Travel The Middle East

wah sahlan! Shalom! Today’s FriFotos theme is paradise and I’ll be depicting it as a state of mind. “Paradise” as such was my epic solo female Middle East road trip, which took me from Cairo to Jerusalem, onto a 3-week Couchsurfing and hitchhiking adventure around the Holy Land, then onto the Nabatean city of Petra, […]

st week of May 2009, I decided to entail on an epic Middle Eastern road trip, cycling and hitchhiking around the region. I traveled throughout Israel for 3 weeks; went hiking inside the Nabatean city of Petra, where I even climbed the Monastery to the very top with a Bedouin; and finished off in Egypt. This […]

I was reminiscing about my trip during Eid el Adha in Israel and the awesome time I had in that city by going through some Tel Aviv photos. I also remembered the amazing time I had my second time around, during the summer. I absolutely love this city: The vibe, the nightlife, the gorgeous […]

memoration of Holy Week, I present you with the top things to do in Jerusalem. I have been one of the lucky ones to be privileged enough to visit this magical, historical city on several occasions. Thus, I can tell you one thing: Each visit is unique. The first time, I spent Eid el Adha […]

#8217;s theme is “Green Middle East” and these photos are meant to show you another beautiful side of one of my favorite regions in the world. Indeed, there is much more than vast deserts found in the Arab world. Hope you enjoy the shots! Green Iran Gorgeous green landscape in Iran – WHOA! Green Egypt […]

ondered what the locals in the Middle East and North Africa look like or where they come from? In celebration of this week’s FriFotos topic, I will give you a short intro and cultural background of some of the different peoples of the region. Bedouins Bedouins are the desert nomads of Arabia. Divided into […]

sights in the Middle East are at every turn when you come from the West. For this reason, to celebrate this week’s FriFotos theme “Exotic,” I wanted to present you a photo essay, including some of the exotic sights you can find in the Middle East. These were captured as I lived and traveled […]

Coptic Christmas! On January 7th, Christian minorities around the Middle East (most part of the Coptic Church) celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Why on this day, you may ask?Well, this Orthodox Church actually used to celebrate Christmas on December 25th as well, but this all changed when the Gregorian calendar was introduced in […]

een 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 […]

ost about Couchsurfing in Haifa is a perfect example of the kindness I often encounter when traveling the Middle East. Perhaps surprisingly to the typical citizen of the West, but all I have to tell you is that the media has one side and it is usually the wrong one! Share your travel tale […]