22 October 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, Building Automation, Green Buildings, Green Technologies, Living, Working, Building, Sustainability Reading Time:  12 minutes

© neom.com

© neom.com

Neom is a city being built in Tabuk Province in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is planned to incorporate smart city technologies and function as a tourist destination. The site is north of the Red Sea, east of Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba, and south of Jordan. It is planned to cover a total area of 26,500 km² (10,200 sq mi), extending 170 kilometres along the coast of the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia aimed to complete major parts of the project by 2020, with an expansion completed in 2025, but it is behind schedule. The project has an estimated cost of $500 billion. On January 29, 2019, Saudi Arabia announced that it had set up a closed joint-stock company named Neom. The aim of this company, which is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, is to develop the economic zone of Neom. The project is planned to be totally powered by renewable energy sources.   read more…

Mada’in Salih in Saudi Arabia

9 September 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

© flickr.com - Sammy Six/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Sammy Six/cc-by-2.0

Hegra (known to Muslims as Al-Hijr, also known as Mada’in Salih or “Cities of Salih”) is an archaeological site located in the area of Al-‘Ula within Medina Province in the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. A majority of the remains date from the Nabataean Kingdom (1st century AD). The site constitutes the kingdom’s southernmost settlement and its second largest city after Petra (now in Jordan), its capital city. Traces of Lihyanite and Roman occupation before and after the Nabatean rule, respectively, can also be found.   read more…

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