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You might think our early Homo sapiens ancestors were too busy fending off saber-tooth cats or inventing fire to worry about dating, but turns out, they were pretty social. In fact, about 50,000 years ago, Homo sapiens and Neanderthals not only crossed paths, but also seemingly interbred. But the big question has always been <em>where</em> this ancient affair took place. Thanks to recent studies, archaeologists believe they may have an answer.<br /><br />A team of archaeologists from multiple universities in Germany, Denmark and <keyword id="19915592" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="iran" source="keywords">Iran</keyword>, used ecological niche modeling and geographic information systems to map out where Homo sapiens and Neanderthals were likely living during the Late Pleistocene. They narrowed it down to the Persian Plateau’s <keyword id="23113135" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zagros" source="keywords">Zagros</keyword> Mountains — modern-day Iran, Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. With its warm climate, diverse animal life, and strategic location, it would have been an ideal spot for both groups to settle, hunt, and, well.. interact.<br /><br />The interbreeding likely occurred over several thousand years — roughly between 47,000 and 65,000 years ago. These events left a lasting imprint on us, with modern non-African humans carrying about 1-2% <keyword id="149748" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="neanderthal" source="Orion">Neanderthal</keyword> <keyword id="25384" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dna" source="Orion">DNA</keyword>. It seems the genes that stuck around were helpful, impacting traits like skin color and immune responses, which might have helped our ancestors adapt to new environments.<br />    <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="110805199" title="Humans and Neanderthals only had sex for a brief period, but it still fundamentally changed our DNA" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><h2>Why was Zagros so happening?</h2>There’s many reasons Zagros was the ideal place for this <keyword id="1252671" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prehistoric" source="Orion">prehistoric</keyword> meet-cute. The region wasn’t just a Neanderthal haven with its varied biodiversity and topology; it was also right on the migration route that Homo sapiens took out of Africa. In other words, it would have been more surprising if the two groups <em>hadn’t</em> run into each other.<br /><br />Archaeological evidence supports this theory. The region is full of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthal skeletons, including the famous Neanderthal “flower burial,” which suggests this area was a significant gathering place for both species. Given the overlap in time and location, it seems highly likely that the two groups not only encountered each other but interbred, leaving a genetic legacy that still affects us today.<br />    <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="110138496" title="Did infection from human viruses contribute to the demise of Neanderthals 40,000 years ago?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>So, while we may never know the exact moment of connection (or awkward small talk), we now have a better idea of <em>where</em> it likely happened — and why their shared genes continue to influence us today.<br /><br />The findings of this research have been published in <em>Scientific Reports</em> and can be accessed <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-70206-y">here</a>.<br /><br /><i>Editor's note: The story has been updated briefly after publishing to correct minor grammatical and language errors.</i><br />

Our ancestors bred with Neanderthals 50,000 years ago — here's where scientists think they did it

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Google Maps</span></p><p class="caption">66 people died.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>A passenger plane has crashed in Iran killing everybody on board.</strong></li><li><strong>A child is believed to be amongst the dead.</strong></li></ul><p> </p><p>A passenger plane in Iran crashed midflight killing everybody on board.</p><p>Aseman Airlines said 66 people including one child were killed when the plane came down in the Zagros mountains, near the city of Semirom.</p><p>"After searches in the area, unfortunately we were informed that the plane crashed. Unfortunately, all our dear ones lost their lives in this incident," airline spokesman Mohammad Tabatabai said, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-43103192" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the BBC</a>.</p><p>Flight EP 3704 left Iran capital Tehran for the southwestern city of Yasuj at 8.00 a.m local time on Sunday (4.30 a.m GMT / 11.30 p.m Saturday ET).</p><p>The flight typically takes approximately 100 minutes but the plane disappeared from radar one hour after take off.</p><p>On board were 60 passengers, two security guards, two flight attendants, the pilot and the co-pilot. A child is also amongst the dead.</p><p>Emergency services traveled to the crash site by land after a helicopter was forced to turn back because of bad weather.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/future-olympics-no-country-wants-to-host-games-2018-2">No one wants to host the Olympics anymore -&#xa0;will they go away?</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

