More Marvellous Marble in Libya
The rickety bus stops in Salloum, a small town in the far west of Egypt. From here private pick-up trucks …
From Cairo to the rainy oasis of Siwa
Ten years after World War I, the small oasis town of Siwa at the edge of the Western Desert was …
Waiting for a Libyan Visa – On Hold in Cairo
“How long have you been waiting?” smiles Sayed, our contact man in the Libyan embassy. “Only three-and-a-half hours – no …
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Egypt without visiting any Pharaonic sites
From the corner of our eyes we have noticed them staring at us, whispering and giggling, for the last five …
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Traditional Jordan and the mood for change
In the mid-tenth century, the small town of Aila on the Red Sea coast in Jordan went into decline. “We …
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Petra – The Rose-Red City of the Nabateans
„…and you know, we could also try – ouhh!“ Natascha suddenly stops. Between the high vertical walls of the gorge …
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Edges of the Roman Empire in Jordan
„This Roman,“ the withered old caretaker mumbles from behind his red and white chequered scarf and points his staff to …
Thoughts on Syria and the semi-nomadic life
“Are you from Iran?” a young woman enquires curiously. “No, from Germany.” But why are we wearing these enormous black …
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Salaam ‘Alaikum from our stay in Damascus
“What? You really bought only 200 grams of cookies?” our Arabic teacher in Damascus bursts out. We had just complained …
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”I wants house!?” – our search for a flat in Damascus
“Telephone, washing machine, satellite TV, two bedrooms and salon.” Ahmad translates what the two slick young agents explain about the …
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