North Coast
Signposted as Beit Druze, this was the home of the Christian and early Zionist Sir Laurence Oliphant and his wife Alice between 1882 and 1887. The…
Must-see attractions in Middle East
Southeastern Iran
A now-dry underground water cistern has been converted into a one-room museum of water technology demonstrating how desert cities like Qa'en traditionally…
Jerusalem
Built by the Syrian Halebi Congregation in 1901, this synagogue was named for Ovadia and Yosef Ades, the Aleppo brothers who financed the project. It…
Tel Aviv
Established in 1997 to promote democratic values, narrow socioeconomic gaps and address social divisiveness, this centre is also home to the Israeli…
Tel Aviv
The biggest public square in the city, this huge expanse of paving stones was repaved and upgraded in recent years. It has an ecological pond filled with…
Hebron Glass and Ceramics Factory
West Bank
This factory on the outskirts of Hebron, on the main road into the city from the north, has been in the Natsheh family for 350 years. Visitors can observe…
Kuwait
The grand Red Fort is a fine example of early Kuwaiti architecture. Named for the red clay used to build it between 1914-15, during the reign of the…
United Arab Emirates
This sprawling village recreates the Hatta of yore. It's housed in the ruler’s restored historic fort with a majlis (reception room), a traditional…
Jerusalem
Completed in 1849, this Gothic Anglican church has stained-glass windows decorated in Jewish symbols, and it faces Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif, as do…
Sharjah
This wildlife centre packs four venues into a 1-sq-km package, including a natural-history museum, a botanical museum and a children's farm where kids get…
Jerusalem
The blue-and-white tiled interior of the Franciscan-owned Church of St John is reminiscent of European churches – not surprising, as it was funded by the…
United Arab Emirates
Like a kooky mirage, a pyramid-shaped structure rises from the desert sands some 45km south of Abu Dhabi on the lonely highway that leads to the Liwa…
Madaba
Housed in several old Madaba residences, this museum features a 6th-century mosaic depicting a naked satyr; a saucy (and partly damaged) mosaic of Ariadne…
Iran
According to local Assyrian Orthodox Christians, St Mary’s was founded by St Thomas on the grave site of one of the Biblical magi, the pre-Islamic Persian…
Iran
‘I am Cyrus, the Achaemenid King’ reads the cunieform inscription on a pillar of Cyrus' palace complex. The minimal ruins of what must have been a grand…
East Jerusalem
Named after the patron saint of England, who is traditionally believed to have been martyred in Palestine in the early 4th century, St George’s Cathedral…
Beirut
Named for the starburst formed by the radial streets of the main square, Place de l’Étoile seems to either be totally empty or rammed with families with…
Jerusalem
At the outdoor interactive and kid-centric Ein Yael Living Museum, you can try your best at biblical-era themed handicrafts like making your own olive oil…
Iran
If you're visiting Neishabur by car, a gently amusing side trip is the 10km excursion east of Omar Khayyam's tomb to this little fantasy hamlet with its…
Dhofar
Identified in 1997, this 90 million cu metre–sinkhole is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Elliptical in shape, it has a depth of 250m and is…
Greek Orthodox Church of St George
West Bank
On the periphery of Burqi’in, the Greek Orthodox Church of St George is built on the site where Jesus is said to have healed 10 lepers. Believed to be one…
Amman
The Hejaz Railway once ferried pilgrims from Damascus in Syria to Amman and then on to Medina in Saudi Arabia, but only the breeze rolls through this…
Tel Aviv
Endowed by the cosmetics entrepreneur of the same name, this contemporary-art space is an annex of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. There's a permanent…
Southeastern Iran
Driving east to west across the Lut Desert you'll see plenty of mirages, but when you reach Rud Shur, amazingly, the water is no mirage. Though usually…
Southeastern Iran
Old Afin is an extensive spread of ruined mud buildings on a series of knolls around a shattered former Jameh Mosque. With a backdrop of low triangular…
Southeastern Iran
Some 500m beyond the western end of the new village, Marghoob's deserted old section is a fine example of an abandoned mountain village, with its approach…
Wadi Rum
On a small hill in Rum village, about 400m behind the Rest House (follow the telephone poles), are the limited ruins of a 2000-year-old temple, dedicated…
Mt Nebo
This new ethnographic diorama, 2km before Mt Nebo on the Nebo–Madaba road, features an exhibition of tableaux billed as depictions of the religious,…
Jerusalem
The life and times of Menachem Begin, a central figure in the establishment of the state of Israel and the country's sixth Prime Minister, is told through…
Tel Aviv
Take in the multifaceted talents of one of the country’s most celebrated creatives through paintings, sculptures and children's book illustrations, all…
Tehran
Tehran’s biggest cemetery is interesting primarily because it’s the main resting place for those who died in the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88). Like windows…
Tel Aviv
Home to a handful of Tel Aviv's top cultural institutions – Helena Rubenstein Pavilion, Charles Bronfman Auditorium and Habima National Theatre – this…
North Coast
To supply water to Caesarea, the Romans built an extraordinary 23km-long system of canals, pipes and aqueducts and a 6km-long tunnel. A 300m section of…
Jordan
Easily the most impressive of the lesser-known castles, Tuba lies approximately 75km southeast of Amman and captures the sense of a staging post on long…
Alexander Stream National Park
Israel
This nature reserve is located on the expansive white sand dunes where the Alexander stream meets the Mediterranean Sea. Believe it or not, these shallow…
Umm Qais
Surrounding the museum are the comprehensive ruins of an Ottoman village dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. Two houses, Beit Malkawi (now used as an…
Dead Sea Highway
For a solid introduction to the geology, history and environment of the Dead Sea, spare an hour for this museum.
Esfahan
Once the most luxuriously decorated palace in Esfahan, the interior of the small Hasht Behesht Palace has been extensively damaged over the years, but it…
Abu Dhabi
There was a time when no self-respecting Gulf city would be seen without a giant concrete coffeepot. Those days have gone, for better or for worse, but a…
Esfahan
This mosque, next to the Bazar-e Bozorg, has one distinguishing feature: it has an enormous brick minaret that looms over the adjacent square. It may not…
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