66 people, including 1 child, have been killed in a passenger plane crash in Iran

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>Mina Basaran was one of 11 people killed in a private jet crash in Iran on Sunday.</strong></li><li><strong>The plane had taken Basaran and seven friends to Dubai for her bachelorette party.</strong></li><li><strong>It was travelling back to Istanbul when it gained altitude then "dropped drastically."</strong></li><li><strong>Basaran was set to marry fiancé Murat Gezer on April 14.</strong></li></ul><p><br>Turkish Instagram star and construction heiress Mina Basaran was one of 11 people killed in a private jet crash in Iran on Sunday.</br></p><p>The Bombardier Challenger 604 jet reportedly crashed in the Zagros Mountains outside of Shahr-e Kord, a city which sits roughly 370 km (230 miles) south of Iranian capital Tehran.</p><p>It killed all 11 people on board, including three crew members, according to Associated Press. Authorities have so far recovered 10 bodies from the crash site.</p><p>The plane was headed to Istanbul from the Dubai after Basaran, a bride-to-be, held her hen party in Dubai along with seven friends. She was due to marry fiancé Murat Gezer on April 14. They are pictured below.</p><p>AP reported that investigators found the black box from the Bombardier CL604 plane, <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/mina-basaran-turkish-bridetobe-and-friends-among-11-killed-in-private-plane-crash-a3787306.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">owned by the private holding company of Mina's millionaire father Huseyin Basaran</a>, on Monday.</p><p>Basaran is the chairman of Basaran Investment Holding. According to the Evening Standard, he owns "several small businesses and a small investment bank," and is involved in construction projects such as series of luxury apartment blocks in Istanbul called "Mina Towers" after his daughter.</p><p>Mina, a socialite who had <a href="https://www.instagram.com/minabasaran/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 85,000 followers on Instagram</a>, was <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/mina-basaran-turkish-bridetobe-and-friends-among-11-killed-in-private-plane-crash-a3787306.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly on the management board at her father's company</a>, and was next in line to run the business.</p><p>She had posted several photos on her Instagram account, which has now been made private, over the weekend, including an image of herself on the tarmac in front of the plane and another on board holding heart-shaped balloons. Her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mina.basaran.9?hc_ref=ARQ3NycaHR7eWHoArJNG49xc-GvEoOoLN1udN-7Vh33fFoUk4C40-08GpjUcExE5zwY&amp;fref=nf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook account has been changed into a tribute page.</a></p><h2>The plane "dropped drastically within minutes"</h2><p>According to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the aircraft, which took off from Sharjah International Airport on Sunday, rapidly gained altitude a little over an hour into the flight then "dropped drastically within minutes."</p><p>While it is unknown what caused the crash, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/12/bride-to-be-hen-party-killed-private-jet-crashes-return-dubai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a witness told Iran state television</a> that the plane was on fire before it hit the mountain.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>The black box will hopefully help investigators determine the cause of the crash, as the equipment typically records cockpit conversations and radio transmissions.</p><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div></hr>

A 28-year-old Turkish construction heiress and Instagram star has died in a plane crash along with her entire bachelorette party

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Hundreds of millions of years ago, Earth had one giant supercontinent named Pangea.</li><li>Pangea eventually broke up into smaller land masses, which then fragmented further and became our modern-day continents. </li><li>New research shows that an eighth continent slid underneath what is now southern Europe about 120 million years ago, and it's still hidden deep within the Earth.</li><li>Scientists named this lost continent "Greater Adria." Its uppermost regions form mountain ranges across Europe, like the Alps.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>The map of the world looked very different 240 million years ago.