The author of "History of the Black Land" Mahmoud Kati (16th century), says: "Timbuktu has achieved a high degree of beauty and splendour. The Islamic religion that was prosperous there and the traditions of the Prophet gave life to everything." Noureddine Saoudi describes this mythical city with a priceless collection of Islamic manuscripts which confirm, like an echo, the work of the great Senegalese historian Sheikh Anta Diop and the spiritual depth of pre-colonial Africa. They also provide evidence that the prosperity of this region was founded on the business dynamics triggered by Islam and the Muslim preachers through their ability to provide education for the masses.
Walid Abdul Amir Alwan visits Nuffar, a religious centre of the Sumerians dating back 5000 years. Five hours are needed to walk around the site. Legends tell us that the city was created in the sky and fell to the earth. The inhabitants of the surrounding villages repeat fantastic stories about a creature that swallows everyone who comes to city. Snakes and beasts aside, Nuffar has a fascinating ziggurat (pyramid with steps), the ruins of a temple and an altar. The fascinating site also has many scattered hills between the sand dunes, remnants of buildings, castles and fortifications.
The still evident Moorish façade of the old city as well as the modern tourist facilities have combined to create for Palma de Mallorca a holiday destination par excellence. Most tourists especially from cruise ships always begin by exploring the old city, once surrounded by defensive walls, parts of which remain -some renovated. In its maze of alleyways and tiny streets with their Moorish heritage, travellers can enjoy the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. A good number of these streets fan out from Sa Seu, Palma's Cathedral constructed on the site of a former mosque which itself was erected on the remains of a Roman temple. Habeeb Salloum reports.
The attractions of Hama, such as mosques, hammams, the national museum and khans, are described by Fadi Kestaly who calls the Syrian city, the jewel of the El-Assi River. The city has been inhabited since 4000BC.
Mohamed Bokreta visits Timimoun, a former meeting place of caravans bringing gold, cotton and ivory from the south and cereals and spices from the north. In this Algerian town, whose predominant colour is ochre, the mosque, the Sudan Door and wall sculptures are popular sights for tourists.
Ajrak, a textile with intricate designs, is a Sindhi tradition, traceable from the earliest archaeological finds of the old Indus civilization Moen -Jo-Dero. It has been equally popular from times immemorial till today among its urban, rural and nomad users. Zubair Tahir reports.
Mounir El-Fishawy visits Cambodia with the beautiful attractions of Phnom Penh, palaces, temples, mosques, and the Mekong River, as well as its dark corners, the detention centre of the Khmer Rouge and photographs of the victims. He also spends some time in the tourist town of Siem Reap, with the Hindu Angkor temple - a world heritage site - and the Hindu and Buddhist temples of Bayon and Ta Prohm.
Erawan is Thailand's little shrine with the big powers. It has warded off big corporations that wanted to buy the valuable property on which it is built and relocate the shrine. Then, in 1991, the Hyatt corporation reached the only logical compromise, building its five-star hotel gingerly around the shrine, almost protecting and sheltering it. Dominick Merle reports.
Motaz Othman interviews Mr. Satit Nillwongse, Thailand's Executive Director for Promotion in the Middle East, Europe and Africa who is trying to promote his country as a destination in the Middle East and the Gulf. He referred to the advanced health services offered by Thai hospitals and clinics which are known to all in the Middle East. Halal food is also served in major hotels.
There is no surprise if the state of Goa in India attracts 2.5 million tourists a year. The reason is its natural beauty: 90% of its area is covered with permanently green trees and criss-crossed by eleven rivers, the longest being the Mandovi, with its clean golden-sand beaches. The most beautiful is Miramar beach. Motaz Othman surveys the numerous tourist attractions: markets, famous churches from the days of Portugese colonisation, numerous cultural, music and religious festivals and dolphins.
Motaz Othman also travels to Salzburg in the heart of Austria. The tranquil city is the birthplace of Mozart. The history of music goes back more that 1200 years and the summer music festivals are world famous. Salzburg is also a city of museums, castles, and palaces.
An experience of peaceful English life in the New Forest is introduced by Derick McGroarty. William I created his "New Forest" in 1079 for a privileged minority. The Rufus Stone erected in 1745 marks the spot where his died in a hunting accident.
In his monthly column the publisher Mr A. S. Shakiry discusses peace tourism. He points out that if we want to find a common purpose or goal for all tourists, we can only say that it is peace, which provides relaxation, for the person under stress. The best kind of tourism, which enables the individual to achieve security, safety, peace and tranquillity, is Religious Tourism. This does not mean that other genres have a lesser value, but the faith and conviction of tourists performing the rites and rituals, collectively, reinforces a feeling of profound peace.
The Editor-in Chief, Dr. A. R. Hassan, refutes the argument that the information technology and electronic communication age are a threat to books and the art of conversation. Mobile phones are encouraging rather than stiflying coversation and increasing use of the internet has seen a corresponding increase in books published. Cafes in many bookshops are also encouraging people to socialise and discuss literary works.
Motaz Othman and Armin Gemmer report on ACTB -Austrian and Central European Travel Business - with 338 exhibitors from 58 nations. It is a small but fancy trade fair in which the Alpine country presents its choicest tourism offers.
Visitors to ITB, the world's largest tourism trade fair, showed particular interest in Arab exhibition stands from countries like Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Their classical ancient ruins were skilfully marketed with miniatures on display on the exhibition stands. One has to pay a special tribute to the Iranian stand which improved in size and appearance and represented the classical ancient city of Persepolis. Motaz Othman and Armin Gemmer report.
Derick McGroaty reported from the Arts of Islam Exhibition hosted at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.
Islamic Tourism is a magazine published in English, French, Spanish, German and Arabic. Its website (http://www.islamictourism.com/) features 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. Please send them to (http://b3.mail.yahoo.com/ym/tcph.org/Compose?To=post@islmaictourism.com).
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