Middle East & Africa attractions

Whether you spell it Bab Bou Jeloud, Bab Boujeloud, or Bab Boujloud, you’ll most likely pass through the famous “Blue Gate of Fez” on any visit to Fez Medina. Decorated with fine mosaic tiles, blue on the outside, and green on the inside, the triple-arch gate is less historic than you might think. French colonialists built it in 1913.

A quaint fishing village on the Cape Peninsula’s Atlantic Seaboard, Hout Bay is an idyllic vacation spot with a historic downtown, a bustling harbor front, wineries, and marine life. While only about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from Cape Town, the community has a remote feel, giving visitors a chance to slow down and savor the seaside vibes.

An elaborate artificial island north of Doha’s West Bay, the Pearl-Qatar is home to luxury apartment towers, villas, marinas, and shopping boutiques,—it’s the city’s very own riviera. At the center of the Pearl-Qatar is the Qanat Quartier, which combines sheltered beaches with a Venetian-inspired look.

An imposing, sphinx-lined road once used for religious ceremonies, the Avenue of Sphinxes is a a 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) route linking Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple. Some 1,350 sphinx statues flanked the avenue in ancient times, and recent excavations have opened up portions of the avenue abutting Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple.

Building Luxor’s monuments took an army of artists, stone-cutters, and builders, and many of them lived in Deir el-Medina. An ancient village here is a window into their lives, complete with homes, tombs, and irrigation pipes. It’s a fascinating place to visit, and it’s a refreshingly human contrast to the West Bank’s royal landmarks.

The Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) is an ancient path in Jerusalem’s Old City, where it’s believed Jesus carried the cross to his crucifixion. Also known in Catholicism as the Stations of the Cross, it’s a pilgrimage that’s been followed going back to the fourth century. The route has changed over the years, and today there are 14 stations along the path, each marked with a plaque detailing what took place at that location.

Surrounded by warm-water lagoons, sandstone cliffs, and dense forests, Knysna is one of the most popular towns along South Africa’s renowned Garden Route. The coastal town welcomes tourists with a blend of natural beauty, quaint accommodations, seafood restaurants, and outdoor adventures. Plus, the estuary’s oyster farms provide the chance to indulge in fresh oysters while cruising the lagoon.

The Dubai Fountain is a spectacle of swaying sprays, multi-coloured illuminations, and booming music, rising from the vast Burj Lake beneath Dubai’s Burj Khalifa tower. Composed of multiple jet formations accompanied by dazzling light displays, the fountains reach up to 459 feet (140 meters) as the water sprays dance in time to classical, pop, and Arabian music. Locals and visitors gather at the lakesides for the free-to-view shows that run at regular times every afternoon and evening.

Tiny Duiker Island—also known as “Seal Island” for its large population of Cape fur seals—sits just off the South African coast at Hout Bay, near Cape Town. It measures just 253 feet by 312 feet (77 meters by 95 meters) and is a seabird sanctuary in addition to sheltering thousands of Cape fur seals.

The two Giftun Islands—Giftun Kebir and Giftun Sughayer—are some of the closest to Egypt’s resort town of Hurghada and comprise part of a marine reserve in the Red Sea with spectacular coral reefs and drop-offs teeming with life. Day-trippers come for snorkeling, diving, and sunbathing on the pair of islands’ pristine, protected beaches.

Often referred to simply as the Jozani forest, Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park is Zanzibar's only national park. The big draw for many visitors is the chance to spot endemic red colobus monkeys, though there are plenty of other creatures in the park, from bush babies (galagos) to leopards.

The most-visited of Oman’s wadi, or river beds, Wadi Bani Khalid also is one of its easiest to access. Join locals at this picturesque oasis to swim in a string of natural aquamarine pools flanked by boulders and palms, and picnic along the rocky trails.

Centered on a large Greek–style amphitheater, the Katara Cultural Village is a culture and entertainment precinct to the north of downtown Doha and West Bay. The eclectic cultural village is home to mosques with vivid tile patterns, a planetarium, art galleries, and much more, so it appeals to all types of travelers.

Lined with bars, restaurants, and surf shops, Essaouira Beach (Plage d'Essaouira) is a Moroccan hot spot for surfers, windsurfers, and kitesurfers, thanks to its steady, year-round winds. The town has a charming hippie atmosphere, and travelers who are not indulging in water sports enjoy horse, camel, or quad rides along the broad sandy beach.

