DestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaIraq's answer to the pyramidsEgypt 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.TravelA drive into the cradle of civilisationAlong a single road cutting across the heart of Iraq, you can see where people first learned to write, use maths and invent the wheel.TravelIraq's answer to the pyramidsEgypt 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.TravelA drive into the cradle of civilisationAlong a single road cutting across the heart of Iraq, you can see where people first learned to write, use maths and invent the wheel.TravelKabul’s peaceful garden refugesIn a city torn apart by civil war and violence, gardening provides temporary tranquillity.TravelFive countries that are safer for womenDespite 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.TravelSaudi's lineage of interior stylistsIn 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.Kabul’s peaceful garden refugesIn a city torn apart by civil war and violence, gardening provides temporary tranquillity.TravelFive countries that are safer for womenDespite 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.TravelMore travel in the Middle EastA new city rising from the desertThe 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.TravelThe ancient road that bridged kingdomsIt's mentioned in the Bible, has been used by a succession of empires and links some of Jordan's most important historical sitesTravelA comfort food that survived a warThrough decades of conflict, two generations of chefs have served hungry customers this lamb dish cooked in colourful teapots.TravelThe Muslim divers breaking the rulesIn 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?Travel373 miles of secret treasuresFor the first time, a trail has been mapped through Jordan, allowing tourists to enjoy the different terrains of the country.TravelA rare treasure hidden in plain sightTo preserve the ancient site of Petra for future generations, archaeologists and locals are re-excavating earlier archaeological “dumps” in search of lost treasures.TravelMore travelHollywood's unlikely movie set for blockbustersConstructed more than 100 years ago, the Yamashiro Historic District is as fantastic as any story that Hollywood could put on the silver screen.TravelThe dark side of a couple's Alaskan wilderness dreamIn this BBC archive clip from 1962, Alan Whicker meets the adventurous New Jersey couple who chose to tough it out in a new life as homesteaders.CultureThe US Founding Father who travelled the globeThanks to a new series starring Michael Douglas, Benjamin Franklin is enjoying a renaissance. But as Eric Weiner discovers, the printer, publisher and diplomat was also a consummate traveller.TravelYosemite's hidden Chinese American historyFrom the park's mountain peaks to its winding roads to its wood-panelled buildings, Chinese American history is everywhere in Yosemite – if you know where to look.TravelDalí talks about his iconic 'aggressive' moustacheIn an exclusive BBC archive interview the Surrealist artist shared the secret behind the most famous moustache in the world.CultureThe eerie story behind the newest US national parkDuring World War Two, this haunting site was home to more than 7,500 interned Japanese Americans and was 50% more crowded than New York City.TravelSleep like a samurai in Kyoto's shōgun-era ryokanRun by the same family for the past 12 generations, this more-than-300-year-old inn is considered one of the finest in all of Japan.TravelHow the world's oldest travel story inspired my ownTravel writer Laura Coffey sets off on an epic adventure to discover the modern destinations behind The Odyssey, the real places where myths meet geography.TravelCivilisation collapse: Lessons from the pastPre-modern states and civilisations became more prone to collapse as time passed – a pattern that holds lessons for today's ageing global powers.Future