Wadi Rum
Close to Rum village, the labyrinthine siqs of Rakhabat Canyon give access to the heart of Jebel Umm Al Ishrin.
Must-see attractions in Middle East
Iran
The beautiful dome of this enormous, symmetrical mosque provides a fine counterpoint to the more organic shrine complex at the other end of Astane Sq.
Iran
This historic, octagonal late-Qajar mansion sits in a neglected garden accessed through the unmarked grey gates of a clinic just north of Chahara Sq.
Iran
Situated halfway between the bazaar and the bus terminal, the partly 9th-century Jameh Mosque has a blunt, gently leaning brick-and-tile minaret.
Iran
Little remains of the actual castle other than some crumbling stone walls following the ridgeline south from the road, but the views are amazing.
Iran
The Mongol Ilkhanid Congregational (Friday) Mosque was once a truly gigantic brick edifice. It's built on the site of a Sassanian fire temple.
Iran
This attractive three-arched Qajar bridge over the Zanjan Rud river is visible west of the road to Bijar, southwest of the railway station.
Qeshm Island
The extensive bazaar off the main drag is at its most active in the morning. It includes a fruit and vegetable area and a fish market.
North Coast
Ceramics (including Judaica), mosaics and expressionist paintings (oil and watercolour), the latter by Ben-Tzion Magal (1908–99).
Umm Qais
This public water fountain, once a two-storey complex with a large covered cistern, has niches for statues of the water goddesses.
Iran
Worth a look is the Qajar-era Imamzadeh-ye Hossein, tucked behind Hotel Yass in a little courtyard with an ancient mulberry tree.
Iran
The main congregational mosque, near the bazaar, has beautiful Yazd-style twin minarets.
Jerash
On the western side of the cardo maximus is the agora, where people gathered for public meetings around the central fountain.
Iran
The attractively brick-vaulted Mirza Ali Akbar Mosque has a blue Kufic-tiled exterior frieze and a lighthouse-style minaret.
Iran
Dominating Enqelab Sq and looking great under floodlights, this 1932 European-style city hall should not be photographed.
Iran
Stroll the back alleys to find the handsome little Haji Fakr Mosque with its squat, Bukharan-style pepper-mill minaret.
Jerash
These ruins of a former church are one of the only sites in Jerash to have a few fragments of Byzantine mosaic in situ.
Sheikh Allama Shushtari Shrine
Iran
This shrine entombs 20th-century religious scholar Mohammad Taqi 'Allama' Shushtari, one of Shushtar's favourite sons.
Iran
An attractive, domed stone building, Gonbad-e Arqala houses a fine collection of gravestones and pre-Islamic totems.
Iran
Lifelike wax dummies in traditional Ardabil costume inhabit this restored Ilkhanid (Mongol)–era hammam.
Iran
This Qajar-era mosque was built for Amonulla Khan, with tiled twin minarets, 32 interior domes and two verandas.
Jordan
A colonnaded hospital dating from the British Mandate period (look for the letters ‘EH’ on the green gate).
Iran
This small shepherd's chapel has a commanding view of the Aras River. Don't be caught taking photos, though.
Iran
Just off Taleqani St, this Church of the Virgin Mary has an unusual old stone pyramid as its central dome.
Iran
The squat Gonbad-e Qaffariyeh sits forlornly in a riverside garden with a tacky trio of concrete dolphins.
Tehran
Weave your way through the bazaar to find this ornately decorated shrine to a descendant of the prophet.
Iran
This small two-storey museum houses pottery, coins and other artifacts dating from pre-Islamic times.
Iran
The 20th-century Kantur Church has a blue-brick belfry dome and sits in a tiny Russian graveyard.
Wadi Rum
The Anfaishiyya inscriptions are scratched into the smooth surface of a huge, vertical rock face.
Nazareth
Built in 1904 as a Russian pilgrims hostel, this imposing structure now houses a police station.
Jordan
A recently restored Ottoman house dating from 1886, now housing a small local-history museum.
Iran
One of the last remnants of medieval Neishabur is its short stretch of covered bazaar.
Jerash
The circular ruins of this church contain patches of original floor mosaics.
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