World Travels: Snapshots of Forgotten Places

The Middle East is marked by incredible diversity and indelible images. One extended visit erases the misconceptions and opens an entire new world filled with laughing people and overwhelming hospitality. Sights, unseen outside of the region, jump with historical significance and endless stories. Here are just a few.

Isfahan, Iran…The cool blue tiles of Isfahan's buildings mix with the city's majestic bridges, beautiful gardens and immense bazaar.

 

Sinai Desert, Egypt…Since the beginning of time, it seems the Bedouin men of the Sinai were never done drinking tea or coffee. Legend has it that any man who broke a coffee cup would be obliged to buy or make two new ones for the mess. This pact produced jokes at the expense of anyone so unfortunate as to break one. In the process the bonds of friendship were formed.

Essaouira, Morocco…The gateway of Essaouira transports you to a land Essaouira is celebrated for its cabinetmaking and lemonwood carvings. Common to the city is thuja. The arborvitae, or tree of life, is said to inspire artists from around the world.

Cappadocia, Turkey…Nature’s powers are alive in the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. The moonlike landscapes are formed by the continual erosion of the volcanic landscape by the wind and rain. Many say that if you leave Cappadocia without visiting here, your entire journey would be a waste.

Gabes, Tunisia…Accessible only by channeling across by boat, Gabes—a maritime oasis with over 300,000 palm trees—is a mesmerizing dream in the mist of the arid Tunisian countryside.

Petra, Jordan…"No hurry, no worry!" says the Jordanian fruit salesman as he provides refreshment near the famed stone city.

Doha, Qatar…Olivier Rochus of Belgium (in blue) dashes to make a return to Davide Sanguinetti of Italy at the Qatar Mobile Open.

Originally published in ALO magazine (www.alomagazine.com) by The Media Guy (that's me!, Michael Lloyd).

World Portraits: Sabkha

Umm Said, Qatar...Sabkha is an Arabic name for a salt-flat or very saline areas of sand or silt lying just above the water-table. The salt crust can easily support the weight of a human and sometimes cars. While unseen in the image, a solid desert of white sand sits only yards beyond the flat.

World Travels: QATAR

Labor of Love—Teak. Oak. Pine. Cotton fabrics. Nails. Dolphin oil. Axes. Saws. Chisels. It is a recipe as old as time. The recipe is simple, however, crafting the fishing and transport dhow is a labor of love, requiring thousands of man hours without a machine to be found. Everything is done by hand, from the shaping and sizing of the wings (which require exact and equal size and weight) to precisely affixing the external panels to the layering of the water resistant dolphin oil that guarantees generations of use for the intricate dhow.

WORLD TRAVELS: Arches of the Middle East

Dubai

When medieval powers ventured across the Middle East and into India in the East and all the way to Spain and Morocco in the West, this vast empire began to assimilate architectural styles from many traditions.

The archway architecture was to become the most obvious symbol of the region, serving as a gateway to rooms, cities, souks, and restaurants. Yet the archways throughout the world do not look alike. They have used local materials and have built upon previous cultural styles, but they do have similarities.

Likewise, palaces, forts, and castles reflect the personality of the architect. They are symbols of power and the dangers their leaders faced. While the empire became a vast trading network, the buildings that housed the caravan traders reflected their importance to the empire as well. The wealth and power of the empire was often directed into archways that are recognized for their beauty and innovation.

Across the globe there is evidence of the beauty created in the Middle Ages.

Architect Inoru Yamasaki, designer of the World Trade Center towers, was deeply influenced by Middle Eastern architecture. During his many visits to Saudi Arabia,Yamasaki studied structures in and around Mecca.

His resulting work at the towers was a visible pattern at the buildings' bases consisting of pointed arches similar to those inside buildings and on prayer rugs. Yamasaki went further, fronting the towers' plaza in homage to Mecca, replicating the city's courtyard.

It wasn't until 1979—nearly 20 years after the design of the towers was put into place—that Yamasaki revealed his admiration for Middle Eastern arches and included photos of all his important projects detailing a pattern of designs inspired by the region.

He wasn't the only fan of Middle Eastern architecture and archways. Another was Frank Lloyd Wright, America's most notable architect. After traveling to Baghdad for a project commissioned by Iraq's ruler, King Faisal II, he designed San Francisco's civic center in the late 1950s. Wright had a lifelong interest in this discipline of architecture and a deep admiration for Persian visuals, and he made no secret of this, incorporating it into many designs.

Pointed arches and elaborate domes can be seen in major buildings around the world, including the Taj Mahal in India, Palazzo Ducale in Venice, Italy, and New York's 2 Columbus Circle, which features a series of curved arches.

The popularity of worldwide arches furthers the notion of a multicultural world where thoughts, designs, and cuisines constantly mix and blend together, blurring the lines of cultural development. Our mutual influence is continuous, creating a never ceasing mixture that ebbs and flows.

Qatar

Israel

Tunisia

Iraq

Cyprus

Lebanon

Kuwait