In the current political landscape the words “Middle East” can unfortunately conjure up the worst of images and thoughts, however it’s important to remember there are fascinating places to visit and great people to be met. Exotic spices, rolling deserts and a bounty of ancient treasures are strewn throughout the region, and we here at Viator encourage everybody to discover the Middle East at some stage in their travels.
East meets West as Arabic and Western cultures merge in the United Arab Emirates, resulting in the lively city of Dubai. The oil rich nation proudly announces its wealth with a bold display of modern high rise buildings and the latest technology set against the background of the spectacular Arabian desert. Can you resist grabbing a board and tackling magnificent red dunes on a sandboarding adventure?
Hot on the heels of Dubai is Bahrain where the shopping is cheap and the weather is fine. Gold, rugs, cloth, silver, jewels … the souqs of Bahrain are a haven for those in search of a bargain. As with all the emirates states, horse riding is the country’s most popular sport, however the equally glamorous and wealthy world of Formula One Grand Prix has also landed on it’s shores with much success.
Jordan is a fascinating country with some of the most famous ancient sites in the world. Who doesn’t want to travel to The Treasury (Khazneh) at Petra where the climatic final scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were filmed? Just getting there is part of the adventure as you walk or ride a horse through the narrow rock carved one kilometer Siq.
Technically Africa and not the Middle East, Egypt is always a huge drawcard to the area. Home to the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza, the only surviving “Seven Wonders of the World”, you don’t have to go far to see why Cairo attracts so many visitors each year. The ancient world meets the modern at the Sound and Light Shows which are on offer at the Pyramids of Giza, Karnak Temple and Abu Simbel. For a bit of sun, head to the Egyptian coast where the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh beckon with their white sands, blue seas and year round sunshine. More discovery awaits along the Nile with Aswan and Luxor boasting enough ancient history to fill a library of full of books.
Keep any eye out for the recently war torn country of Lebanon. After years of war during the 1980’s, the tourism sector in this country had started to push into the mainstream travel industry but the unfortunate events of July 2006 have led to a major step backwards. However, the Lebanese spirit is not easily broken and you can be sure to see this market re-emerge in the next couple of years.
In an ever changing world it’s time to look at the Middle East with fresh eyes and leave all misconceptions behind, you just never know what you may discover.
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