For all of my explorations of the Roman Empire, and the dizzying number of Roman sites I’ve visited, somehow I never cease to be surprised at just how far Rome extended its territory, and just how much has survived the nearly two millennia since its fall. And yet, here I am, just outside of Meknes,…
“I love it when a place is so unexpected,” I tell Saad. “This city is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” The second part of my statement to Saad Jaidi, a young law student from Chefchaouen, Morocco who gives tours of his city on weekends to help make some money, is true. Chefchaouen is, indeed, unlike…
I have to admit not having high hopes for Tangier. When I decided on my Morocco itinerary, comparing multiple tour options, and I ended up choosing one that spent a day in the northernmost Moroccan city, I was less excited and more resigned. Tangier has the reputation of being chaotic, overwhelming, confusing, and not the…
Until you get close, it is really impossible to imagine the true scale of the Hassan II Mosque. Opened in 1993 at a cost of about a billion dollars (yes, billion with a b), I’m told it is the third largest mosque in the world, behind those in Mecca and Medina. (Truth told, my subsequent…
Waking up at my hotel, Dar Ben Gacem, in Tunis’ Medina (old city) puts a smile on my face. The hotel is built into what was once either a private home of a wealthy family or a madrasa (an Islamic school); both have similar feels, with a series of rooms around a central courtyard, so…
For most American travelers, sights associated with early Christianity are fairly common, and much is known. But for non-Muslims, sights associated with early Islam are a bit less part of the beaten path of tourism. Some of this is practical; the major cities associated with the prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam, in Saudi Arabia aren’t…
“Carthago delenda est.” So bitter was the rivalry between Rome and Carthage that famed Roman orator Cato the Elder ended every speech to the Roman Senate with these words. Carthago delenda est. Carthage must be destroyed. And so it was. By the end of the Third Punic War in 146 BCE, the arguably most successful…
In March of 2020, I was supposed to visit Marrakech as part of my Spain and Portugal adventure. It was to be my first time in Morocco, and my first time on the African continent. Well, that didn’t happen, for obvious reasons. Covid forced the early termination of that trip, and it has taken me…
Editor’s note: Egypt is a place I desperately want to visit. However, after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war, I would not personally feel safe going. I hope that will not last, and that I will be able to see these magnificent sites, and more. Fortunately, we have Sam’s visit…
Editor’s note: while Sam’s visit to Cairo was more than a decade ago, other more recent travelers have said similar things about the city. Crowded and chaotic, but full of incredible history and culture, Cairo is a place that fascinates. And the newly opened new home of the Egyptian Museum beckons; as well. For more…