When Europe was experiencing the so-called dark Middle Ages, during the seventh and eighth centuries AD, in the East, Islam was on the rise, and the Umayyad Dynasty was on the forefront of conquering...
Coffee drinking is part and parcel of everyday life, though it hasn’t always been that way. Curiously enough, coffee drinking was deemed so controversial in the early 16th century that it was banned...
Mansa Musa , the ruler of the Mali Empire in the 14th century, is believed to be the wealthiest person in history, with a net worth of $400 billion in today's dollars. For reference, that’s four...
Embark on a journey through time and faith as we explore the world's most renowned pilgrimage routes. From the scenic trails of Japan to the spiritual heart of Mecca, these routes have been walked by...
Most people will recognize Mecca as the name for the Holy City of Islam. Do you know where the Holy City is? Do you know where it should be? Did it get lost? Was it ever found? Believe it or not,...
Could the Ark of the Covenant be hidden in plain sight, where thousands of pilgrims congregate at a Holy Site, unaware of the significance that this may hold for world religions? A study of ancient...
Mecca (also spelled as Makkah) is regarded as the holiest city in Islam. Apart from the fact that Mecca was the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, it is also the city where Islam’s holiest place of...
In Saudi Arabia a new international archaeology project has been announced, that could help us to understand some long-lost civilizations. Work has begun at the Al-Ula heritage site, which was once...
Every day, five times a day, Muslims across the world face the holy site of Mecca and pray. Mecca is believed to be the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad but when followers visit the site, it is not...
Although archaeological remains may not be the first thing that spring to mind when most people think of Saudi Arabia, it has incredible historic sites. Mada'in Saleh, which was designated a World...
The Romans, along with their successors the Byzantines , occupied the Levant for almost 800 years and left many preserved remains. One of the most remarkably preserved Roman sites in all the Middle...
The remains of a 1,200-year-old mosque have been unearthed in Israel’s Negev desert and it’s being celebrated as one of the earliest known mosques in the world. Hidden beneath the sands of Rahat,...
The Mali Empire (known also as the Manding Empire or Manden Kurufa) was a state that dominated West Africa between the 13th and 17th centuries. At its height of power during the 14th century, the...
The Prophet Muhammad is often called the founder of Islam, but he is also something of a mystery because there is little concrete biographical information about his life in the Qu’ran. To learn more...
The word ‘Islam’ means ‘submission or surrender to the will of God’. Islam is one of the major world religions, and with over 1 billion adherents, is the second largest religion in the world today...
This weekend, history experts across London are attempting to solve the astronomical mystery surrounding an ancient carved “meteorite” found in Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) by a 19th century English...
