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The Smithsonian Life List: 43 Places to See Before You Die

From wonders of the world to thrills for adventure seekers, we've compiled a list of sites that any true world traveler cannot miss

A Musical Tour Along the Crooked Road

Grab a partner. Bluegrass and country tunes that tell America's story are all the rage in hilly southern Virginia

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Whales evolved from mammals

Evolution World Tour: Wadi Hitan, Egypt

In Egypt's Western Desert, evidence abounds that before they were the kings of the ocean, whales roamed the earth on four legs
January 2012 | By Abigail Tucker

Sterkfontein

Evolution World Tour: The Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

The world's greatest source of hominid fossils is among dozens of caves just hours from Johannesburg
January 2012 | By Erin Wayman

Table Mountain South Africa

Take in South Africa From Table Mountain National Park

High above Cape Town, this craggy wildlife preserve provides sprawling views and thrilling hikes
July 28, 2011 | By Karen Larkins

Cape Coast Castle

Ghana’s Monument to Sorrow and Survival

At Cape Coast Castle, visitors walk in the footsteps of African slaves
May 18, 2011 | By Randy B. Hecht

Fez Morocco donkeys

Morocco's Extraordinary Donkeys

The author returns to Fez to explore the stubborn animal's central role in the life of this desert kingdom
September 2009 | By Susan Orlean

Nairobi Kenya

Day 1: Seeing Kenya from the Sky

Despite many travel delays, Smithsonian Secretary Clough arrives in Kenya ready to study the African wildlife at the Mpala Ranch
June 16, 2009 | By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

Famagusta Walled City

Endangered Site: Famagusta Walled City, Cyprus

Once located in the midst of high-volume shipping lanes, a forgotten city with multiple European influences could be lost forever without an intervention
March 2009 | By Helen Starkweather

Curator on roof of family library

Endangered Site: Chinguetti, Mauritania

The rapidly expanding Sahara Desert threatens a medieval trading center that also carries importance for Sunni Muslims
March 2009 | By Jeanne Maglaty

Church of the Nativity Bethlehem

Endangered Site: Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

The 1,700-year-old basilica, believed to mark the birthplace of Jesus Christ, has survived invasions, rebellions and earthquakes
March 2009 | By Abigail Tucker

City of Hasankeyf Turkey

Endangered Site: The City of Hasankeyf, Turkey

A new hydroelectric dam threatens the ancient city, home to thousands of human-made caves
March 2009 | By Diane M. Bolz

Hazrat Ali, the most beautiful mosque in Afghanistan, dates to the seventh century and is open to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The Enduring Splendors of, Yes, Afghanistan

A writer and photographer crisscross a nation ravaged by a quarter century of warfare to inventory its most sacred treasures
February 2003 | By Rob Schultheis

Egypt's Crowning Glory

New Kingdom customs rise triumphantly from the dead in "The Quest for Immortality," a dazzling display of treasures from the tombs of the pharaohs
July 2003 | By Doug Stewart

Dazzling Dubai

The Persian Gulf kingdom has embraced openness and capitalism. Might other Mideast nations follow?
October 01, 2003 | By Ken Ringle

Letter from Lahore: Reinventing Pakistan

Welcome to Lahore, where an explosion of art and media is offering a vibrant alternative to the strictures of religious conservatives and is transforming one of America's most important and most ambivalent allies
July 2004 | By Mohsin Hamid

A New Day in Iran?

The regime may inflame Washington, but young Iranians say they admire, of all places, America
March 2005 | By Afshin Molavi

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