Standing prominent above Old Istanbul and its waterfront, Topkapi Palace is an immense1 structure with a long and regal history - from its role as the centre of the Ottoman Empire, to its current operation as a museum housing sacred…

Welcome to the second annual GSS Desert Week! In time-honoured tradition, we’ll mostly be posting about deserts. For about a week! While Canada is generally thought of as a land of ice and snow, it is home to one arid…

One of the most picturesque villages found in the Peak District National Park, Eyam is historically significant for the actions the villagers took to isolate themselves in the mid 1600s to prevent the spread of the plague despite the toll…

Nestled amongst the highlands of Northern Ethiopia, the town of Lalibela is a destination for Orthodox Christian pilgrims drawn to its famed monolithic Churches. Dated to the 12th and 13th centuries, but still actively used for worship, the Churches are…

The spectacular Leptis Magna is an exceptionally well-preserved Roman city on the coast of Libya which has a history dating back over 3,000 years. Today the archaeological site is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With a history dating…

Robben Island is a prison island off Capetown, South Africa, best known as the jail where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for eighteen years. The island has a dubious history as a place of imprisonment and exile long before the rise…