</p><p>Earth's modern-day continents were joined together in one Pac-man-shaped supercontinent known as Pangea, which eventually split into two fragments: Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south. The former became Europe, Asia, and North America. The latter dispersed to form modern-day Africa, Antarctica, South America, and Australia. </p><p>But now, scientists have discovered the fate of a fifth continent that was born from Gondwana's bosom, which they named Greater Adria. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X19302230#!">A study</a> published last week showed that geologic forces slowly shoved the Greenland-sized land mass underneath southern Europe between 120 and 100 million years ago.</p><p>The continent was already half-submerged to start, but as it rumbled toward the Earth's mantle (the rocky inner layer of our planet), its top layer got peeled away, jutting up to become fodder for mountains in what are now 30 European countries.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><p>Douwe van Hinsbergen, the lead author of the study, compared Greater Adria's subduction to the act of shoving a clothed arm below a table's edge. </p><p>"Suppose you have a sweater on," he told Business Insider. As you push your arm under the table, the sweater sleeve stays behind, getting folded and jutting upward. The folded sleeve is the "equivalent of the upper few kilometers of  Adria's crust, and your arm is the plate that is now sinking in the mantle, hundreds or even thousands of kilometers below our feet," van Hinsbergen said.</p><p>Those "sweater folds" became Eurasian mountain belts like the Apennines in Italy, the Dinarides in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Swiss Alps, the Zagros mountains of Iran, and the Himalayas.</p><h2>Reconstructing Greater Adria's geologic history</h2><p>In order to piece together Greater Adria's past, van Hinsbergen and his colleagues spent a decade aggregating geological data from countries across Europe, north Africa, and western Asia.</p><p>Naturally occurring magnets in the Earth's crust can help scientists track 240-million-year-old tectonic plate movements. When hot lava cools at the boundary between two shifting plates, it traps rocks containing magnetic minerals that align with the Earth's magnetic fields at the time. The rocks keep that alignment, so scientists can use their orientation to calculate where those magnets were located on the planet millions of years ago.</p><p>The researchers looked at magnetic rocks from 2,300 ancient sites across the Mediterranean region. Then they used that data to create computer simulations of the movements of Earth's tectonic plates before, during, and after Greater Adria's descent into the mantle.  </p><p>The researchers determined that the hidden continent broke off of what is now Africa 220 million years ago, then further splintered away from what became the Iberian peninsula 40 million years later. By about 140 million years ago, van Hinsbergen <a href="https://www.livescience.com/ancient-lost-continent-beneath-europe.html">told Live Science</a>, Greater Adria was likely a string of archipelagos.</p><p>At that time, Adria probably looked like modern-day Zealandia, the mini-continent that underpins New Zealand's north and south islands. Only 7% of Zealandia is above sea-level.</p><p><em><strong>Read More: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zealandia-continent-new-zealand-australia-2017-2">Earth has a brand-new continent called Zealandia, and it's been hiding in plain sight for ages</a></em></p><p><em><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></em></p><p>Then, between 120 and 100 million years ago, the jostling of Earth's tectonic plates forced Greater Adria down into the mantle, under what is now southern Europe. </p><p>"The deepest portions are now at a 1,500-kilometer (932-mile) depth below Greece," van Hinsbergen said.</p><p>The study authors also discovered that some splinters of Greater Adria didn't subduct under Europe and instead remained above sea level. They eventually became parts of Italy, like Turin and Venice, as well as the Istria region of Croatia.</p><h2>Knowing what the Earth looked like millions of years ago might aid the search for valuable mineral deposits</h2><p>According to van Hinsbergen, reconstructions of our planet's geologic history can help countries and companies looking to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rare-earth-metals-elements-what-they-are-2019-6">mine valuable mineral deposits</a>, since scientists can highlight regional patterns in the way certain magnetic materials are deposited in the Earth's crust.</p><p>"Metals, ceramics, building materials, everything came out of a rock," he said. "You don't find the next gold or copper mine, or the 25 materials you've never even heard of that make your iPhone work, by taking a stroll in the woods."</p><p>Geologic reconstructions could also help researchers better understand how existing mineral and ore deposits - ones we already know about - formed, and where any remaining materials might be buried.</p>

A lost 8th continent is hidden nearly 1,000 miles under Europe, new research shows. Scientists named it 'Greater Adria.'

