The fabled city of Damascus, the sweet "City of Jasmine", is now being squeezed by an ever-encroaching war.

BBC: Conflict hits Damascus daily life

French President Francois Hollande visited Timbuktu last week, just days after French forces had freed the fabled city from Islamist militants.

CNN: French troops kill 'hundreds' of Islamist fighters in Mali

The fabled city includes ancient tombs and wooden structures dating to the 15th century, a major part of its cultural heritage.

CNN: Broken limbs, torn lives in northern Mali

The fabled city, whose names is sometimes used in the West as a synonym for a faraway place, was at the center of trans-Sahara trade in earlier times.

CNN: French, Malians seize town from Islamists

"This is very serious, " said Ousmane Halle, mayor of the fabled city of Timbuktu, now under the control of Ansar Dine, a militant group that seeks to impose strict Sharia, or Islamic law.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) A suicide car bomber killed a soldier near Timbuktu's airport, officials said Thursday, the first such attack in the fabled city where French forces ousted Islamic extremists from power almost two months ago.

NPR: Mali Army: Suicide Bomber Kills 1 In Timbuktu

The fabled "City of 333 Saints, " is an ancient desert crossroads and a historic seat of Islamic learning and faith.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES

PETRA, Jordan (AP) President Barack Obama set aside the Middle East's tricky politics Saturday to marvel at the beauty of one of the region's most stunning sites, the fabled ancient city of Petra.

NPR: Obama Ends Mideast Trip With Tour Of Ancient Petra

The 1733-established city of roughly 130, 000 inhabitants has an aura as shaggy-chic as its fabled live oaks maned in Spanish moss.

WSJ: Journal Concierge: A Guide to Savannah, Ga.