Oudayas Kasbah near Rabat's nedina has kept its old cannons placed on a bastion. Its massive gate is entirely carved, while its blue and white walls give it a Mediterranean atmosphere. Cobbled streets lead to the El Atiqa Mosque, the oldest in the city, and on to the old semaphore platform. The view from here, or the terrace of the neighbouring Café Maure, is splendid: Rabat, nearby Salé and Bouregreg river meeting the ocean. The Oudayas Palace, further on up, which now houses the National Museum, has conserved its markedly simple and balanced original decor. The Andalusian Gardens below are a heaven of peace full of fruit trees, rose-laurels and cascades of bougainvilleas.

Victory Arch or The Swords of Qadisiyyah, also known as the Hands of Victory, is one of Baghdad’s more striking monuments. It features two colossal statues of hands holding crossed swords that arch above the road. Erected during Saddam Hussein’s regime, it reflects the era’s characteristic style of monumental propaganda.

Located in the Golden Triangle of Art alongside the Prado Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the Reina Sofía National Art Center is housed in a massive former hospital dating from the mid-18th century. Its collection consists mainly of Spanish works from the 20th century. Among the works on display are pieces by renowned artists such as Dalí, Miró, and Juan Gris, as well as the gallery's prized possession, Picasso's "Guernica".