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NORTHERN RED SEA

July 31, 2016 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Egypt The Red Sea, the ancient waterway that separates Egypt and East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula is the most biodiverse marine area in the Middle East.  Effectively isolated from the rest of the world’s oceans except by narrow straits (and the Suez Canal for only about a century and a half), the Red Sea has one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth.  This is especially … [Read more...]

WHITE DESERT

July 30, 2016 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Egypt The White Desert, a region of the Sahara Desert located within Egypt, is also one of its most beautiful regions and one of its most visited.  So named the White Desert because of its white chalky outcroppings, the area is also the site of many springs and oases, as well as spectacular and odd geological formations.  Much of the White Desert is now protected within White … [Read more...]

BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN (EL ALAMEIN BATTLEFIELD)

December 9, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

El Alamein, Egypt (1942 AD) The Battle of El Alamein actually constituted two separate engagements: the first was part of the German campaign to capture strategic targets in Egypt; and the second was the British counterattack that drove them back out of Egypt.  It is the second battle that is well known and recognized as one of the key turning points of the World War II.  The … [Read more...]

MURSI ABU EL-ABBAS MOSQUE (MASJID MURSI ABU EL-ABBAS)

April 16, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Alexandria, Egypt Despite the fact that Alexandria was the largest and most important city in Egypt at the time of the Muslim conquest, it never developed into one of Islam’s greatest metropoli.  In fact, the surprisingly neglected port city fell into a steep decline after being absorbed into the caliphate, and its surprising lack of major mosques reflects this.  The city’s … [Read more...]

AL-AZHAR MOSQUE (MADRASSA AL-AZHAR)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Cairo, Egypt By the time the Fatimids came to power, Fustat was the already the political center of Africa.  As the capital of the Fatimid dynasty, it also became the second most powerful city in the Islamic world after Baghdad.  During their reign, the Fatimids transformed Fustat into a religious and cultural powerhouse as well, adorning the city with mosques, schools and … [Read more...]

IBN TULUN MOSQUE (MASJID IBN TULUN)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Cairo, Egypt Cairo is one of the great cities of the Muslim world and, thanks in large part to geography, one of the best preserved.  It boasts some of the oldest post-Umayyad architecture in the Middle East, including one of the most intact Abbasid-era mosques, the Masjid Ibn Tulun.  Ahmad ibn Tulun, a prominent Abbasid governor of Egypt in the 9th century, intended the … [Read more...]

AL-HUSSAYN MOSQUE (MASJID AL-HUSSAYN)

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Cairo, Egypt Hussayn, the son of Ali and the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, spent most of his life in Arabia and Mesopotamia.  There are no records of him ever having been in Egypt, and his tomb at Najaf has been recognized by most Shi’ites as his final resting place for well over a thousand years.  Despite all geographic and historical evidence to the contrary, local … [Read more...]

QAIT BAY CITADEL

December 19, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Alexandria, Egypt The Qait Bay Citadel is one of the last and greatest pre-Colonial fortresses to be built on the African continent.  It is also one of the finest examples standing of Middle Eastern military architecture.  Built on the foundations of the Lighthouse of Pharos, one of the ancient wonders of the world, the fortress was designed to protect the nominally … [Read more...]

CAIRO CITADEL

December 19, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Cairo, Egypt The Citadel of Cairo is the great palace/fortress from which numerous Islamic dynasties ruled over Egypt and periodically other African and Middle Eastern territories.  Constructed by Saladin in the 11th century, it is one of the greatest fortress-palaces built in the Middle East during the Abbasid and Mamluk periods.  Its beauty and political importance were … [Read more...]

BABYLON FORTRESS

December 16, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Cairo, Egypt The Babylon Fortress is arguably the greatest surviving fortress of the Roman era.  Unlike the Castel Sant’Angelo, which was originally built as a mausoleum, and Hadrian’s Wall, which while impressive was largely a long wall, the Babylon Fortress was actually one of the greatest citadels ever built by the empire.  Located in sight of the Pyramids of Giza, it was … [Read more...]

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THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

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Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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