<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Choosing a country from the Axis of Evil might not sound like the best way to start a relaxing vacation, but surely it's one way to have an adventure you'll never forget. </p>
<p class="p1">It was US President George W. Bush who designated <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iran">Iran</a>, <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iraq">Iraq</a>, and <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea">North Korea</a> as three evil nations in his State of the Union Speech in 2002. All three were accused of developing weapons of mass destruction for their "terrorist allies." (Turns out that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cia-and-m16-spy-agencies-knew-iraq-didnt-have-wmds-before-2003-invasion-2013-3">wasn't entirely true</a>.)</p>
<p class="p1">Since then, however, the Saddame Hussein regime in Iraq was overthrown, the government in Iran has softened somewhat, and North Korea has started granting visas to Americans. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Since North Korea's </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://travel.cnn.com/how-travel-north-korea-042681">visa back-flip in 2010</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, it has been possible to enjoy a vacation in all three of the countries.</span></p>
<p class="p1">So, if you've got the <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> bug and are up for some adventure, here's our guide to vacations inside the former "Axis of Evil."</p>
<h2 class="p1"><strong>Iran</strong></h2>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">While <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iran">Iran</a> is seen by some in the West as a country full of crazy fundamentalists hell-bent on America's nuclear destruction, the reality you'll see inside the country </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-truth-about-iran-2014-9">couldn't be further from the truth</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">When Bush named the country as part of the axis, it actually </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/axis/axis.html">came as a surprise to some observers</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1">The fact is, the majority of the Iranian public love Westerners - Americans in particular - making Iran one of the safest countries on our list even for female travelers. Opinion polls show the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/the-iran-we-dont-see-a-tour-of-the-country-where-people-love-americans/258166/"><span class="s1">majority of Iranians</span></a> hold a favorable opinion of Americans, making Iran second only to Israel as the <a href="http://www.pewglobal.org/database/indicator/1/country/106/"><span class="s1">most supportive population in the Middle East</span></a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p class="p1">To travel as a Westerner is to be routinely stopped on the street and welcomed by curious and generous Iranians. When I was there last summer I was constantly offered with cold drinks, invited to parties, and given free tours by locals. </p>
<p class="p1">There is a ton to see there: the massive shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, cheap ski resorts in the Alborz mountains north of the city, ancient clay-baked mosques in Kashan, the stunning central square of Isfahan, the Tatooine-like ruins of Na'in, and the ancient ruins of Persepolis near Shiraz.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While Western sanctions mean you can't use your Visa or MasterCard in the country, you won't have to take much cash. All expenses </span><span class="s2" style="line-height: 1.5em;">- including transport, food, and accommodation - amounted to less than $200 for my 11-day trip last year. </span></p>
<p class="p4">Inexpensive, air conditioned buses run frequently between most cities, and a full falafel sandwich will often only set you back 25 cents. There's amazing rosewater ice cream almost everywhere in summer for about 10 cents a cone.</p>
<p class="p4">Return flights to Tehran from mainland Europe can be found for $200-to-400.</p>
<p class="p1">Check visa conditions before you book, as those who travel on British or <a href="http://uncorneredmarket.com/american-travel-iran/">American passports</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> will have to <a href="http://uncorneredmarket.com/american-travel-iran/">apply in advance</a></span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p class="p1">Iran is safe for female travelers. Iranian women dress fashionably, and the level of respect on the streets could be considered high even by Western standards. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">However, it is mandatory to wear a headscarf in public at all times. Headscarves are skimpy, colorful, and barely attached in Tehran, but in regional areas more conservative coverings are the norm.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Gay travelers should be aware that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/17/iran-persecution-gay-community-revealed">homosexual sex is punishable by death for Iranian citizens</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> Deportation is probably the very best you can hope for if authorities somehow discover you. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Discretion is highly advised, and as far as we can tell, no foreigners have run into trouble with this. