Islamic culture has left an indelible mark on India’s celebrated architectural heritage. One of the most remarkable examples is the Qutb Minar , also known as the Victory Tower and the tallest...
Just one month after announcing that the world-famous Hagia Sophia, originally a Byzantine cathedral, would be converted back into a mosque , Turkish President Erdogan has inflamed tensions yet again...
Chittorgarh Fort is a hill fort located in Chittorgarh (known also as Chittor), a city in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. Chittorgarh Fort is said to be the largest fort in Rajasthan , and is...
India is home to many amazing archaeological sites and architectural wonders. Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park contains the remains of a city and amazing structures from many different cultures...
Chefchaouen (also known as Chaouen), Morocco's Blue Pearl city, is renowned for its old, traditional blue rinsed structures, casting the city in a luminescent colored hue. Situated high in the Rif...
Off the Israeli coast, marine archaeologists have been excavating a mysterious shipwreck that is changing how experts think about the 7th century AD in the Middle East. The vessel sank in a period...
Mecca (also spelled as Makkah) is regarded as the holiest city in Islam. Apart from the fact that Mecca was the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, it is also the city where Islam’s holiest place of...
Ancient structures often tell us a great deal about the history of a region or country. They reveal what materials were available, the culture and beliefs of the people, and which nations, if any,...
Al-Andalus is the name given to the Iberian Peninsula when it was under Muslim rule. Islam arrived in that region with the arrival of the Moors during the 8 th century AD, and succeeded in conquering...
Just as many now don face masks and do breathing exercises to protect against COVID-19 – despite debates around the science behind such practices – so too did the Islamic world turn to protective...
In India , the remnants of ancient temples have been uncovered during construction work on a new religious complex. It is almost certain that they are Hindu temples, and they have already yielded...
A Spanish professor has established that a historic crucifix in a Christian cathedral was owned by one of medieval Europe’s greatest warriors. Based on documentary evidence, the professor has proven...
The early medieval world of our ancestors was built upon struggles and decisive battles. The emerging nations united the broken tribes, expanded their borders, conquered their enemies, and often...
Every day, five times a day, Muslims across the world face the holy site of Mecca and pray. Mecca is believed to be the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad but when followers visit the site, it is not...
The minaret is one of the most recognizable elements of Islamic religious architecture. Essentially, the minaret is a tower attached to a mosque. In the past, the minaret served mainly as the from...
A hoard of coins has been uncovered at a famous temple in southern India . Hundreds of gold coins were unearthed in a pot that could date back over a millennium, to when this area was part of the...
There are many important architectural and historic sites in the Philippines dating from the four centuries of Spanish occupation . Their influence is to be found in many areas, including the Baroque...
Although Central Asia is no longer inundated by tourists, in the past it was a dynamic and diverse area, largely thanks to the Silk Road . One of the many remarkable sites in this region is the...
The Crusades were a series of holy wars between the Christians of Western Europe and the Muslims of the Middle East. Traditionally, there were nine major Crusades, which took place between the 11th...
The Maldives is a tropical paradise that attracts visitors from all over the world. There is, however, more to the beautiful island nation than pristine beaches and an abundance of sunshine. It has a...
Moldova may be the least visited country in Europe , but it has the largest wine cellar in the world, and a history that stretches back for millennia. Because of its incredible past, it has been home...
The Supreme court in India has finally ended perhaps the world’s most controversial property dispute. The judges’ ruled that the holy site of Ayodhya should be given to members of the Hindu religion...
The Romans, along with their successors the Byzantines , occupied the Levant for almost 800 years and left many preserved remains. One of the most remarkably preserved Roman sites in all the Middle...
A quick look up of Aleppo on any search-engine will bring up hundreds of articles about the conflict in Syria and sadly the name has become a byword for the horrors of war. The country though, has a...