Travel The Middle East

TweetThought Dubai was the new “It” of the Middle East? Think again. A different Emirate is soaring to new highs and prospering much more than its sister. Its name? Abu Dhabi. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is one of seven states (called “Emirates”) of the UAE. Here, the capital of the “constitutional federation of absolute [...]

TweetHalloween in the Middle East: Haraam or tradition? Indeed, partaking in celebrations of pagan origins, such as Halloween, is HARAAM (forbidden) in Islam. As Prophet Muhammad (puh) warned to his followers: “Whoever imitates a nation is one of them!” (Abu Da’oud) Thus, all Muslims are expected to condemn pagan and non-Sunna traditions such as Halloween, Christmas and [...]

Tweet[For part one, click here] Ahlan asjabi, hello my friends! This week, for a second time, I will feature some of the best beaches in the Middle East. My goal? To uncover some hidden gems of the region. Enjoy (and click on any photo to enlarge)! Some of the clearest, most azure waters in the [...]

TweetIt is Beach Thursday and this week I will feature some of the best beaches in the Middle East and Africa. There is no debate that some of the clearest, most azure waters in the world are found in the coasts of the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. While this is a “Travel [...]

TweetThought the first and only pyramids in Egypt were those in Giza? Think again! In Dashur, located about 40 km south of Cairo, lie several pyramids, two of which are among the oldest not only in Egypt, but the world. In fact, in Dashur lies the first smooth-sided pyramid in the world! To me, Dashur [...]

Tweet[A special guest post by Robert Schrader] In spite of Egypt’s longstanding status a favored destination for travelers from all around the globe, its capital Cairo has a decidedly negative reputation. The megacity, whose population is estimated to be close to 20 million as of 2011, suffers from traffic congestion, overcrowding and a thick blanket [...]

TweetFor #FriFotos this week, given that the theme is “STONE,” I decided to make a compilation post, including some of my favorite shots of stones, rock-carved temples & buildings I captured throughout my Middle East travels between August 2008-December 2009. In passing, I have included all the countries I visited to make this photo essay about [...]

TweetAhhh, Dahab…my beautiful beautiful Dahab. To me, it is one of those places you can’t quite explain how you fell in love with it, yet you also do know why–and very, very well. As with every great love, you can’t explain why you love it so much despite its (perhaps many) flaws. Basically, your feelings [...]

Tweet[^Featured image photo credit: Bernard Gagnon, Wiki Commons^] I had never visited a tannery until I lived in north Africa back in 2009. While the old medina of Marrakech also has one, today’s post will focus on the leather tannery in Fez Morocco. If you so wish, I could also give you some tips about how [...]

TweetFor Beach Thursday this week, I decided to post a photo essay of the first of many road trips I took while studying and living in north Africa, in which my friends and I found some secret (or hidden) beaches in Morocco. The funny thing (not so funny back then lol) is that we didn’t [...]