“Whoever lives in Yama sees, and who walks more,” like an Egyptian people, simply summarizes how roaming and travel reveal to one from the wonders of the world what is not seen in his normal daily life. While life gives us years of experiences, travel gives us moments of renewed soul, and promises us to discover new, distant places and experiences that remain stuck in memory.
In this article, we review a set of unique natural phenomena, rare places, and some popular celebrations in the Arab world that deserve to be on the list of life experiences at least once.
Midnight sun: We all know that sunrise must follow the sunset, and the sun appears during the day to replace the moon, but imagine that you are in a place where the sun is never absent! And do not set until midnight! This unique climatic phenomenon known as “midnight sun” is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months when the sun remains visible for 24 hours.
The midnight sun is in the Arctic and the North Scandinavian countries in countries such as Norway, Finland or North Canada, Alaska and Greenland, where the long and endless summer days, when the sun remains shining 24 hours for several weeks.
The experiment makes you feel that the time stops at the brightness of the sun, and gives you a strange feeling of vitality and confusion at the same time .. The night is not dark, but a bright white!
Ptolemaic twilight: It is also called the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), a natural width that is formed in the northern and southern poles of the globe, and one of the most impressive natural phenomena on the planet.
These dance lights occur in the sky when the solar winds interact with gases in the atmosphere, and can be seen in several areas near the Arctic such as Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, North Greenland, Canada and Alaska.
These reactions create amazing colors that appear in the form of strips or curtains that cover the sky after the sunset, their colors range from green, blue to red, purple and pink. Many tourists travel to attend this unique phenomenon, and chase the lights of the dazzling sky as if you were on another planet.
Capadocia cities sculpted: Amid fictional geological terrain carried by wind and lava for millions of years ago, the city of Cappadocia is located in the heart of Türkiye, specifically in the area of the middle of Anatolia, which is one of the most charming and strange destinations not only in Turkey, but also the world.
Cappadocia is characterized by its amazing rock formations that underwent erosion, formed towers, conical shapes, valleys and caves, and its homes and churches are carved in the mountains.
Capadocia includes many underground cities, which were taken by the ancient residents as a shelter during the many conflicts and wars that the region has gone through, and these cities extend over large areas, consisting of several floors on top of each other, and can accommodate thousands of people.
Today, Cappadocia is dazzled not only with its unique natural landmarks and terrain; It is also with its colored human beings that paint amazing airboards in the sky of the city at sunrise.
Pompery or disaster tourism: Imagine that you walk in the streets of a Roman city that frozen in one moment, as if the time suddenly stopped. These are Pompeii, the Italian city, southeast of Naples, which was buried by the Violent Jabal Vezov in 79 AD under tons of volcanic ash.
What seemed then a horrific catastrophe, today it has become one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the world, as hot ash preserved the details of daily life in an amazing manner: its streets, palaces, homes, temples, markets, to the walls decorated with murals, mosaic floors, and even the fossil “human molds” of their residents in conditions that embody the moments of the last escape.
Pompeii’s visit is not just a tour of an ancient archaeological site, but rather a journey inside a whole city frozen in a time of Roman times, as if you entered the time machine and returned two thousand years back.
Waterfalls with a vow: In the heart of the northern mountains of Lebanon, specifically in the town of Tannourine, about 70 km from Beirut, one of the admiration of geological formations in the world is: a waterfall “with a vow”, also known as the “Three Bridges Waterfall”.
This waterfall flows from a height of 90 meters inside a deep hoop, with a total depth of about 255 meters, forming a unique scene where three natural rock bridges embrace overpowered over each other, carving water over millions of years.
The age of this geological formation is about 160 million years, which makes it one of the oldest waterfalls in the world. Spring, especially between March and May, is the best time to visit the site, as the flow of water increases as a result of the melting of snow, and the picturesque green areas that oversee the amazing waterfall for its visitors.
The waterfall is an ideal destination for adventure lovers and height climbing enthusiasts, as well as climbing and skating on ropes from one hill to another.
Socotra Island: In the far south of the Arabian Peninsula, about 240 km from the coast of the Horn of Africa, the Yemeni island of Socotra is located, one of the unique and mysterious lands of the Earth. Socotra is an archipelago consisting of six main islands that follow the Hadramout region, and enjoy pure coasts, white sand dunes, and amazing rock caves, giving it a look as if it were an “isolated planet” outside of time.
Socotra has remained almost unknown to the last decades, keeping its virgin environment, which dazzles everyone who sought its foot. The island is characterized by a unique biological diversity that does not exist elsewhere in the world, as it contains more than 700 settler species, most notably the “blood of the two brothers” tree with a strange parachute and the red juice around which legends woven, including that they have grown from the blood of Cain and Abel.
Sahar Socotra not only lies in its unique nature, but also in its calmness, isolation, and the traditions of its inhabitants, which have been immune to the hustle and bustle of the modern world, which makes her visit a unique experience on the lifetime line.
Group of rainfed: In the heart of one of the most famous popular neighborhoods in Cairo, specifically in the Izbat Hamada area in the Al -Matareya neighborhood, the month of Ramadan every year witnesses an exceptional scene when thousands of fasting people gather in the narrow streets of the neighborhood at a popular breakfast table that is the longest in Egypt, and perhaps in the Arab world.
This unique initiative was launched for the first time in 2013, and it lasted for 11 years, with a temporary hiatus during the year 2020 and 2021 due to the Korona pandemic. Since then, the “rainfed of rain” has become a firm Ramadan tradition that reflects the spirit of solidarity and affection among members of Egyptian society.
This huge breakfast is organized in the middle of the Holy Month, and dozens of young men and women of the neighborhood participate in preparing it through fully self -popular efforts. The roles between the population are carefully divided; Women take over the dishes inside the homes, while men take over the air barbecue in the open air, and it is prepared for this day at least two months before them.
On that day, the streets of Al -Matareya turn into a vibrant festive painting, where they are adorned with lights and balloons are released from the highest roofs of homes at the moment of the ears of Morocco, in a scene full of joy and social harmony, the people of the region and visitors are keen on the rain and many news agencies to document it.
Ashura Festival in Morocco: In the cities of the Kingdom, the day of Ashura turns into a vibrant popular festival, where religious rituals are mixed with heritage practices in a distinctive festive atmosphere.
Celebrations begin with the entry of the month of Muharram and its peak on the tenth of it, as the popular markets are filled with the supplies of this celebration, from foods such as nuts, dates, traditional games, and musical instruments such as games, tambors, and “tone” (a popular rhythm machine classified as Moroccan musical heritage and is made of clay and skin and decorated in different colors), which children and girls use to perform songs and songs Heritage.
One of the most prominent aspects of the celebration is “Zamzam Ashura”, where people are stuck with water in an atmosphere of fun and joy, and the living children are required to ask for cash and sweets in what is known as “the right of Baba Ashour”. Fire is also set in some squares, and rings of singing and folk dance are held.
This day ends with a cooking meal that is cooked with lamb, which was stored from the sacrifice of Eid al -Adha specifically to eat it in Ashura. This makes the Ashura Festival a unique occasion that reflects the richness and diversity of Moroccan Moroccan culture.
And always in this sprawling world, there is something worthy of experience and visit, which brings out the human being, and reminds us that the world is more diverse and surprising than we imagine. Traveling is not only changing one place to another, or a departure for the purpose of watching scenic landscapes or archaeological sites, sometimes the pleasure is in everything that is different, amazing and unfamiliar.
If life is short, then try to fill it with unconventional experiences and explore new or unusual destinations, deserves to be visited even once.