Urban landscape, Arabic / Middle Eastern

Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad
The Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad is an archeological site, which holds the first capital of the Hammadid empire.
Read on: Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad

Aleppo
The Ancient City of Aleppo has been ruled, among the other, by Romans, Byzantines, Seljuqs, Mamluks and Ottomans.
Read on: Aleppo

Byblos
Byblos was an early Phoenician settlement, associated with the history of the diffusion of the Phoenician alphabet.
Read on: Byblos

Damascus
Damascus is often referred to as the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Damascus has a wealth of historical sites dating back to many different periods of the city's history.
Read on: Damascus

Harar
Harar is a fortified historic town in southeastern Ethiopia. It has been a major commercial center, linking African and Islamic trade routes.
Read on: Harar

Historic Cairo
Historic Cairo encompasses the historic centre on the eastern bank of the Nile, which includes no less than 600 classified monuments dating from the 7th to 20th centuries.
Read on: Historic Cairo

Kairouan
Kairouan is one of the holy cities of Islam. Its Great Mosque is also considered an architectural masterpiece, which has influenced the style of other mosques in the Maghreb.
Read on: Kairouan

Kasbah of Algiers
The Kasbah of Algiers was founded on the ruins of old Icosium, a Phoenician commercial outpost called which later developed into a small Roman town.
Read on: Kasbah of Algiers

M'Zab Valley
The M'Zab Valley is a region of the northern Sahara that holds five traditional fortified villages (ksour).
Read on: M'Zab Valley

Medina of Essaouira
The Medina of Essaouira (formerly "Mogador") is an example of a late 18th century fortified town, as transferred to North Africa.
Read on: Medina of Essaouira

Medina of Fez
The Medina of Fez is a walled city with madrasas, fondouks, mosques and palaces dating from Marinid rule in the 13th–14th centuries.
Read on: Medina of Fez

Medina of Marrakesh
The Medina of Marrakesh is an old Islamic capital originating from the 11th century. It is enclosed by 16km of ramparts and gates.
Read on: Medina of Marrakesh

Medina of Sousse
Sousse is considered one of the best examples of seaward-facing fortifications built by the Arabs. Its ribat, a soaring structure that combined the purposes of a minaret and a watch tower, is in outstanding condition and draws visitors from around the world.
Read on: Medina of Sousse

Medina of Tetouan
The medina of Tétouan was rebuilt by the end of the 15th century by refugees from the Reconquista (reconquest of Spain, completed by the fall of Granada in 1492), when the Andalusian Moors first reared the walls and then filled the enclosure with houses.
Read on: Medina of Tetouan

Medina of Tunis
The Medina of Tunis was one of the most important Islamic cities. It contains some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains dating from the Almohad and the Hafsid periods.
Read on: Medina of Tunis

Meknes
The Historic City of Meknes was the capital city for the Alaouite dynasty (17th century). Its Sultan Moulay Ismaïl redesigned the city in Hispano-Moorish style.
Read on: Meknes

Pearling
Pearling, testimony of an island economy, is a group of historic sites related to the harvest and trade of natural pearls.
Read on: Pearling

Safranbolu
The City of Safranbolu is an example of a typical Ottoman trade town. It has played a key role in the caravan trade on the main route between Europe and the Orient.
Read on: Safranbolu

Shakhrisyabz
The Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz contains fine monuments from the Timurid period (15th century). It was the non-formal capital of the Timurid Empire, the family seat and a city of culture and knowledge.
Read on: Shakhrisyabz

Tabriz Bazaar
The Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex is one of the oldest bazaars of the Middle East and the largest covered bazar in the world.
Read on: Tabriz Bazaar

Zabid
The historic town of Zabid is renowned for its domestic architecture and its Islamic university attracting students from far.
Read on: Zabid