We were recently nominated to participate in Tripbase’s “3 Best Kept Travel Secrets” game by our travel friends, Dave and Deb, Canada’s Adventure Couple at The Planet D and Monica at A Pair of Panties and Boxers.

“The aim of this game is to unite travel bloggers in a joint endeavor – to create an amazing list of top travel recommendations across the globe to share with the entire online travel community.” – Katie from Tripbase.com.

So here are our Cultural Travel  Secrets:

China’s Spirit Roads: Jianling Tomb

A unique element of the Chinese funerary complex, is the “Spirit Road”, a line-up of statuary that leads to an imperial mausoleum. One of the most striking elements of the Spirit Roads (some which date back to 450 CE) is that they can be up to 1 kilometer long and comprised of hundreds of statues. There are several Spirit Road sites that can be visited easily by tourists, however, our favorite is found just North of X’ian and required a short hike to reach. The Spirit Road of the Jianling tomb, made for the Tang Emperor Suzong (reigned 756-762), is difficult to find given its position in the middle of terraced farmland, but worth it once you get there due to the fact that the figures are all partially covered in soil.  The Tang championed realism in all of their sculptural depictions; they are drawn from real life and reflect specific individuals, rather than general types.

Spirit Road Figure - Jianling Tomb (outside X'ian)

Cairo’s Northern Qarafa (cemetery)

Numerous emirs and sultans built there funerary complexes here in Cairo’s Northern Qarafa (cemetery). Our favorite is the funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay (1472-74), which offers a supreme example of the sophisticated use of overlapping arabesques and geometric patterns to decorate dome exteriors.  This dome represents the high point of the Bahri Mamluke Dynasty’s (1250-1382) architectural legacy.  Our Approach Guide to Islamic Cairo offers additional information on this and other must-see sites in Islamic Cairo.

Dome of the Funerary Complex of Sultan Qaytbay (Cairo)

Sanfelice’s Baroque Staircase in Naples

18th century Neapolitan Rococo architecture is best illustrated in the work of Ferdinando Sanfelice (1675-1748), who is known for his striking staircases. We especially love the Palazzo della Spagnuolo. Via dei Virgini, 19.  Sanfelice’s stairway in this building is distinctive for its height, the large size of its perforations, and the movement of the design. This is a great example of how architecture of the Baroque keeps your eye in movement: notice in this picture how Sanfelice skillfully draws your gaze upward, giving the structure a lightness that would otherwise not exist. Our Approach Guide to Italy: The Italian Baroque offers travelers additional information on this and other architectural gems throughout Italy.

Palazzo della Spagnuolo (Naples)

Listen to the adhan from Masjid Al-Aqsa, Jersusalem

One of the most distinctive elements associated with traveling around the Middle East and countries with large Islamic populations is hearing the call to prayer (adhan) five times each day. Although in some places, like Dubai, the call to prayer is subtle, in other locations, such as Islamic Cairo or Turkey, the call to prayer is a central part of daily life and can be loudly heard throughout the city streets.

English translation of the Islamic call to prayer

God is most great (“Allahu Akbar“; intoned four times).
I testify that there is no God but Allah (“Ashhadu anna la ilah ill’-Allah“; intoned twice)
I testify that Mohammed is his Prophet (“Ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah“; intoned twice)
Come to prayer (“Hayya ‘ala ‘l-salah“; intoned twice).
Come to security/salvation (“Hayya ‘ala’l-falah“; intoned twice).
God is most great. (“Allahu Akbar“; intoned twice)
There is no God but Allah (“La ilah ill’Allah“; intoned once).
Prayer is better than sleep (“Al-salatu khayr min Al-nawm“; intoned twice) This line is sometimes added to the first prayer of the morning (pre-sunrise)
Benediction and peace upon you, oh apostle of Allah (“Al-salatu wa’l-salam ‘alayka ya rasul Allah“; intoned once).

Muslim prayer times

Muslims pray five times each day (pre-dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening) in the direction of Mecca. Travelers can use Al-Islam or an iPhone app that gives daily prayer times and quibla direction (facing Mecca) for destinations throughout the world.

Friday at the mosque

Friday is the day on which all Muslims, especially males, should go to the mosque at 12:00 (noon) for congregational prayer. Given this requirement, many shops outside of tourist areas will close as the owners make their way to the local Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque).  The mosque will certainly be closed to non-Muslims during this time.

Minaret, Cairo, Egypt

Visiting mosques

• Typically, mosques are closed to tourists during prayer times; we recommend visiting just before the worship begins so that you can hear the call to prayer as it reverberates throughout the interior spaces of the mosque.
• Always walk behind worshipers that are praying, so they do not pray “to” you, but rather towards Mecca.
• Wear conservative clothes (sleeves, pants/skirts below the knees) and remove your your shoes before entering the mosque. Often you will find a local willing to “guard” your shoes for a small fee.
• Women travelers: Jennifer recommends that women follow the locals’ lead and wear a long shirt/shirtdress that covers their backside. Also, women may be required to wear a headscarf upon entering a mosque; you can bring your own or borrow one from the mosque.

