Middle East Travel

For a period of seven years, Wilfred Thesiger canoed through the marshes at the confluence of Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates rivers, living among the native Madan tribes and their islands made of reeds. Now extinct, their ancient way of life is speculated to have existed for 5,000 years, going back to the days of ancient Sumer, and possessed a unique culture found nowhere else in the Middle East. Thesiger documents the tribes' conflicts, traditions, cuisine, relationships, justice systems, and art, and reveals how they built their unique water-borne society

An Oxford-educated scholar of the Middle East and a former foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Hugh Pope lived and worked in two dozen countries throughout the region. Following in the footsteps of Sir Richard Burton and Lawrence of Arabia, Hugh Pope's explorations of the people, politics, religion, and culture of Islamic nations shows there is no such thing as a monolithic "Muslim World".

Travel Like a Local is a series of travel guidebooks written by local experts to help travelers explore new places like an insider. Travel Like a Local: Istanbul by author Gozde Aydin offers first-hand and personal insight into the best ways to visit Istanbul.

When Jamie Maslin decides to hitchhike the entire length of the Silk Road, he decides to travel first and plan later. Then, unexpectedly stranded in Iran - a country he's only read about in newspapers - he wonders whether he'll make it out alive. After crossing the border on foot from Turkey, Maslin finds himself suddenly plunged into the subversive, contradictory world of Iranian subculture, where he is embraced by locals who are happy to show him the true Iran as they see it....

Returning to the UK in September 2010 after serving in Iraq as the political adviser to the top American general, Emma Sky felt no sense of homecoming. She soon found herself back in the Middle East traveling through a region in revolt. In a Time of Monsters bears witness to the demands of young people for dignity and justice during the Arab Spring; the inability of sclerotic regimes to reform; the descent of Syria into civil war; the rise of the Islamic State; and the flight of refugees to Europe.

Three years into a financial crisis that shows no sign of loosening its grip, a young couple make the unpopular decision to teach English in Saudi Arabia. The choice of Saudi Arabia is based primarily on the best salary offer and an all-expenses-paid round trip flight. Secondarily, it is to satiate a desire to explore a country steeped in mystery and taboo. Little do they know that the experience will come with a price and change their lives in a profound way.

Two retired American high school teachers, former Peace Corps Volunteers, have sailed their 35 foot Nauticat sailboat from the US to the Caribbean, across the Atlantic, through the Mediterranean to Turkey. We begin this third book of the trilogy in 2008, with again launching our 35 foot sailboat Tapestry. We, along with 80 other boats, explore the Turkish Coast, Cyprus, and Syria, before the storm. Imagine Le Krak des Cehvaliers, a huge crusader castle, and the oasis of Palmyra, before the uprising and before they were vandalized, nearly destroyed.

Dubai is a city in the Arabain Desert, full of ambition with sights to behold, from the tallest building in the world, the biggest mega malls to keep even the keenest shoppers never thirsting for more, and huge manmade islands like the world has never seen. If you’ve never visited this "City of Gold", as it is often referred to, then you seriously need to consider doing so, and I’ve compiled 101 reasons in this guide that should hopefully persuade you to do so.

A professional reference for Tour Leaders, Pastors, and laymen – for anyone and everyone. Basically, any person with a vision to bring a group to Israel, and yet has no idea where to start and what to do? This book is for you – Touring the Holy Land. Touring the Holy Land is a simple listen that explains from A to Z all the steps on how to prepare a group visiting Israel. This book will equip you with the right information on how to understand all the legal, ethical, and even cultural considerations.

With travel tips and culture in our guidebooks written by a local, it is never too late to visit Konya. Greater Than a Tourist—Konya, Turkiye by Author Roney Richard offers first-hand and personal insight into the best ways to visit the Iconic landmarks to its lesser-known cultural treasures.

Fürst Pückler war eine der schillerndsten Gestalten des 19. Jahrhunderts: Er war Aristokrat und Publizist, Abenteurer und Frauenheld, Landschaftsgärtner und Reiseschriftsteller, der für Eindrücke und Erlebnisse so aufgeschlossen war wie nur wenige seiner Zeitgenossen. 1835 startete er seine Reise in den Orient, die fast fünf Jahre dauern und ihn nach Algier, Tunis, Ägypten, Sudan, Jerusalem, Syrien und Konstantinopel führen sollte. Heinz Klevenow, Christian Rode und Günter Witte lesen aus seinen Berichten, die so lebendig sind wie die Reise selbst.

