Related Middle East Favorites Tips

Favorite thing: Al-Jumhuriyah al-Arabiyah as-Suriyah, or else the Syrian Arab Republic is a mainly deserted country bordering with Iraq, Israel (but the border between the two countries is closed), Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
Born on 17 April 1946 it's now ruled by the young Bashar al-Assad, who is trying to improve the qualitfy of life my many Syrian people as well as preserving their own national identity. One example? you will never find an American product in Syria... no McDonalds, no Pizza Hut, no Coca Cola! But try the local Ugarit Cola: it's delicious... better than the real thing!

Fondest memory: Syria is a country of contrast and hidden splendours - there's just so much to see - of everything. Abandoned old cities (Palmyra, Afamia) and the bizantine Dead Cities, "religious" sites like church and pillar of Saint Simeon, the villages where Aramean is still spoken (like Maalula), crusards castles (Ibn Wardan, Krak des Chevaliers, Bosra), and cities buzzing with life... with colourful and perfumed souks - like Aleppo and Damascus. And a lot more...

Favorite thing: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti, or else the Republic of Turkey, is the crossroad between East and West - since a part of it geographically belongs to Europe. Turkey was created in 1923 from the Turkish remnants of the Ottoman Empire and it borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It's a republican parliamentary democracy whose economy is very dynamic despite its high unemployment rate.

Fondest memory: Turkey is the first country I visited in the Middle East - and within 24 hours after my arrival, I had decided it was not going to be the last. I only visited 2 areas of it: the impressive Cappadocia with its fairytale-like landscape, old abandoned churches carved into soft volcanic stone, and impressive underground defensive cities - and Istanbul... the cty of thoudans and one nights... vibrant, chaotic, full of beauty. One lifelong would not be enough to fully appreciate its charm... its skyline is one of those sights impossible to forget

Favorite thing: Al-Mamlaka Al-Urduniyya Al-Hashimiyya - or else the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan - is a small but interesting country. Most of its surface is a desert, and it owns even a little stretch od red Sea. It borders with Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the West Bank. At the moment it's ruled by the young and ambitious King Abdallah - who's working hard at getting rid of Jordan's main problems: debt, poverty, and unemployment.

Fondest memory: The beautiful things one can see and experience: the roman ruins of Um Aqys and Jerash, the castles of Ajlun And Kerak, the desert castles, swimming in the Red Sea and floating in the Dead Sea, the buzzing life in Amman, the "religious" sites of Mount Nebo and Madaba, the unreal Wadi Rum and the plendour of the abandones nabatean cities: Beida and in particular Petra. To this... add the friendiness of the people and their sense of hospitaly. Add also the children: it's the only place where I've been approached by kids wanting to tuch my hair to see if they're made of gold

Favorite thing: ponder on this parable:
A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold.

Fondest memory: And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear,, And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might see, and hearing they might not understand. Luke 7: 5-10................these pics are.....on the left is an old arab village named lifta, and on the right side is a view from the old hadavidka hostel right off of Jaffa street

Favorite thing: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.. Isaiah 55:6-7

Fondest memory: the pic on the left is a darn traffic jam, I was in Ceasaria a few hours before the sun went down and I thought that I could make it to Nazareth on time to take a few pics of the sunset because Nazareth is on a hill, but I ended up stuck in traffic for way too long.........the pic on the right is at Masada, you can either walk up the snake path on the eastern side or you can take this lift, the other way up is the ramp that the Romans built on the western side

Favorite thing: this photo is taken near mevaserret yerushalayim, if you are driving to jerusalem then you'd be driving straight down this highway then up the hill and that place that you see on the top of the pis is givat shaul, which basically is on the border of the municipality map of jerusalem

Favorite thing: there are some alternatives which try to estabilish mistakes about persian gulf.
some arab countries want to say "arab" gulf instead "persian".but they are wasting their time!
i hereby tell that:
PERSIAN GULF IS FOREVER PERSIAN GULF.

Favorite thing: Lebanon is special in the Middle East!
I am not saying that only because I am half Lebanese!
yes my Mother is from Lebanon!
ha ha ha
indeed Lebanon is a very interesting place to visit in the Middle East!
Please check my Lebanon Modest page and see the Must see activities tips to know more about this great country!