Once we arrived in Kigali, we realized that if Rwanda is the Land of a Thousand Hills, then Kigali’s setting right among rolling green vistas makes this a fitting choice of capital. It is a contender for Africa’s most scenic capital and the cleanest, safest, and most relaxed...
It was supposed to be an easy drive from Namagunga to Kampala, but 39 kilometers took us 7 hours. Uganda’s capital and largest city occupies a series of hills at an elevation of about 1,190 meters and is situated just north of Lake Victoria. Kampala lies just north of Mengo, the...
Like any other large and growing city, Nairobi has a rough underside that travelers are well advised to avoid. But Nairobi is also the vibrant, multicultural epicenter worth a few days to experience. We spent around a week exploring all its interesting parts during the day and lively...
We spent a few days in Amman, Jordan’s capital and largest city. The city is built on rolling hills at the eastern boundary of the ʿAjlūn Mountains, on the small, partly perennial Wadi ʿAmmān and its tributaries. Fortified settlements have existed there since remote antiquity...
We didn’t plan it, but it happened; we spent a week in Qatar’s capital, Doha. It is located on the east coast of the Qatar Peninsula in the Persian Gulf. More than two-fifths of Qatar’s population lives within the city’s limits. Situated on a shallow bay indented...
We had a few rainy days in proudly modern and cosmopolitan Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s forward-thinking cultural heart, where nothing stands still. The city occupies most of a small triangular island of the same name, just off the Persian Gulf coast and connected to the mainland by a short...
We made a short stop in Riyadh to refill our water and meet some friends from before. In the afternoon, we decided to visit the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum (Saqer Al-Jazirah Aviation Museum), which showcases some of the oldest Saudia airline jets, helicopters, and flawless tales of...
We spent a few nights in the capital of Oman, scenically wedged between mountains and ocean, with old forts, excellent museums, an opera house, and flower-filled parks. The gentle city of Muscat is a delight to visit. Its name means ‘safe anchorage,’ and the sea plays a vital role in city...
Bahrain’s capital and largest city lies at the northeast tip of Bahrain Island in the Persian Gulf. About one-fifth of the country’s population lives in the city. First mentioned in Islamic chronicles about 1345 CE, it was taken by the Portuguese (1521) and the Persians (1602)...
We spent a few days in one of the wealthiest cities in the world, the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, located in the center of the an-Nafud desert. It is home to Saudi Arabia’s best museum, a World Heritage Site related to the Kingdom’s Genesis story, and some of the...