Ultimate Places

I find it rather ironic, that yesterday I was discussing how it seemed odd that I was suddenly discovering all these wonderful ancient Roman ruins outside of Europe, ruins I doubt alot of people know about. I suspect part of the reason they are relatively unknown is because of where they are located. Nothing against […]

I don’t know if its true, but it seems to me that looking at the ancient world of Rome I know more about what still exists in the way of Roman ruins inside of Europe, then I do about in countries outside of Europe. And I’m not sure why that is, but I suspect the […]

The Cappadocia region of Turkey to be honest reminds me of some place out of a fiction novel, or book of children’s fantasies. I am actually surprised it hasn’t been used as a back drop for more Hollywood movies.
Much of the history of Cappadocia isn’t well known before it became part of the Persian Empire. […]

Even though I am not Greek Orthodox, or particularly religious, I have always found the monasteries in Meteora fascinating. I understand that monks and nuns from the beginning of time have sought to isolate themselves from the rest of society. You can see numerous examples of monasteries from all faithes that have been built in […]

One of the places in Africa that has always stuck in my mind, but which I still know little about is the ruins of Great Zimbabwe (the place from which the modern country of Zimbabwe draws its name). Great Zimbabwe represents the only real example I can think of in sub-Saharan Africa, of the giant […]

Despite all the strife that exists in Iraq these days, the country offers a number of historical wonders that I highly recommend visiting once things settle down. This assumes of course, that despicable events like the bombing of the Al Askari (Golden) Mosque, don’t keep happening, and more of Iraq’s precious antiquities get destroyed by […]

While I’m on the subject mosques, there is another historic mosque, half way around the world from Emin that definitely deserves mentioning here, if for no other reason than its very distinctive look. The mosque is the Grand Mosque of Djenne, Mali, which is located south of Timbuktu, a region (and city)we’ve all heard of, […]

While, the Emin Minaret isn’t particularly ancient (it was built in 1778), or probably high on most people’s lists of places to visit, I think its a cool looking structure, that really shows the elaborate nature of Islamic architecture.
The Emim Minaret is located in Western China, in the city of Turpan, a city and region […]

Like myself, I suspect most people in the United and probably Europe as well, were first introduced to Petra in the Indiana Jones movie the Last Crusade. Whether most thought what they were looking at was a Hollywood studio creation, or something out in the real world is another question. Whatever the case, that aspect […]

Here is an interesting piece from a blog, on Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, two ancient cities that lie along the Indus river. The cities are part of a very advanced culture that very little is known about. What makes these cities so exciting is the level of urban development these cities exhibit, given their age. […]