[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he starting “gate” rose up and the dozen brown, one-humped dromedary camels jerked forward as a pack. Shouting handlers darted behind them a short distance encouraging them to run faster. A truck with a mounted camera sped off in advance while a sea of white Land Cruisers accelerated alongside the sand track. This camel race was in full swing.

    rumbling walls and broken-down towers are a testament to Istanbul’s ancient past. The depth of history is as thick as the weather-beaten walls slowly crumbling back to earth. Perhaps it is a matter of destiny. The walls, built during the Byzantine Period, are called sea walls along the Marmara shores, land walls along […]

  timulating surroundings or sensory overload? You be the judge. Whether it’s the soft curves of the ancient market door and the riot of color and controlled chaos within, or the intoxicating smells of every spice possible dangling before your eyes and tantalizing your sense of smell, when you visit Istanbul, Turkey, experiencing the Grand […]

  he open door of a castle wall beckons us into the Hall of Islamic Arts. I was unprepared for what was to follow during the next two and a half hours. I literally found something new around each corner leading into yet another new hall of artifacts. The Sheikh Faisal Museum is a place […]

usty, nomadic desert-dwelling Bedouin make their way slowly along the creek knowing their exact destination – Souq Waqif. With camels packed down with wool, meat and cloth, the Bedouin have come to this marketplace to sell and buy goods, such as rice, dates and other essentials. Fast forward to 2012 and not much has changed. […]

oung girls in colorful traditional dresses paid no attention to onlookers as they kept pace jumping rope two at a time. Meanwhile, boys in white traditional thobes, engrossed in a lively game of tag, were darting about the Bedouin “village” while others concentrated on a skillful game of marbles. These three childhood activities were popular […]

rom the intricately-carved white gypsum panels and traditional detailed lightscreens marrying side by side with softly curved vanilla arches, Katara harkens present-day visitors back to a yesteryear long, long ago marked by contrasts of old and new. Wandering the stone-clad walkways cooled by precisely-placed awnings above shielding the afternoon-setting February sun,it soon becomes apparent what […]

rowds of adults and youngsters gather in earnest as strong drum beats signal the start of the traditional Arab ritual. I’m sandwiched among the audience at the exclusive Pearl-Qatar inDoha, Qatara waiting this highly publicized event that will initiate tomorrow’s slate of National Day festivities. Dusk settled in hours ago. Alongside the calm harbor where […]