Egypt may have the Pyramids of Giza, but Iraq has the Ziggurat of Ur – an incredibly well-preserved engineering achievement that towers over the ruins of an important ancient city.
Along a single road cutting across the heart of Iraq, you can see where people first learned to write, use maths and invent the wheel.
In a city torn apart by civil war and violence, gardening provides temporary tranquillity.
Despite the growing trend in solo travel, women still encounter challenges when they travel abroad alone. But some places are topping the rankings when it comes to safety and equality.
In the remote, mountainous region of 'Asir, women's ingenuity can be seen in a 200-year-old artform that's passed from mother to daughter.
The Black Desert offers visitors millions of years of natural and human history – but this may all change with plans to build a new capital city on the desert's edge.
It's mentioned in the Bible, has been used by a succession of empires and links some of Jordan's most important historical sites
Through decades of conflict, two generations of chefs have served hungry customers this lamb dish cooked in colourful teapots.
In predominately Muslim countries, women are discouraged from scuba diving. But with trailblazers proving they can do it, are the figures about to be buoyed up?
For the first time, a trail has been mapped through Jordan, allowing tourists to enjoy the different terrains of the country.
To preserve the ancient site of Petra for future generations, archaeologists and locals are re-excavating earlier archaeological “dumps” in search of lost treasures.
Forty years after receiving an anonymous tip, one man has been working to rewrite Black history to show where and how the first Africans arrived in the British Colonies.
Coastal towns across southern India still reveal how medieval travellers once used the power of language to further trade and forge deep connections.
One of the great 20th-Century novelists, Morrison consciously aimed her work at black American readers. In a 2003 interview, she told the BBC about why that made her writing sing.
The Western world was once obsessed with these macabre memorials.
From dragon-like animals to Chinese tornados and Viking raids, here are the real-life phenomena linked to an ancient myth.
The Armenian alphabet is not just a writing system: it's also a numerical system used for mathematical calculations and recording calendar dates, as well as a national point of pride.
From supernatural capes to sleeping caps, asbestos fibres once had a wide range of bizarre uses.
In an exclusive clip from the BBC Archive, watch Nelson Mandela speak about his historic release from prison, a watershed moment for South Africa in its transition to democracy.
Shrovetide football consumes the town of Ashbourne on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, when the normal rules of society are suspended and the town cheerfully turns to anarchy.