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Sultanate of Oman
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Sultanate of Oman. The country boasts a string of forts, remnants of a rich historical past such as Bahla, on the northern coast of the Indian ocean or Birtakal, located far into deserted lands.
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Sultanate of Oman. Muscat is a remarkably clean capital owing its harmonious attitude towards urban planning and regulations which are fully accepted by its population.
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Sultanate of Oman, Muscat. Its ornate dome is a fine example of Omani aesthetics, while this minaret with clock is rather unusual.
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Sultanate of Oman. In Muscat, palm trees and lawns contribute harmoniously to the capital's atmosphere.
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Sultanate of Oman. The great mosque in Muscat.
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Sultanate of Oman. The coffeepot is a symbol of hospitality and a common decorative motif although not as representative of Oman as the khanjar, a curved dagger with its silver-threaded sheath which nowadays is still worn for special occasions. The khanjar, which says much about the origins of its owner, is a symbol of manhood and courage.
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Sultanate of Oman. Incense-burners seen on the left are a typical Omani decorative motif and refer to the past economic bounty which frankincense created for Oman. The country's sea front was another ancient source of wealth and inspiration: sea shells and safes holding such treasures as bracelets and rings.
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Sultanate of Oman. Situated almost at the end of the track leading from Muscat to Sur, Wadi Shab is a popular resting stopover.
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Sultanate of Oman. Marking one of the Sur city gates, this roundabout accurately reflects the laid-back, welcoming atmosphere of the place, uniquely located at the eastern tip of the Arabic peninsula.
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Sultanate of Oman. Sur proudly demonstrates its rich historical past through a string of forts on its coast line.
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Sultanate of Oman. These sprawling white or pastel-colored villas say much about Sur's booming economy.
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Sultanate of Oman. In the typical old districts of Sur, some animals run about almost freely. Here, chickens and goats live in the streets facing the channel.
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Sultanate of Oman. Richly decorated doors often mark the entrance of simple or grander homes alike, rewarding visitors venturing into the narrow streets of residential districts with delightful surprises.
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Sultanate of Oman, Ayjah. This watch tower standing high up on a cliff on the southern side of Sur sound faces the city shipyards which for centuries have been building fine wooden dhows.
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Sultanate of Oman. Sunset over Sur, nestled between channel and mountains.
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Sultanate of Oman. A typical morning scene in Omani villages: cistern trucks making water deliveries. They may be of all makes and ages but are always painted in the same shade of blue.
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Sultanate of Oman. "Ras" means "head" and as such, Ras Al Hadd designates the westernmost cliff of the Arabic peninsula marking the entrance to the sound on which the city of Sur has developed.
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Sultanate of Oman. In the region of Qurayrat.
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Sultanate of Oman. Nizwa, its palm tree forest and fort which used to control access to the central region of the country.
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Sultanate of Oman. Jabrin fort, located north of Nizwa.
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Sultanate of Oman. From the heart of the country, this road heads north then west, all the way to the border with the United Arab Emirates.
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Sultanate of Oman. Khassab is the main town on the Musandam peninsula. It ends on Ormuz Strait, where the Arabian-Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean merge.
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Sultanate of Oman. Khassab fort is located on Musandam peninsula, which is an Omani enclave into the north-eastern territory of the United Arab Emirates.
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Sultanate of Oman. Sunrise on Khornajd, the only "fjord" on Musandam peninsula which can be accessed by road.
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United Arab Emirates
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United Arab Emirates. Coming from Arabia, these model gas stations are a most welcome sight.
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United Arab Emirates. The back-country is a real playground...
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U.A.E. Between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the Ibn Battuta shopping mall lets you travel through the architectural beauties of Andaloucia, Tunisia, Egypt, Persia, India and even China.
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U.A.E. Past the Hard Rock Café, Sheik Zayed Road takes you through a corridor of skyscrapers.
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U.A.E. Viewed from Garhoud Bridge, Dubai Creek and City Center imitate a renowned Australian city...
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U.A.E. Dubai, the district of Deira.
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U.A.E. Dubai. Dhows, the local wooden boats have been trading their loads on the Creek wharves for centuries.
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U.A.E. Dubai. Deira big mosque is another new building in this ever-expanding city turned into one gigantic construction site.
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U.A.E. Dubai. The high towers of Deira district on the eastern bank reflected in the Creek waters.
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U.A.E. Dubai. At night, the lights of the Burj Al Arab tower change colors every minute. This symbol of Dubai will soon come second after the highest tower in the world is completed. The top should be over 700 meters high...
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U.A.E. Dubai. Between the Beach Road and the sea shore, empty lots are scarce. Too late for your own personal palace!
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U.A.E. Dubai. If you feel like a trip to Tuscany, why not go shopping at the Mercato Mall in the Jumeira district?
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U.A.E. Dubai. Between the Beach Road and Al Wasl Road, Jumeira is a chic residential district where expats coming from the West or from the Indian sub-continent as well as wealthy Emirati families live.
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U.A.E. Dubai.
