Blogs from Middle East - page 6

The Temple Mount is one of the holiest sites in the Abrahamic religions. This was the site of the First Temple, built by King Solomon around the tenth century BCE. This temple was built on top of the location of the Foundation Stone, believed by Jews and Moslems to be the spiritual junction of heaven and earth. The temple stood for 410 years before being destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar II. The First Temple contained the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Today, the Dome of the Rock stands on top of the Foundation Stone. This is also considered to be the place where Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice before being stopped by an Angel of the Lord. This story is mentioned in the Koran, as well ... read more

My first day in Jerusalem I walked to the Old City. Jerusalem is divided into the Old City, which has existed for at least 4,000 years, and the New City, which dates to 1860. That was the point at which Sir Moses Montefiore, a wealthy Jewish stockbroker from England, built the first neighborhood outside the walls of the Old City, complete with a windmill for grinding grain. Since living outside the city walls was considered to be risky business at the time, he offered financial incentives – which sounds much nicer than “bribes” – along with employment to anyone who would move to the new neighborhood. I entered the Old City through the Jaffa Gate, which is an actual gate that used to be closed at night. Immediately inside the gate is the Citadel, which dates ... read more

I had heard many stories about the added security screening people face when going to Israel. El Al’s pre-flight security checks are legendary, and I had read horror stories about getting though (or not getting through) Israeli Immigration. There is good reason for these precautions, and I certainly understand the Israeli’s caution. I wasn’t particularly concerned. My point of departure was a small regional airport in California, where getting through security took all of three minutes. I wasn’t flying El Al, I am a near-sighted, middle-aged, reasonably pleasant woman with a US passport, and I am registered with the US Global Entry and Trusted Traveler programs. I connected in Newark to my flight to Tel Aviv. Even though I had already gone through security at my departure airport, I had to go through security again in ... read more

A short 3hr flight from Zurich and we were in Istanbul. Taking the visa on entry was easy. If you have a valid US or Schengen visa / resident card, Indians can get it on the spot by paying a $20 fee. When we arrived, the visa lines were mostly empty and it took us under 30 min to complete the process going from one window to other. We exchanged some currency there, not recommended due to high fee and bad rates. As we will find there are much better places to do this outside near Aksaray. From there we went to the metro station where we were suppose to meet our couchsurfing host. He got busy and was not there, so we bought a 32TL phone card of some unknown company, another mistake. We called ... read more

Español Català Children laughs flood the deck at the stern side of the ferry. Others, teenagers, are feeding gulls throwing bread crumbs to the air. Seagulls skilfully trap it. Devoid of enthusiasm a waiter walks the aisle between the seats, carrying a hot teapot and a huge tray of sugary donuts. Other passengers sink their glances into Adalar Hürriyet local news pages. In the cabin, an outspoken salesman, too well dressed for the place, screams to an audience too sceptical the wonderful properties of a multi screwdriver provided with a flashlight. He sells also a retractable walking stick that fits in any pocket. Surprisingly, after a few minutes of incessant chatter, many passengers have bought any device. Beyond the starboard rail and after crossing the Gol... read more