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In 1325, a young Moroccan named Ibn Battuta left his native Tangiers on a journey to Mecca. Prevented from crossing the Red Sea, he made his way by land instead—and discovered a passion for travel. Eventually, his ever-lengthening trip stretched to 75,000 miles and touched 44 countries across the Islamic world.

Nearly 700 years later, a kindred spirit is tracing his footsteps. Carolyn McIntyre may be a Western woman, but this Arabist, political analyst, and died-in-the-wool explorer shares much in common with Ibn Battuta. Beyond their love of the road, they both relish and admire the culture and people of the Islamic world.

Since starting her trip—and her blog—last year, Carolyn has surveyed tombs in Damascus, lived through robbery and salvation in the Casbah, and investigated "the fine art of qat chewing" in Yemen. Her candid and lively posts provide insight into a region of the world that is much discussed, but often misunderstood. We can't think of a better use of the Web. Journey on, Carolyn!

When it comes to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, a lot of solutions have given peace a try. Road maps have driven past, accords have pitched their tents, and multi-country proposals have detailed their ideas. Now, The Face2Face Project would like to give the up-close-and-comic theory a shot.

This photography campaign presents enormous black-and-white portraits of Palestinians and Israelis who hold the same jobs. Musicians, actors, athletes, religious leaders, and children peer directly into the camera, flash toothy smiles, raise eyebrows, grimace, shout, and commit any number of other exaggerated gestures. The shutterbug optimists between the project then enlarged 41 of these images and printed them for display "in unavoidable places." The pictures for the Palestinian territory went up on March 4. The Israeli side gets its copies today. Here's hoping that the face-to-face method provokes smiles and, maybe, a little bit of peace.

Update: On September 21, Yahoo! Picks talked to JR, the undercover photographer behind The Face2Face Project. Check out our brief discussion on Y! Picks Profiles.