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Despite claims to the contrary by the firebrand former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, there are </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/sep/26/iran.features11">gay people in Iran</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> Some more privileged young men in Tehran apparently </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/mar/16/iran-gay-rights">live somewhat openly</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iranian-Americans should be aware that the country does not recognize dual citizenship and will likely treat you as an Iranian if you end up in trouble. The country's hardline judicial system currently has at least four Iranian Americans imprisoned - </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/07/tehran-detains-three-us-iranian-journalists-201472504942870216.html">three journalists</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> and a </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/18/un-panel-raps-iran-over-imprisonment-christian-pastor-saeed-abedini/">pastor</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span>While many countries have representation in Tehran, US consular services are conducted through the Swiss Embassy. The UK is still in the process of opening its embassy. </span><span> </span></p>
<h2 class="p1"><strong>North Korea</strong><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></h2>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p class="p1">While Iran is the perfect place for backpackers to explore independently on the cheap, <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea">North Korea</a> is anything but. The country is intensely secretive, and the only real way in is an organized tour which will be strictly controlled by the North Korean government. </p>
<p class="p1">While the threat of any violence is low, you should know the government has arrested <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-american-begins-sentence-of-farm-work-and-isolation-in-north-korea-reports-2014-9">at least three Americans</a> for suspected subversive activity. Also, be aware that most of the money you pay for your tour will likely end up in the hands of one of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-is-as-bad-as-the-nazis-2014-3">worst human rights abusers in the world today</a>, the North Korean government.</p>
<p class="p1">The regime is accused of running Nazi-style labor camps rife with rape, murder, and starvation. Human Rights Watch recently released a video with first-hand accounts and drawings painting a horrific picture of brutal violence.</p>
<p class="p1">Yet despite this, thousands of tourists, mostly from China, travel to North Korea every year for a peek inside the clandestine country. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/02/whats-it-like-to-report-from-north-korea-frustrating-mainly/">One guide estimates</a> that 4,000<span> non-Chinese tourists tourists visit North Korea annually. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Touring North Korea must be one of the most uniquely bizarre travel experiences in the world. Any time you're out of your hotel, you'll be accompanied by at least two government minders who will serve as guides (two so they can keep an eye on you, and each other).</span></p>
<p class="p1">As <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/02/whats-it-like-to-report-from-north-korea-frustrating-mainly/">Anna Fifield of The Washington Post writes</a>, "It's such a thrill to get an elusive visa and see this closed society with your own eyes, yet so maddening when you realize that you're moving through a kind of real-life 'Truman Show.'"</p>
<p class="p1">While in the country, you will see only what the North Korean government wants you to see, so the prison camps and more poverty stricken areas are likely to be off-limits. You will also be denied any chance to speak with any "normal" North Koreans not vetted by the government.</p>
<p class="p1">You can, however, say hello as if you pass North Koreans on the street and maybe even share a few beers with your guides. But that's about as far as any cultural exchange will go.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">What will perhaps strike you most in North Korea is the cult of personality surrounding its former leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Wherever possible, the magnificence of the Kims, especially KIS [Kim Il Sung], was emphasized. Busts, statues, murals, and slogans were everywhere," North Korean <a href="http://asiansecurityblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/against-dogmatic-bourgeois-flunkeyism-or-what-i-learned-in-nk-1/">scholar and tourist Robert Kelly writes</a>.</span></p>
<p class="p1">"At a bowling alley, the ball and pins which KIS bowled on the facility's opening were kept under glass at the entrance, surrounded by flowers, with photos and a dedicatory statement from KIS inscribed on the wall," <a href="http://asiansecurityblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/01/against-dogmatic-bourgeois-flunkeyism-or-what-i-learned-in-nk-1/"><span>he</span> wrote</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">You will learn of Kim Il Sung's personal guidance of the construction of Pyongyang's metro, and you'll be told he wrote 18,300 books. You may even be <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294444-d3227576-r147152589-Pyongyang_Hotel-Pyongyang.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT">advised against crumpling any newspaper</a> that has his image.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Most Western tourists to the country appear to end up in one particular hotel in the country's capital, Pyongyang. The quirky hotel, the Yanggakdo <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">International</keyword>, is situated on slither of land in the <span>Taedong river. It </span>is known as the "Alcatraz of Fun" by government guides and has </span><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294444-d644971-r91064622-Yanggakdo_Hotel-Pyongyang.html">4 out of 5 stars on Trip Advisor</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<p class="p1">Tourists are free to explore the small island on foot; however, Lonely Planet is careful to point out that you shouldn't attempt to cross the bridge under any circumstances.</p>
