PICTURE: UNSPLASH/ ROBBEN ISLAND
Not all history buffs are museum-goers. While some travellers delight in curated displays and climate-controlled corridors, others crave a more tactile kind of time travel — wandering ancient streets, tracing myths in the dust, or staying in places where centuries unfold with every step.
Walk through ancient civilisations
Ani – Turkey
Once a medieval capital on the Silk Road, Ani is now a hauntingly beautiful ghost city of cathedrals and crumbling fortresses set against a sweeping Anatolian plateau. Little-known and under-touristed, its silence speaks volumes.
Great Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe
These massive stone ruins speak to a powerful African kingdom that thrived from the 11th to 15th century. The craftsmanship of dry stone walls — some over five metres high — holds both mystery and pride.
Angkor Wat – Cambodia
More than just one temple, the Angkor complex sprawls through jungle and time. Visiting by bicycle or tuk-tuk offers the chance to absorb centuries of Khmer history in near silence between sunrise and monsoon rains.
Theban Necropolis – Egypt
On the Nile’s west bank lies a funerary landscape for pharaohs, queens, and nobles. Visit the Valley of the Kings or walk into less-visited tombs where stories of eternity are painted on the walls.
Stay in the story
Matera – Italy
Once a symbol of poverty, now a UNESCO gem, Matera’s cave homes (sassi) have been lived in since the Palaeolithic era. Sleep in a cave hotel and wake to bells echoing off ancient stone.
Lalibela – Ethiopia
Not museums, but twelve rock-hewn churches still in use today. Pilgrims in white shawls navigate narrow tunnels, walking barefoot where history and faith are etched into every carved wall.
Fez Medina – Morocco
Fez’s old city is a living labyrinth. With artisans, tanneries, and madrasas still functioning as they did centuries ago, it’s a place where history isn’t archived—it’s alive.
Iziko Slave Lodge Tours – Cape Town
Skip the exhibit halls and opt for a walking tour that retraces the footsteps of enslaved people through Cape Town’s old streets. Narratives come alive when shared on the ground where they happened.
Follow resistance and liberation trails
Robben Island – South Africa
A short ferry ride from Cape Town, this former prison still holds the weight of South Africa’s struggle. Guided by former political prisoners, the island offers a direct line to lived history.
Freedom Trail – Boston, USA
A red brick path winds through key revolutionary sites—from Paul Revere’s house to the Old North Church. The open-air format invites you to soak in the story of American independence while walking it.
Gorée Island – Senegal
Once a hub of the transatlantic slave trade, Gorée is now a peaceful island layered with difficult truths. The House of Slaves and Door of No Return hold memories in every weather-worn brick.
First published by Gateway
Compiled by Lee-Ann Steyn
Also see: Tips to take care of your health while travelling for holidays
