Magnificent Middle East


The historical Middle East is an amazing country to travel as it offers the visitor a glimpse into ancient times and is an intense travel destination, full of cultural and religious interest. It is here where Judaism, Christianity and Islam originate from geographically.

Visual interest and history in architecture is everywhere to be found in the Middle East. An example is the incredible architecture of Sana, Yemen is protected as a World Heritage Site and nestled in a majestic mountain region.

The Middle Eastern climate is almost always hot and (semi-)arid landscapes are veined with major rivers such as the Nile and Euphrates, consist of grasslands, deserts and rangelands.

The traveler will experience topography of stunning mountainous and low relief terrains. Many are therefore drawn to the highest mountain in the Middle East, Iran’s Elburz Mountains, rising to over 5,600 meters and the Zagros Mountains. Also popular to Middle East tourists are the over-5000 meters high Mount Ararat and the Anatolian plateau between the Taurus Mountains and Pontus Mountains in Turkey.

Travel attractions include the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, Iran’s Central Plateau forms 2 drainage basins, the Dasht-e-Lut (south) and the Dasht-e-Kavis (Great Salt Desert) while in Yemen one should visit the small range of mountains, the Jebel al Akhdar, bordering the Gulf of Oman.

Food of the Middle East is famous for both their tastiness and due to the fact that eating is done by hand and proves to always be a social experience.

Foods and spices commonly available include dates, honey and grapes, yoghurt, lamb and goat, nuts plus seeds, olives, lentils rice and barley. Spices and herbs often appearing in meals are coriander, cumin and saffron, turmeric and garlic, wheat and bean flour.

In the North Eastern regions one will enjoy very Indian-like foods while in the Western regions cheese, pasta and olive oils is ever present reminding one strongly of the Mediterranean menu.

A regular authentic breakfast will be bread and tea, fava bean paste called Ful and/or a goat’s milk, sage and flour mixture. Lunch could be seen as the main meal and eaten in stages starting with salad, then pasta or rice, followed by meat broth and ended with meat – all eaten with bread. Dinner consists of feta cheese, bread, yoghurt and olives plus what is left from breakfast and lunch.

Many major rivers snake through arid landscapes and many Persian Gulf countries are rich in crude oil.

Territories of the Middle East are:
Iran
Iraq
Turkey

Countries of Arabian Peninsula, Middle East are:
Kuwait
Bahrain
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
United Arab Emirates
Dubai


Countries of The Levant, Middle East are:
Israel
Jordan
Lebanon
Syria

Countries of Northern Africa, Middle East are:
Algeria
Egypt
Libya
Morocco
Tunisia

Autonomous regions of Palestine, Middle East are:
Gaza Strip
West Bank

The Travel-Informed Team

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