Historical function of the minaret

Historically, the minarets were used by the mosque’s muezzins as tall platforms from which to call Muslims to prayer and to announce the central tenant of the Islamic faith to non-believers. Today, however, a muezzin (or imam) typically recites the call to prayer into a microphone in the main prayer hall where it is then pumped through loudspeakers installed on the minarets.

St Catherine's Monastery at the Base of Moses' Mountain

The Sinai Peninsula’s Moses’ Mountain (aka Mount Sinai, Mount/Gebel Horeb, Mount/Gebel Musa) rises behind the storied, 4th century St. Catherine’s Monastery, the oldest continuously operating Christian monastery in existence today.  The monastery — formally named Sacred and Imperial Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount Sinai — is built upon the supposed location of the Bible’s famed “burning bush”. The site of the burning bush is where god supposedly revealed himself to Moses, as recounted in Exodus 3: “The Lord spoke to Moses in this place, saying I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, I am who I am.” The monastery’s origins date back to Roman Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helena, who isolated the spot of the “burning bush” in 337 AD. A small shrine/chapel was built on the site. This shrine of the burning bush is not visible, however, as it sits behind the apse of the church, and is not open for viewing. Thereafter, Roman Emperor Justinian built a 12-pillar granite basilica (constructed 542-551) to house Helena’s shrine. Justinian also fortified the site, by building fortified granite walls for protection — it is these walls that still stand around the city to this day.

Although there is heated debate as to whether the summit of Moses’ Mountain is the actual historical site where Moses received the Ten Commandments, this is certainly the traditional, recognized location.

From the summit, the views of the surrounding mountains and valleys are great! The climb is certainly worth the effort.

• When to do it. Seeing sunrise or sunset from the top is traditional (although we actually climbed to the summit during the day, missing the crowds at sunrise and sunset, and really enjoyed the experience).
• Geology of the mountain.  The mountain is made of granite.
• The summit is not visible from the Monastery, but the ascent up the mountain is visible off the northwest corner of the Monastery. The stone step path that rises to the summit was likely constructed in the sixth or seventh century.
• Summit altitude of 2,285 meters. This amounts to a 685 meter climb, given an altitude of 1,600 meters at the gates of St Catherine’s.
• Climbing to the summit. You can take two different routes to the top:
  • The camel track (ascent takes 2.5-3 hours up). This is a less taxing route and certainly riding a camel reduces the climbing strain, but probably not the riding sores.
  • The 3700 steps (ascent takes 1.5-2 hours, descent takes 1 hour). We would definitely recommend this route (we went up and down this route). It is much prettier, not to mention faster, plus it is the “historical” route taken by pilgrims up the mountain. Although many guidebooks warn about this being a brutal ascent, with some steps over a meter high, we did not find it difficult and certainly did not encounter any meter-high steps!  We would recommend taking a flashlight (for each person) if you are going to undertake this at night or during the early morning.

  Further, no matter which route you select, certainly bring a jacket because the wind really blows at the top.

See our custom map for the location of Moses’ Mountain and St Catherine’s Monastery.

Certainly a trip to Moses’ Mountain would not be complete without a visit to St. Catherine’s Monastery.  See our ApproachGuide to The Christian Icons of St Catherine’s Monastery.

The Chicken, Mushroom and Jennifer. White Desert, Egypt

One of our most memorable adventures was an overnight stay in Egypt’s White Desert (4-5 hour drive outside of Cairo). The White Desert and its nearby neighbor, the Black Desert form a part of the world’s largest desert, the Libyan Desert (1600 sq. km). Here is what you can expect to encounter during  an overnight stay:

• Black Desert. The black color is derived from basalt, an igneous (volcanic) rock. Underlying the basalt is sand comprised of pulverized Bahariya sandstone and quartz.
• Crystal Mountain. Located in between the Black and White Deserts. The mountain consists of a significant portion of quartz, effectively the crystallization of chalk.
• New White Desert. Absolutely amazing! This place is the whole reason to do the overnight trip. The desert consists entirely of white chalk, the result of the sedimentation of the cretaceous sea (chalk is effectively limestone — stone that has been formed formed from the sedimentation of organic elements out of a fluid, such as a river, lake or ocean — that has been broken down or reduced to a finer powder-like composition). The wind and sand have eroded three-story building-sized blocks of chalk (called inselbergs, meaning prominent steep-sided hills of solid rock, rising abruptly from a plain of low relief ) into all sorts of shapes (animals, mushrooms, etc). Further, on the ground, there are small iron pyrites and marcasite that are naturally formed into every conceivable shapes; walking around the desert is almost like walking along the seashore, picking up small shells. There is also an “old” white desert – not quite as impressive, but it is close and worth a visit.

We highly recommend organizing your tour through Peter Wirth at International Hot Springs Hotel (www.whitedeserttours.com). He arranged our private overnight tour with a 4×4-driving local Bedouin guide (as well as our transfer from Cairo); we were absolutely delighted with the service, the fireside dinner, our guide and, of course, the scenery.

Note: Cairo is the only place in the world where you can see architecture from nearly every great Islamic Empire. Use the ApproachGuide to the Middle East: Islamic Cairo to guide you through the old city during your next visit.