Perched on top of Mount ‘Auf, with commanding views over the Jordan Valley, Ajloun Castle was built in the 12th century by a general under Saladin, Egypt and Syria’s first sultan. Destroyed and rebuilt numerous times, it’s been used to deter Crusader attacks, defend iron mines and trade routes, and as part of a beacon and pigeon communication network.

The main draws to Gobustan National Park, officially Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, are thousands of prehistoric rock engravings dating back 5,000–20,000 years. In addition to the carvings, the UNESCO World Heritage Site houses a rare "singing stone," a large collection of mud volcanoes, and a complex of public mud baths.

A Rabat landmark, the 144-foot (44-meter Hassan Tower (Tour Hassan stands tall above the river in the heart of downtown, surrounded by serried ranks of broken columns. After an earthquake in 1755, this is all that remains of an ambitious attempt by 12th-century sultan Yacoub al-Mansour to build the world’s largest mosque.

Ateshgah, or the Fire Temple of Baku, is a former monastery and place of Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian worship built on one of Azerbaijan's eternal flames, natural gas vents used for fire rituals. While the eternal flame has snuffed out, replaced by gas pipes, the temple complex is an architectural reserve—and the fire burns on occasion.

Set inside Dubai Mall, the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is one of the world’s biggest aquariums. Walk through the 270-degree glass Aquarium Tunnel, where you’ll be surrounded by colorful fish, sand tiger sharks, and sting rays; admire rainforest, coastal, and river creatures such as penguins and giant crocodiles at the underwater zoo; and immerse yourself in the aquatic environment with close-up animal encounters, boat tours, and diving experiences.

Flanked by Casablanca’s most striking architecture, Mohammed V Square forms the central hub of the city’s buzzy new town. Laid out in the early 20th century and named in honor of the former Sultan, the plaza centers around a monumental fountain, dramatically lit up in the evening hours.

The Church of the Nativity encompasses a grotto where, according to Christain scripture, Jesus was born. Situated in Manger Square in Bethlehem, on the West Bank of the Palestinian territories, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed church is one of Christianity’s holiest places.

On the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Ras Mohammed National Park is home to Sharm el Sheikh’s best diving, notably Shark Reef, Yolanda Reef, and Jackfish Alley. Besides the pristine coral that awaits offshore, the land delivers empty beaches, rugged cliffs, and desert, plus mangrove swamps, salt marshes, and diverse birdlife.

The Dead Sea, home to the lowest point in the world at 1,269 feet (383 meters) below sea level, also ranks as one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water. This hyper-salinity that is so unique to the Dead Sea attracts visitors from all over the world who come to experience the unusual buoyancy, as well as access the nutrient-rich mud on its banks.

Though technically all one nature reserve, Tsavo National Park is split between Tsavo East and Tsavo West, and separated by the Nairobi-Mombasa Road that cuts through the site. Tsavo National Park is one of Kenya’s oldest and largest national parks, and is the country’s largest protected area. It’s home to larger African mammals and a prolific bird population.

Abu Serga, or the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus, competes with the Hanging Church for the title of Coptic Cairo’s oldest church. Although it’s been rebuilt many times, its pillars date back to the fourth century, and much of the structure is medieval. It’s named for a pair of martyred Roman soldiers, St. Sergius (Abu Serga) and St. Bacchus.

One of the world’s first botanical gardens, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden hosts more than 7,000 plant species from throughout Southern Africa. Visit to explore the 1,300-acre (528-hectare) gardens spread across the slopes of Table Mountain, including extensive hiking trails, a stone sculpture garden, and sunset summer concerts.

Located in the southern part of Oman, the largest governorate by area, Dhofar is a mountainous region with a diverse landscape—a surprising find not commonly associated with the Arabian peninsula. The province’s coastal capital of Salalah is known for its beaches, verdant valleys, and gushing waterfalls from the khareef (the region’s rainy season.

Situated in western Muscat, the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is one of the city’s treasures. Built in 2001 on the orders of the late Sultan Qaboos, and the only Omani mosque open to non-Muslims, it’s impressive for its cream-marble courtyards, minarets, and prayer hall topped by a golden dome.

No place gives better insight into life on the Mekong Delta than the Cai Rang Floating Market (Chợ Noi Cái Rang), where hundreds of wooden rowboats showcase everything from rice and clothing to exotic fruits and vegetables. Located just 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the city of Can Tho, the market can be admired from dry land or during a boat ride.

Mt. Sinai rises a lofty 7,497 feet (2,285 meters) above sea level and is an important religious pilgrimage site, where the prophet Moses is said to have received the 10 Commandments directly from God. Visit the site’s ancient monastery or hike to the summit for panoramic views of Egypt’s mountainous Sinai Peninsula.