The rapid-fire invasion of Iraq and then Kurdistan by ISIS, as the Islamic State was calling itself at the time, stunned the world. For several hours, it even presented an existential crisis for Kurdistan itself as the momentum of the invasion by ISIS brought them to within mere kilometers of Erbil – with little standing …
Even in a country with a wealth of beautiful landscapes, the Valle de Cocora still stands out. The broad, emerald green valley stretches east of the village of Salento into the lower reaches of Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados where it is framed by sharp peaks. Everywhere you’ll see wax palm, the largest palm in …
The following is straight from the notebook I had with me at the time and, I believe, helps give a feel for what it is like walking around Herat: …Wandering around Herat shafts of sunlight penetrate serpentine alleys lined by canvas-covered wooden stalls; the harsh light illuminates the faces of the merchants and their bountiful …
Perhaps not surprisingly to those that know me, I found the military dimension to Arunachal Pradesh interesting. Tensions between India and China run high in this area… Currently, India administers all of Arunachal Pradesh. However, the Chinese lay claim to the majority of Arunachal Pradesh as they believe it to be an extension of the …
An evening exploration of the streets of Damascus… “…no recorded event has occurred in the world but Damascus was in existence to receive news of it. Go back as far as you will into the vague past, there was always a Damascus… She has looked upon the dry bones of a thousand empires and will …
If you ever make it to Omdurman, Sudan (across the river from Khartoum) be sure to check out the Omdurman camel market. Or, you can just read this site… Most of the animals are brought in (on foot – like the old days of the American cowboy) from Darfur and South Sudan since these areas …
Baalbek has long enjoyed a reputation as home to some of the finest Roman ruins anywhere in the world. However, even without the Roman ruins, it would still be an interesting town… To reach Baalbek, one passes through the hot, dry Bekaa, not so much a valley as a high-altitude plain, with its Hezbollah flags …
Viewed from a distance, Port-au-Prince seems a pleasant and mellow Caribbean port city: Once one is out on the streets though, the fact that all is not well in Port-au-Prince soon becomes apparent. And the January 12, 2010 earthquake only served to push Haiti closer to the top of the Failed States Index… Destruction, dysfunction …
Zululand is an interesting place with quite a history…
Chernobyl Reactor # 4 shortly after the meltdown: Part 1: Chernobyl and Reactor # 4 Until the late 1990s it would have been impossible for me to come here. The whole area was sealed off. Now though, the United Nations is encouraging “ecotourism” to the former Chernobyl disaster zone in order to help the area …
There aren’t a lot of roads in Somalia. Those that do exist mostly pass through rough countryside, interspersed with the occasional village and frequent checkpoint. Upon arriving at a checkpoint, if you don’t have an armed guard with you, a bribe will be required and all of your passport details will be carefully taken down …
OK, sure, they weren’t as bad as those concentration camps established by the Nazis or the British when they were fighting the Boers in South Africa. However, these camps established by the United States during World War II (and euphemistically referred to as “War Relocation Centers”) were not exactly holiday resorts either… The first step … Continue reading
I discovered this in an antique shop and thought it was interesting enough to merit sharing with my dear readers… This bottle, made during the Prohibition era, was designed to look like a piece of wood so that it could be hidden in a pile of firewood or the equivalent: For my foreign readers that … Continue reading
In 1841, a few months before his death (in a pistol duel with a fellow officer at the foot of Mount Mashuk in the Caucasus), Mihail Lermontov (1814-41) composed a remarkably prophetic poem: In noon’s heat, in a dale of Dagestan, With lead inside my breast, stirless I lay; The deep wound still smoked on; … Continue reading
Article By Bernie Debusmann Dubai means many things to many people. There is the Dubai of the Burj Khalifa, of seven-star resorts, of drunken western tourists and of rich young Arab men with expensive cars and pet lions. There are the vibrant neighborhoods of Dubai’s largest diaspora communities, where you are more likely to hear … Continue reading
Ilya Repin Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire, 1891 This painting, which Repin began in 1880 and did not complete until 1891, is also known as Cossacks of Saporog Are Drafting a Manifesto. The painting, which now hangs in the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg, measures almost … Continue reading
Merchants In One Of Dubai’s Souqs Photo by Eleonora Giuliani Continue reading
We arrived in Hodeidah two days after the Houthis took over… They had checkpoints set up at every point of entry into the city including, as we would find out, at the airport and the seaport. However, our driver and fixer had a well-rehearsed routine at checkpoints. The driver would slowly roll through while thrusting … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 