From the leafy courtyards of Damascus to the whitewashed shores of Mogadishu, this photo essay series takes readers to more peaceful times. Inspired by a 1960s vintage book of Kabul replete with Mad Men furniture and pencil skirts, the series has roamed to the bikini-clad beachgoers who once thronged Egypt’s own Riviera in Alexandria, to the Bombay of the Raj, and even to a bucolic Somalia so peaceful that it was once known as the “pearl of the Indian Ocean.”

Once Upon a Time in Mogadishu

Once Upon a Time in Damascus

Once Upon a Time in Bombay

Once Upon a Time in Afghanistan

Once Upon a Time in Egypt

Once Upon a Time in Tehran

Once Upon a Time in Kuwait

Once Upon a Time in Dubai

Once Upon a Time in Bangkok

Once Upon a Time in Shanghai