<p class="p1">The hotel has a karaoke lounge, a bowling alley, a casino with a foreigners-only disco, and a secret fifth floor which does not appear on the elevator buttons (But if you're brave, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qQGt_E5cjg">you can go to the fourth floor and take the stairs</a>.)</p>
<p class="p1">Despite being 47 stories high with a revolving restaurant at the top floor, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/10/18/hotel-of-doom-alcatraz-of-fun-north-koreas-finest-tourist-stays/">The Washington Post reports</a> that, "like the thousand or so rooms, the restaurant is mostly empty, all of it an elaborate show of prosperity that doesn't exist."<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Americans have been able to visit the country since 2010, and rumors of restrictions on Israeli or Jewish travelers are false. Almost all travelers will require a visa, which will be issued after a trip has been booked, approved, and paid for.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Be aware that while visas are often given late they are rarely denied, and if you arrange it beforehand, you can even pick one up in 20 minutes through the North Korean embassy in London. </span></p>
<p class="p1">Tours in North Korea cost $200-$400 a day including accommodation, meals, and transport from China. Americans will probably have to pay towards the higher end of that scale<span class="s5"> </span>because the North Koreans have banned Americans from some forms of travel. A return flight from the US to China can be snatched for as low as $800. </p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In case of any emergency, the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang has taken charge of consular services for Canadian, American, Australian, and Nordic travelers. Also take note that certain items are banned; leaving a copy of the Bible with his contact details in a bathroom got one American tourist </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/02/jeffrey-fowle-north-korea_n_5643464.html">15 years in a North Korean prison camp</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></p>
<h3 class="p1"><strong>Iraq</strong></h3>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Rounding out our "Axis of Evil" trifecta is </span><a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Iraq">Iraq</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, probably one of the most dangerous countries in the world to visit. The emergence of the militant group known as the Islamic State, or ISIS, has shattered the</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> stability that parts of the country had previously been enjoying. </span></p>
<p class="p1">For travelers this means most of the country - birthplace of many of the planet's oldest civilizations and most recent conflicts - is entirely off limits.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iraq is home to the remains of Babylon, the ruins of Hatra, the Tal Afar fortress, the The Great Mosque of Samarra, and the Al-Shaheed Monument and Swords of Qadisiyah in Baghdad. But to visit any of these sites now is to risk kidnapping, murder, gunfire, and terrorist attacks.</span></p>
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<p class="p1">The safer region of Kurdistan, however, still has many sites to offer. The region is semi-autonomous, and with minimal violence in recent years it has experienced massive economic development with high levels of foreign investment, infrastructure development, and tourism. Some areas are highly Westernized.</p>
<p class="p1">In Kurdistan there's the towering ancient citadel of Erbil, the mountaintop settlement of Amadiya, and the plunging gorges, waterfalls, and snow capped peaks of the Zagros Mountains.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p class="p1">There's also the memorial to Saddam Hussein's gassing of the Kurds in Halabja, the Amna Suraka museum which documents Hussein's brutality, and the Sulaimani Museum, the second largest history museum in the country.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">While tourist visas to other areas of Iraq are currently suspended, the Kurds will grant a free 15-day visa on arrival to citizens of the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, and many EU member states.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1">Return flights from Turkey to Erbil range from $300-$500. You can fly into Istanbul in Turkey from most major centers in Europe for $150-$200 return. </p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">While it always pays to know where you are, you're at little risk of accidentally venturing outside of the Kurdish safe region - the region's borders are tightly controlled. Still, it's advisable to stay away from the Turkish border and the city of Kirkuk. </span></p>
<p class="p1">Take extreme care if you're hiking in the mountains near the Iranian border. In 2009 three American hikers wandered too close to the border and were detained and accused of spying by Iran.</p>
<p class="p1">The woman in the group was released after 14 months, but the two men weren't freed for <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15000563">more than two years</a>.</p>
<p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>

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