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U.A.E. Dubai. On weekends, Indians and Pakistanis enjoy their favorite game, cricket!
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Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia. The archeological site of Medain Salah, in the North West of the country is located on one of the ancient commercial roads through which incense was brought from Yemen. The Nabateans prospered here as in Petra, Jordan where similar tombs were carved in sandstone. Visitors can have this gigantic, forlorn site to themselves and fully enjoy its unique atmosphere.
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Saudi Arabia. What sort of sights appear behind the wheel? A group of camels crossing a highway, sand blanketing a country road, a truckload of camels with sandstone rocks in the background and the ring road around Riyadh, the capital.
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Saudi Arabia. City gates monuments often double as checkpoints. The bottom photo features on its right the state emblem: a palm tree, symbol of growth and prosperity, located centrally over two crossed swords representing power and valour. As long as we're at it, here is an excerpt from the national anthem:
A. is Great, oh my homeland
Long live my homeland
A source of pride for M.
Long live the King, to saveguard the flag
And the homeland.
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Saudi Arabia. Along the Red Sea shores as here near Duba, the main building material used to be coral limestone; while forts were made of clay, as here in Hofuf, in the Eastern part of the country.
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Saudi Arabia. Jeddah's corniche is lined with tall buildings facing the sea shore embellished with contemporary sculptures. The historical district, with its houses of coral limestone, is nestled in the heart of the city.
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Saudi Arabia. Jeddah, The old district was built with limestone of fossilized coral quarried from reefs in the Red Sea. The 200 year old facade decorations reflected the owners' business such as here, which probably was a clock shop.
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Saudi Arabia, Jeddah. In the narrow streets of the old district, shops are mainly tended to by Pakistani and Bengladi immigrants, countries who share the same religion as Saudi Arabia. The national flag reads "There is no God but the (one) God and M. is the Messenger of God".
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Saudi Arabia. Roundabouts and curbs are decorated with sculptures which often refer to the history, geography or economy of the city.
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Saudi Arabia. Along the Red Sea shores, gas stations are often quite ornate. ATM machines are conveniently made available to drivers in need of refueling their powerful cars, quite often of American make.
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Saudi Arabia. Behind the village of Shela, the beige sandstone mountain is topped by a dark basalt layer, a remnant from its volcanic past. The ruins of Old Al Lula are spread out in a forest of palm trees.
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Jordan
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Jordan. A narrow passage between huge sandstone walls leads to one of the most famous temples on the ancient Nabatean site Petra, famous also for its housing quarters and tombs carved inside the rocks.
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Jordan. 800 steps to clim up to the "monastery" of Petra which commands a view on Wadi Al Araba. Down in the valley, rooms were carved into multi-colored sandstone so designed by the wind.
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Southern Jordan. The huge vertical walls of the Wadi Rum desert are said to have inspired the title of Lawrence of Arabia's biography, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
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Southern Jordan, Wadi Rum desert. The central and southern parts of this desert feature huge sandstone rocks standing on a bed of bright pink sand.
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Southern Jordan, Wadi Rum desert. These sandstone rocks are carved by the wind into fantastic pastries - improbable meringues or waffles.
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Southern Jordan, Wadi Rum desert. Towards the east and the border with Saudi Arabia, the landscape opens up into wide valleys surrounded by steep rock walls relentlessly attacked by climbing sand dunes.
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Western Jordan. On the shores of the Dead Sea, salt has covered everything, whether mineral or vegetal, thus creating unexpected features and textures.
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Jordan, Jerash. In the northern part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the modern city of Jerash has developed right next to its archeological site. We found this propinquity surprising yet somewhat endearing.
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Jordan, Jerash. This 21 century-old monument, marking the intersection of the two main streets (decumanus and cardo) is still the standing hommage of a husband - the Roman emperor Septimus Severus - to his Syrian wife.
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Syria
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Syria, Bosra. Walking back from a trip to the bakery on main street, the Roman decumanus still in use nowadays. Bosra has the unique charm of an archeological site still lived in nowadays.
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Syria, Damascus. Night falling on the city, with its market and mosques.
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Syria, Damascus. Christmas lights in the Christian district, that families come to admire at night, Christians and Muslims alike. Indeed, various religious denominations live here in peaceful harmony and complementing one another: Muslims come and shop in Christian districts on Fridays, a courtesy returned to Christians on Sundays, when their own shops are closed...
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Central Syria, Harbaqa. Only a 4WD will get you to this 20 meter high dam built in the 1st century by... the Romans!
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Central Syria, Palmyra. The temple of Bêl, located on the southern side of Palmyra, the fantastic city of Queen Zenobia.
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Central Syria. Standing alone in the middle of an open steppe, the ruins of qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi as built by the Omeyyads in the 8th century.
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North-western Syria. The sun shining on the gypsum stones of Sergiopolis gives a fantastic touch to this gigantic site. Its system of water cisterns is as big as that of the Topkapi palace in Istanbul!
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Syria. An overview of Aleppo, pistachio city, taken from its citadel, which successfully resisted all attacks launched against it.
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