Had a wonderful six week trip to Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan in January and February of 2026 Linda joined me for the first three weeks in Morocco and Egypt; I carried on in Turkey and Jordan on my own. We joined three different tour groups to help make the most of visiting the highlights of each country.
MOROCCO
In Morocco, we started and ended our trip in Marrakesh, and we joined an Exoticca tour to visit Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, and the Atlas Mountains along the way
Textile souks (shops) in the Jemaa el-Fnaay, a UNESCO market in central Marrakesh. There are all sorts of open air shops, markets, food stalls, and a variety of performers.
The Ouzoud Waterfall, near the West Atlas Mountains National Park
The iconic Minaret at the Koutoubia Mosque, Marrakesh
The Hassan II Mosque, the second largest mosque in Africa. It is situated along the Atlantic Ocean, it has a capacity of over 100,000 worshippers, and it was completed in 1993. We were treated to a tour of this magnificent place
The Gorge of Todgha
A look back at the High Atlas Mountains
EGYPT
Our trip to Egypt icluded a four day stay in Cairo with visits to Alexandria, the Pyramids of Giza and Egypt's only waterfall. We also spent five days on a Nile Rver cruise between Luxor and Aswan
Camel ride near the Pyramids at Giza
The pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure (l-r), in the Pyramid Fields of the Memphis and its Necropolis, a 1979 UNESCO World Heritage Site near Giza and Cairo
The Sphinx at Giza. This is the most famous one, but it turns out there are thousands of Sphinxes in Egypt! They were carved to represent a pharaoh's head on a lion's body, and their purpose generally was to protect ancient temples and tombs
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh who dressed and adorned herself publically as masculine, in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. She is widely considered to have been a successful pharaoh, presiding over mostly peaceful times, initiating many large building projects, and establishing new trade routes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatshepsut
River scenery on the Nile, at Al Miallah, near Luxor
The Kom Ombo Temple at Philae, near Aswan
While we were in Aswan, we sailed in this Felucca on the Nile
Egypt's only real waterfall, at Wadi El Rayan
TURKEY
Our tour of Turkey started and ended in Intanbul, with stops at the ancient cities of Troy and Ephesus, the magical "fairy chimneys" at Cappadocia, and more
Suleymaniye Mosque, in our neighborhood in Old Town Istanbul
The excavated city of Troy. Ten different layers of civilization have been uncovered and identified here.
The reconstructed Library of Calsus in Ancient Ephesus. The library held roughly 12,000 scrolls; it was thought to be the third largest library in the ancient world, after Rome and Alexandria. The library was destroyed by earthquakes and the ruins were eventually covered up by silt
The columns, spires, and cone-shaped "fairy chimneys" are the result of water erosion on tuff, a lightweight rock made from volcanic ash. They are abundant in the Cappadocia region
Multicolored layers of rock in the Göreme National Historical Park in Cappadocia
The Blue Mosque, aka the Sultanahmet Camii. A gorgeous mosque decorated with over 20,000 ceramic tiles, most of them some shade of blue
JORDAN
Our tour of Jordan included visits to ancient and modern sites around Amman, a two night stay in a desert camp in Wadi rum, and a two day visit to the sandstone marvels at Petra
Desert moonscape at Wadi Rum in southern Jordan
Desert magic at Wadi Rum
The Treasury in Petra was intended to impress merchants and traders who would come to the city for protection and provisions as they transported goods, especially spices and silk, from eastern Asia to the Greek and Roman empires
Ad Deir, aka the Monastery. One of the largest monuments in Petra, probably built for religious rituals and ceremonies. It has a larger interior than tombs. After Constantine's Christianization of the Roman world, it was used as a chapel. You get to the Monastery from the center of Petra by climbing about 850 steps
Hadrian's Arch, built in 130 AD, was one of the main entrances to the ancient city of Jarash
A view of "the Promised Land," on top of Mt Nebo. Moses looked over the promised land after leading the Hebrew people out of Egypt. He died and was buried on this mountain
The King Abdullah Mosque, Amman
A wonderful tour of four mostly Muslim countries in northern Africa and the Middle East. The people were interesting and enthusiastic, the languages and cultures among the countries were similar but not the same, the places were fascinating and stunningly beautiful, and history was all around. I learned how little I actually knew about the Islamic world, and how much more there was to see, learn about, and experience than the six weeks permitted. Very happy with this trip!
For more info and pics about each country, click the links below:
Morocco: https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-best-of-morocco.html
Egypt: https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-best-of-egypt.html
Turkey: https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-best-of-turkey.html
Jordan: https://lotsofamazingplaces.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-best-of-jordan.html
Comments
Post a Comment