Arwad Island in Syria
25 January 2025 | Author/Destination: Levant / Levante | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time: 9 minutes Arwad, the classical Aradus, is a town in Syria on an eponymous island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative center of the Arwad Subdistrict (nahiyah), of which it is the only locality. It is the only inhabited island in Syria. It is located 3 km (1.9 mi) from Tartus (the ancient Tortosa), Syria’s second-largest port. Today, Arwad is mainly a fishing town. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, during the 2004 census, it had a population of 4,403, predominantly Arab Sunni Muslims. Plans were unveiled in May 2016 to renovate the island to become a tourist attraction. The island is currently surrounded by ancient Phoenician era walls. read more…Meze
19 January 2025 | Author/Destination: Levant / Levante | Rubric: General, Bon appétit, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time: 10 minutes Meze (also spelled mezze or mezé) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in eastern Mediterranean cuisines: Syria, Iraq, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Armenia. It is similar to Spanish tapas and Italian antipasti. A meze may be served as a part of a multi-course meal or form a meal in itself. Meze are often served with spirits such as arak, rakia, raki, oghi, ouzo, or grappa at meyhane and ouzeri or at regular restaurants. read more…Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights
1 August 2024 | Author/Destination: Levant / Levante | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time: 8 minutes
Golan Heights cherries © Palmon Adi/cc-by-2.5
Mediterranean Region
29 July 2023 | Author/Destination: Around the World / Rund um die Welt | Rubric: General, French Riviera, European Union, Living, Working, Building, Sport, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time: 28 minutes
Monaco © Tobi 87/cc-by-sa-3.0
Umayyad Mosque in Damascus
3 July 2023 | Author/Destination: Levant / Levante | Rubric: General Reading Time: 7 minutes
The shrine of John the Baptist (Prophet Yahya) © Lars Mongs, Arxfoto/cc-by-4.0
The European Union: European Neighbourhood Policy
8 January 2023 | Author/Destination: Knut Wingsch | Rubric: General, Editorial, EU blog post series, European Union Reading Time: 11 minutes
The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is a foreign relations instrument of the European Union (EU) which seeks to tie those countries to the east and south of the European territory of the EU to the Union. These countries, primarily developing countries, include some who seek to one day become either a member state of the European Union, or more closely integrated with the European Union. The ENP does not apply to neighbours of the EU’s outermost regions, specifically France‘s territories in South America, but only to those countries close to EU member states’ territories in mainland Europe. read more…
Krak des Chevaliers in Syria
2 February 2022 | Author/Destination: Levant / Levante | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time: 7 minutes Krak des Chevaliers or Crac des Chevaliers, also called Ḥiṣn al-Akrād (literally “Fortress of the Kurds”) and formerly Crac de l’Ospital, is a Crusader castle in Syria and one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world. The site was first inhabited in the 11th century by Kurdish troops garrisoned there by the Mirdasids. In 1142 it was given by Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, to the order of the Knights Hospitaller. It remained in their possession until it fell in 1271. read more…Holy Land
24 December 2021 | Author/Destination: Levant / Levante | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time: 9 minutes
Star of Bethlehem in the nativity grotto of the Church of Nativity in Betlehem © Dirk D./cc-by-sa-3.0