Ali mjr
Covering around 35 acres, this carefully planned ceremonial complex is a powerful symbol of ancient Persian civilization,. It´s located in Fars Province in the south, at the foot of the Kuh-e Rahmat (“Mountain of Mercy”) a one-hour drive from Shiraz and roughly ten to 12 hours from Tehran, depending on traffic and road conditions (there are also regular 90-minute flights between Tehran and Shiraz).
Founded around 518 BCE by Darius I, Persepolis served as the ceremonial he
Ousmane Garba Kounta
With a population of around 22 million, this vast landlocked country in West Africa is a bit larger than California and Texas combined, and about five times the size of the entire United Kingdom. It´s a place of sweeping Sahel landscapes, ancient cities, and extraordinary cultural depth, with a climate ranging from hot, dry desert in the north to semi-arid and tropical zones farther south. Travelers visit for its legendary heritage—Timbuktu, Djenné, Dogon Country—its music
If you're looking for an exciting place to spend your next holidays, allow us to suggest one of the world's most interesting and welcoming countries. Located in the northwest of South America astride both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Colombia and its people will make you feel welcome and at home whilst you discover amazing new sights, sounds, flavours, and experiences. Here's how:
The mix of cultures in this country has given rise to some 150 genres of musi
José Balido
In 2021, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation) honoured Spain´s capital with its first World Heritage Site designation, elevating Madrid to the ranks of destinations with districts or monuments worth preserving for future generations (the larger Madrid community surrounding the capital already had UNESCO sites, including the royal sites of El Escorial and Aranjuez, which make marvelous day trips).
The city´s leafy Paseo del Prado boulevard,
Honduras is one of Central America’s most underrated destinations. While many travelers rush to its neighbors, Honduras quietly offers a rich mix of Caribbean beauty, Mayan history, tropical rainforests, and authentic local culture. Whether you’re planning an adventurous backpacking trip or a family vacation, Honduras has plenty to offer for every kind of traveler.
Honduras is blessed with diverse landscapes—from turquoise beaches and coral reefs along the Caribbean Sea t
Mariaplr
Hugging Spain's upper border with Portugal, the autonomous community of Extremadura, composed of the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz, is well known to other Spaniards as a proud land of strong traditions; rich history; distinguished cuisine; and fascinating historic, architectural, and natural riches.
In fact, in particular this is considered one of the country's under-the-radar eco-paradises, with extensive and dramatic valleys, plains, and natural parks that attract nature-lovers
Palestine´s West Bank - a territory of just under 2,200 square miles with a population of 4.2 million, wedged betwen Israel and Jordan - has long been a trove of history and culture enjoyed by millions of visitors in recent decades, especially those attracted to biblical history (mostly but far from exclusively Christians from around the world). But beginning in the fall of 2023, Israel responded to the brutal murders and kidnappings of more than a thousand of its citizens by Gaza´s
A British Overseas Territory with a land area of just 21 square miles – the size of a middling city anywhere in the world – and a population of 73,000, Bermuda is named after its original discoverer, Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez. It has been settled for 412 years and has been a popular tourist destination – especially for those in the United States, for whom it´s a flight of just over two hours from the East Coast – since the 1880´s, when the Hamilton Hotel (now the Fairmont
Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is home to some of the most fascinating remnants of the ancient Maya civilization, and among them, the Tulum ruins stand out as a spectacular destination that combines history, culture, and breathtaking coastal scenery. Nestled on a cliff overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea, the Tulum archaeological site offers visitors a unique glimpse into the past while providing stunning natural beauty. For travelers interested in exploring ancient mysteries, a Tulum Ruins tou
Some of the world’s most famous ruins can be found in this expansive, steamy lowland peninsula covering the southern Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo (as well as, many people don’t realise, northern Belize and the Guatemalan state of Petén, home to Tikal). The two best known, Chichén Itzá and Tulum, are celebrated for a reason. But if you’re particularly fascinated, as I am, with the Mundo Maya, you’ll want to add several more days to your visit here, as the
by Pamela Acosta Ruiz
Even in a hemisphere full of spots with unique appeal to visitors, Xochimilco in Mexico’s Federal District (about an hour from downtown Mexico City’s main square, the Zócalo) can claim a special place.An Aztec town dating back to the 10th century, today Xochimilco (“field of flowers” in the local Nahuatl language), it largely has the feel of a Mexico City suburb it's become, but with one major exception, for which it is justly famous: its 170-square kilometre (66-square-m
If you're looking for an exciting place to spend your next holidays, allow us to suggest one of the world's most interesting and welcoming countries, Colombia. Located in the northwest of South America astride both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Colombia and its people will make you feel welcome and at home whilst you discover amazing new sights, sounds, flavours, and experiences. Here's how...
The mix of cultures in this country has given rise
In southern Jordan, just under three hours from capital Amman, one of the most recognisable ancient sites in the MIddle East - and indeed, the world - was rediscovered by archaeologists in 1812. But it dates back to at least the 2nd century BCE and probably earlier, settled by an ancient Bedouin Arab tribe called the Nabataeans, who spoke Aramaic rather than Arabic and grew into a wealthy, powerful kingdom which at its height - and until it was absorbed by the Roman Empire in the
ERCC
A bit smaller than England and a bit larger than New Mexico this chunk of West Africa (formally known in French as Côte d'Ivoire), gets only some 670,000 visitors a year but deserves many more, as a fascinating mix of natural, cultural, and historical attractions. Here are its top draws:
Abidjan
The country's largest city as well as sub-Saharan Africa´s sixth largest (pop. around 5.7 million), the former political and still economic capital is a bustling metropolis with a mix of
Luca Galuzzi - www.galuzzi.it
The territory of what is today Libya, along with Algeria and Tunisia, was once part of ancient Rome´s second most prosperous region after Italy itself, beginning with the Roman Republic´s conquest of Carthage and the rest of the Punic Empire in 146 BCE and lasting until 439, when it was in turn conquered by Germanic Vandals. Its legacy (as well as that of ancient Greece, which had its own colonies along this coast) lives on today in some extraordinary archaeologic
Photos: Linda Cooper
Congratulations are in order! UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has just this summer honored Spain's capital city with its first World Heritage Site designation, elevating Madrid to the ranks of destinations with districts or monuments worth preserving for future generations (the larger Madrid community surrounding the capital already had UNESCO sites, including the royal complexes of El Escorial and Aranjuez, which make marvelous day
I will never forget, nearly 40 years ago, laying eyes for the first time on my first ancient archaeological site. About an hour’s drive north of Mexico City, this UNESCO World Heritage complex of temples absolutely electrified my imagination and became a driving force in my fascination with not just archaeology but travel and world cultures in general. Teotihuacán has that kind of impact.
Even after decades of study, archaeologists still aren’t quite sure who (Toltecs? Otomi? M
When it comes to tourism in Central America’s largest country, the city that tends to get most of the attention is Granada (while ironically, capital Managua is pretty much avoided by all but business people). But in many ways I find its traditional – and less tarted up for tourists/expats – rival Santiago de los Caballeros de León, even more fascinating, beginning with the fact that despite its somewhat lower contemporary profile among foreigners, Nicaragua's second largest city (aft
