This dramatic fortress, perched high above Israel's Negev Desert, was built by King Herod on the site of a former Bronze Age camp.

Masada is worth the while it takes to get there, and the stamina you need to stay there, says Simon Calder.

In Oman, Jim Eagles finds the picturesque fishing village of Quriyat refreshingly different.

This unusual avian hospital is the biggest of its kinds in the world. Wealthy Arabs from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar bring their prized hunting birds here to have their broken wings fixed... or simply to be fussed over.

Jim Eagles visits a falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi for an insight into this most majestic of birds.

Maybe it's the larrikin in me but I never tire of careering over desert sands in four-wheel-drives.

Unlike some desert landscapes, Oman's interior is extremely mountainous - sand and gravel deserts are broken up by rugged, striated, folded mountains in which nestle oases or wadis (river beds).

Invaders hoping to capture Oman's Nizwa fort in centuries past would have had some medieval defence methods to deal with.

The inland Omani town of Nizwa is separated from the Gulf of Oman and the city of Muscat by the Jebel Akhdar mountains. It is home to the largest fort on the Arabian Peninsula and is still a great place to buy traditional Omani wares.

Thank God it's Friday takes on a different meaning in Israel, says Damien Grant.

Tame Iti and his colleagues weren't the only ones on trial for the past five weeks. The terrorism claims in the still-unresolved Urewera case have revealed deep divisions over Maori and Pakeha

This mountain village has an abundance of greenery despite its hostile desert surroundings thanks to the village falaj - a centuries-old irrigation system, bringing water from the mountains to make the arid landscape flourish.

In Oman's harsh mountains water equals paradise, turning desolation into lush gardens, Jim Eagles explains.

This coastal city has been turning out sea-going vessels for thousands of years.