The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran, also known as Ithra, is included in the list The beautiful 14th century Al-Qarawiyyin Library in Fez also made the cut LONDON: A Saudi Arabian architectural icon, two Abu Dhabi institutions, a Cairo hotel and a Moroccan library have all been named in TIME magazine’s first annual list of the “World’s Greatest Places.” The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran, also known as Ithra, is included in the list of places to visit, as are Abu Dhabi’s Louvre and the UAE capital’s Warner Bros. World theme park. The beautiful 14th century Al-Qarawiyyin Library in Fez also made the cut, while Cairo’s Marriott Mena House hotel was considered one of the best places to stay in the world. In its introduction to the list, TIME explained how it asked for nominations “across a variety of categories— such as museums, parks, bars, restaurants, theme parks, cruises and hotels— from editors and correspondents around the world as well as dozens of industry experts.” 

 They then used a series of criteria to evaluate each nomination — quality, originality, innovation, sustainability and influence. See the full list here.