A Traveling Grandma's Guide to Israel: Adventures, Wit, and Wisdom is an inspiring and heartwarming account of a grandma’s many journeys throughout Israel for nearly forty years. From Joppa/Tel Aviv through Galilee, Jerusalem, the Negev, the Red Sea, and most points in between, Topliff presents a tapestry of Israel’s history and culture with insight and humor.

Damaskus – Hauptstadt Syriens, eine der ältesten bewohnten Städte der Welt und außerdem Geburtsstadt von Autor Rafik Schami. Gemeinsam mit seiner Schwester Marie Fadel lädt er ein zu einer literarischen Reise in die orientalische Stadt. Neben der Geschichte und Kultur der uralten Metropole bringt uns das Autorenduo die kulinarischen Welten der Stadt näher.

With razor-sharp wit and insight, intrepid journalist Tony Horwitz gets beyond solemn newspaper headlines and romantic myths of Arabia to offer startling close-ups of a volatile region few Westerners understand. His quest for hot stories takes him from the tribal wilds of Yemen to the shell-pocked shores of Lebanon; from the malarial sands of the Sudan to the eerie souks of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, a land so secretive that even street maps and weather reports are banned.

Embark on an extraordinary journey through the heart of the Arabian Peninsula with this meticulously crafted "Oman Travel Guide." Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Omani culture, traverse diverse landscapes, and bask in the warm hospitality that defines this enchanting destination. Explore Historic Marvels: Navigate the labyrinthine alleys of Muscat's ancient souqs, discover the tales hidden within the walls of Nizwa's forts, and witness the architectural wonders that bridge Oman's storied past with its dynamic present.

Ida Pfeiffer (1797 – 1858) ist eine absolute Ausnahmeerscheinung im Genre der Reiseliteratur – und ihr Leben eine Verfilmung wert! Zunächst fügte sie sich den "guten Sitten", heiratete einen Mann, den sie nicht liebte, bekam zwei Söhne. So weit, so normal. Dann starb ihr Mann – und auch ihre Mutter. Nachdem die Söhne eigene Karrieren begonnen hatten, waren die Zeiten der Pflichterfüllung für Ida Pfeiffer vorbei: Sie wollte reisen! Und das tat sie. Ganz allein fuhr sie in neun Monaten von Wien nach Konstantinopel, dann Beirut, Jerusalem, zum Toten Meer, nach Damaskus, Baalbek, Alexandria und Kairo.

Es ist offiziell verboten. Trotzdem reist Stephan Orth als Couchsurfer kreuz und quer durch den Iran, schläft auf Dutzenden von Perserteppichen, erlebt irrwitzige Abenteuer - und lernt dabei ein Land kennen, das so gar nicht zum Bild des Schurkenstaates passt. Denn die Iraner sind nicht nur Weltmeister in Sachen Gastfreundschaft, sondern auch darin, den Mullahs ein Schnippchen zu schlagen. Ob beim Rotwein-Besäufnis mit einem persischen Prinzen oder bei einem Wohnzimmer-Date mit versammelter Großfamilie, im stinkenden Schmugglerbus oder im rasenden Kleinwagen.

Con una población de alrededor de 7,59 millones de habitantes, la mayoría de los cuales son judíos, Israel es el único Estado judío del mundo. Desde su fundación en 1948, las fronteras de Israel e incluso el derecho a existir del propio Estado, han estado sujeto a controversias, especialmente entre sus vecinos árabes.

Say the word Israel today and it sparks images of walls and rockets and a bloody conflict without end. Yet for decades the symbol of the Jewish State was the noble pioneer draining the swamps and making the deserts bloom: the legendary kibbutznik. So what ever happened to the pioneers' dream of founding a socialist utopia in the land called Palestine? Chasing Utopia: The Future of the Kibbutz in a Divided Israel draws listeners into the quest for answers to the defining political conflict of our era.

Greater Than a Tourist-Kerman Iran by Sanaz Honarmand Ebrahimi offers the inside scoop on the place of natural contrasts. Most travel books tell you how to travel like a tourist. Although there is nothing wrong with that, as part of the Greater Than a Tourist series, this book will give you travel tips from someone who has lived at your next travel destination.