The culture of any country is measured by the cultural capacitates of its citizens. It is therefore legitimate to raise the following question: why not add the lessons of tourism culture to develop the personality of the citizens. In the latest issue of Islamic Tourism Magazine, the publisher Mr A. S Shakiry argues that this education should begin in junior school and continue to doctoral level.
The Editor-in-Chief Dr Abdul-Rahim Hassan comments on the World Cup and points out that it gives different images of how the world should be run, not through violent means but through peaceful competition. TV channels world wide can enhance this image by giving space to short tourism programmes before each match to highlight the countries competing, with some information about each country, its people, culture, history and scenery.
Habeeb Salloum visits Amman, Jordan’s white-stone capital and reports on the sights, sounds and tastes of history wrapped in the cloak of the 20th century. Often referred to as ‘the white city’, Amman, like Rome, was originally built on seven hills, but it has now spread to some nineteen hills. As in the past, its buildings' outstanding whiteness, impress most visitors and continue to be the trademark of this rapidly growing, handsome city.
Yasser Al-Ghabra spent his honeymoon in Syria. He describes four jewels in the crown of Syrian tourism: Ugarit, an ancient commercial centre, Aleppo with a magnificent covered souk whose network connects the whole city, Palmyra one of the world’s oldest cities and Safita the white-stone city famous for its crusader fortress.
For the second time, Islamic Tourism magazine was invited by the administration of Sana’s National Hotel and Tourism Institute to take part in the study trip for the teachers of the department tourism of this institute. Khalid Adhababi reports on this unique educational experience which took him to Dhamar with the oldest mosque in the Arab world, Ibb the green province, Samarah where mountain tourism began, Taiz with the mosque built by the emissary of Prophet to the Yemenis, Zabid with 80 mosques and Al Hadida on the Red Sea a famous fishing port since the 15th century.
Approximately 70 Companions of the Prophet who participated in the battle of Badr lived in Kufa, among them Ammar Ben Yasser and Abdullah Ben Massaoud. It was the birth place of the great Arab poet Al-Motannabi. Imam Ali described it as: the “head of the Arab, arrow of God’s, treasure of faith and the house of exodus of the Muslims”. Kufa is all this and much more. Islamic Tourism's Iraq correspondent, Walid Abdul-Amir Alwan, traces the history of this famous holy city and describes its numerous places of interest including the second oldest mosque in Iraq, the house of Imam Ali, the Palace of the Emirates and the site where Noah's arc came to rest.
Tourists who come to Dahab are looking for an imaginative Orient and Bedouin lifestyle with a minimum of cosmopolitan settings and international atmosphere. The local developers and businessmen are doing their best to cater for these expectations and wishes. Dr. Ala Al-Hamarneh visits Egypt’s eastern seaside of Sinai from Sharm el Sheikh in the south to the town of Taba in the north, known as the “Red Sea Riviera”.
Ian Stalker reports on Luxor an open air museum: Luxor’s claims to fame include such dramatic sites as the Temples of Karnak and Luxor. The Luxor area is home to the Valleys of the Queens and Kings, with the Valley of the Kings being the final resting place for such famed Pharaohs such as Tutankhamen.
Nick Redmayne traces the history of Middle East Airlines and comments on Beirut whose unique selling point remains its people, possessed of genuine ages-old and now redoubled joie de vivre.
In our interview section Prince Sultan Ben Salman, Secretary General of the High Committee For Tourism In Saudi Arabia discusses Saudi’s decision to encourage non-Muslim tourists for the fist time in the kingdom’s history.
Spanish historians currently list 53 villages and 64 Islamic heritage sites in the neighbourhoods of the capital Madrid, whose Islamic style is evident. These sites are wonderful, popular attractions visited by hundreds of tourists and the residents of Madrid itself. Dr. Kadhim Shamhood Taher goes on a tour of Islamic Spain and describes alarm, control towers built by Muslims to protect them from invaders.
Derick McGroarty looks at what Singapore has to offer beyond the short stop-over. Within the gleaming infrastructure there remains a true fabric of ethnic communities - a special multi-racial quality. There is China Town with its outdoor food stalls and colourful streets; Little India with the sights and sounds of a thriving community; Malaysian and Arab areas with devout Muslims and fine mosques. The Sultan Mosque built in 1928, is one of the loveliest and most important places of Muslim worship in Singapore.
Incredible India is explored by Dominick Merle who visits Darjeeling, the so-called queen of the Himalayas in northeast India. On a clear day, there is a magnificent panoramic view of the entire mountain range. Just outside the city, at a spot called Tiger Hill, the tip of Mt. Everest can be seen in neighboring Nepal. After describing this unique corner of the Indian sub-continent, Merle also provides a penetrating flash of insight into Sikkim, Tripura, Assam and Calcutta, the city where his fascinating journey began and ended.
We continue our exploration of the American continent. Mounir El Fishawy describes Brazil’s multiple tourist attraction: beautiful beaches on the Atlantic Ocean, dense forests, natural reserves rich in birds and rare butterflies. It is a unique corner of the world, whose memories remain engraved forever in the visitors’ heart.
Readers may be surprised to learn that Drumheller in the heart of Alberta, Canada's richest province has over 50 tourist attractions in a 100 square kilometer area including the Hoodoo's, strange sandstone formations which are older than Egypt's pyramids.
Ali Shakiry and Motaz Othman report on the Arabian Travel Market held in May with more than 40 seminars and press conferences organized by tourist boards, hotel chains, airline companies and travel agencies. Our coverage of conferences also includes Algeria’s SITEV 2006, the 8th International Exhibition Of Tourism & Travel) whose motto was “Tourism is a source of economic prosperity and social progress. Mohamed Bokreta describes a celebration of the Prophet’s birthday in the Algerian Sahara. We also describe the activities of the Arab Tourism Organisation. Noureddine Saoudi attended and reported on the Social Tourism conference in France. Johannes Bardong reports on IMEX the leading trade fair for the meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition sector held recently at the Frankfurt Fair Ground.
Islamic Tourism is a magazine published in English, French, Spanish, German and Arabic. Its website (www.islamictourism.com) publishes five weekly news bulletins in the five languages. You can browse the news free of charge and read past issues of the magazine. Your comments are always welcome and will be gratefully received. | 
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