Things to Do in Middle East And Africa

Qarafa, or The City of the Dead, is two 4 mile (6 km) long cemeteries - a north and south cemetery - dating from Mamluk times (1200s - 1500s) and is still in use today. Traditionally all families kept a mausoleum and these days some families use them for living in as well as for burials. Some families have been inhabiting the tombs for generations, some arrived more recently after the 1967 war displaced them from the canal zone. The north cemetery has more people residing in it and estimates are up to half a million people live there. These days there are shops, cafes and even a post-office within the cemeteries.

Many of the tombs themselves are quite grand and beautiful dating back centuries and in the Mamluk style. The northern cemetery is home to some of Cairo's most beautiful Mamluk monuments, such as the Mausoleums of Sultan Qaitbay and Sultan Barquq.

Only two and half hours from the glitzy beaches of Beirut, the cedar groves of Lebanon are the pride of the Lebanese mountains. Northern Lebanon has some of the tallest peaks in the Middle East, some rising to over 10,000 feet, many of which used to be covered in dense forests of precious cedar.

From as early as 3,000 BC the surrounding civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and later the British lusted for the hard wood found in the forests of Lebanon. Unable to provide wood of their own for shipbuilding and railroad ties, the cedar forests of Lebanon were rapidly depleted and nearly destroyed.

Despite the international demand, however, some of the most remote groves managed to remain, the most famous of which is located in the village of Bsharre just 15 minutes from Lebanon’s most popular ski resort. Believed to be the oldest cedar grove in Lebanon, four of the largest cedars reach heights of over 115 feet and are locally referred to as Arz el Rab, “Cedars of the Lord”.

One of Lebanon’s greatest natural treasures, the mountainous area offers terrain and panoramas unlike anywhere else in Lebanon. After ambling amongst the cedars in Bsharri or taking to the slopes, visitors can descend into nearby Qadisha Grotto, an entrancing cave complex filled with limestone stalactites and stalagmites and which gushes with springtime waterfalls.

Given the distance of the cedars from the capital city of Beirut there are many hotel options available nearby, and although the ski resort is only open from December through April there is never a bad season for exploring the recesses of the Lebanese mountains.

The oldest continuously operating church in the world, the Church of the Nativity was commissioned in the year 327 by Emperor Constantine I and his mother, Saint Helena, built over the site considered by most Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus. Destroyed by fire and then rebuilt in the 6th century, the church was used until 1131 as the coronation site for European Crusades-era kings, and has since been widely expanded.

The 4,000-foot complex now includes the main basilica, run by the Greek Orthodox Church; the Roman Catholic, Gothic Revival-style Church of St. Catherine; the Grotto, an underground shrine to the birth of Jesus; and a bas-relief sculpture of the Tree of Jesse, a symbol of Jesus’ genealogy, bequeathed to the church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

Listed as a Heritage Site in 2012, this is first UNESCO site to be set in Palestine; its nomination sparked fierce opposition from both the United States and Israel.  Presently in a state of worrisome disrepair due to ongoing water damage, the church has been placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger and approved by the Palestinian Authority for a multi-million dollar restoration.

In the meantime, the church is open to the public, and visitor information can be found here: http://www.bethlehem.custodia.org/

In the late 1600s, the Dutch East India Company constructed the Castle of Good Hope as a maritime resupply station, and over the years, it became the seat of administrative and military power in the cape until the settlement grew and the civilian functions moved into town.

Today, the castle is the oldest remaining building of the colonial era as well as the military's hub. Open to visitors, it houses the Castle Military Museum and the Iziko Museums of Cape Town. The latter is a fascinating collection of paintings, furnishings and ceramics dating back to the colonial period. Nearby the Castle and throughout Cape Town are the other Iziko museums, which include the South African Museum (dinosaurs, natural history and African artifacts), the Planetarium, the South African National Gallery and more. Also nearby are Green Point Common, an inner-city greenbelt, entertainment district and site of the new FIFA World Cup Stadium. Long Street, found in the nearby City Bowl neighborhood, is a bohemian neighborhood famous for its restaurants, shopping and bars.

Sprawling over a limestone spur on the eastern edge of the city, the Citadel of Saladin (or Al-Qalaa) was home to Egypt's rulers for some 700 years. Their legacy is a collection of three very different mosques, including the Mosque of Mohamed Ali, several palaces (housing some underwhelming museums such as the police and military museums) and a couple of terraces with city views. 

The area was fortified around 1180 to protect it from the Crusaders. In the 1860s, ruler Khedive Ismail moved to newly built Abdin Palace, ending the citadel's role as the seat of government.

Mauritius is a country rich with pristine beaches, diverse cultures and colonial charm, and if that isn't enough, it’s also home to some of the most breathtaking natural beauty in the world. Chamarel Waterfall, located in the southwest reaches of the island, is the nation’s highest waterfall. Its thundering waters plunge some 300 feet (100 meters) into crystal clear pools, and travelers say a trip to the top of this scenic spot proves one of the best photo opportunities in the country. Visitors can hire a car to navigate the lush landscape that surrounds the falls. It’s then a relatively easy walk to the top—complete with stairs—where travelers can see for themselves what Mark Twain once called “paradise.”

Set within the Christian Quarter of the old walled city of Jerusalem – which it itself the larger World Heritage Site -- this church is considered by many Christians to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection. A popular stop on the pilgrimage trail since the 4th century, the church itself is now the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Commissioned between 325-6 by Emperor Constantine I, and his mother, Saint Helena, the church was built on the former site of a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and war; initial excavations for this construction, according to Helena, revealed the Holy Sepulchre, or the tomb of Jesus.

During a Muslim uprising in 1009, the church was razed to the ground, an act that provoked Europe to begin the Crusades. It was eventually rebuilt via collaboration between the Muslims and Byzantines, and additions were later made by Crusaders, Franciscan monks, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic elders. Fire damaged the church’s dome and other features in 1808, and archeological excavations throughout the 1970s revealed that the church’s site had, even before the temple of Aphrodite, been a limestone quarry.

The main features of the church include a stairway that climbs to the Golgotha, or rumored site of Jesus’ crucifixion; a rotunda containing the Holy Sepulchre; and the Greek Orthodox catholicon, the church’s main altar.