Today, after yesterday’s visit to Kerak castle, we took another scenic route (different than last time) through the Moab Mountain Ridge and the Highlands, where slopes drop steeply 1,000 meters or more towards the Dead Sea Rift. We drove to the edge of Wadi Dana, shaped like a...
The vast Wadi Mujib stretches 70km from the Desert Hwy to the Dead Sea, proudly called the ‘Grand Canyon of Jordan.’ The spectacular canyon is also significant as the historical boundary between the ancient Amorites (to the north) and the Moabites (to the south). Moses is...
After the “death” Dead Sea, we rushed to Petra to use our expensive Jordan Passes before their expiry. So we took a scenic route through the Moab Mountain Ridge and the Highlands, where slopes drop steeply 1,000 meters or more towards the Dead Sea Rift. This region is...
Cliffs of The Edge of the World (1131 m) dramatically rise from the desert just around 80 kilometers northwest of Riyadh. The Edge of the World (Jebel Fihrayn) is an unexpected and dramatic geological wonder in the rocky desert. It earned its nickname because you have an uninterrupted...
We drove up to the highest peak in the UAE (1934m) for our overnight. Jebel Jais is even occasionally dusted with snow. A switchback road snakes up the mountainside, delivering vistas of barren, eroded cliffs, deep canyons, and warped escarpments around every bend. There are pullouts for...
We drove through wide Wadi Mistal. It´s less wadi and more an extension of the Batinah Plain, leading through a narrow gap in the Western Hajar Mountains to an enormous desert basin. Dotted with acacia and grazed by goats, this basin is bisected by an excellent paved road that offers...
We drove up a 6-kilometer-long sneaky road from Al Hamra to a unique mountainous village located 1,000 m above sea level on the mountain foothills of the Hajar Mountains. We parked near the campground before the village and walked around ancient stone buildings, half buried in a thick...
We spent a few days during our “expedition break” in Mosty u Jablunkova in the Moravian-Silesian Region, about 46 km southeast of Ostrava. It lies in the Jablunkov Pass of the Beskydy Mountains in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia on the border with Slovakia. The...
Halabja is a very ancient town, dating back to the Lullubis era. The ancient city of Khar Khar (2000 BC) is believed to be today’s Halabja. In 641, the Islamic Army freed the town from the Sassanid Empire and became a part of the Muslim Empire. During the Abbasid Caliphate, between...
We made a short stop in the small town of Byara in eastern Kurdistan, located on the Iran border. The Byara district is a nature haven with waterfalls and picturesque mountain peaks. In Byara are many ancient shrines and well-known Madrasa (Islamic school) from which many renowned Islamic...