Middle East Travel Information and Travel Guide

Middle East

Our Top Picks For Middle East

1 Esfahan, Iran

Shah Abbas's majestic capital, with its grand mosques, enchanting bridges and incomparable Imam Sq
2 Palmyra, Syria

Be spellbound watching the sun rise over these glorious rose-gold ruins in the heart of the Syrian desert
3 Jerusalem, Israel & the Palestinian Territories

Follow the spiritual path of pilgrims in what could be the world's holiest city
4 Beirut, Lebanon

Get into the groove of one of the Middle East's most sophisticated cities and certainly its most resilient
5 Madain Saleh, Saudi Arabia

Watch the wind-blown sandstone of Saudi's Little Petra melt like treacle in the setting sun

6 Akko, Israel & the Palestinian Territories

Legendary walled city of crusading knights, jail breaks, secret tunnels and sea views
7 Persepolis, Iran

All the power and grace of the Achaemenids summed up in one of the world's greatest ancient sites
8 Aleppo, Syria

Lose yourself in the labyrinth of Aleppo's souq where the legends of The Thousand and One Nights never seem far away
9 Baalbek, Lebanon

Marvel at the extravagance of the ancients amid splendid Phoenician-Roman temples to the gods
10 Tel Aviv, Israel & the Palestinian Territories

Indulge your hedonistic side in the Middle East's most vibrant, energetic city
11 Petra, Jordan

Feel like the explorers of old discovering this rose-red, rock-hewn city of unrivalled magic
12 Wadi Rum, Jordan

Share a campfire with the Bedouin and the ghost of TE Lawrence in this stunning
13 Damascus

Experience the hospitality of Syria's friendliest people, the fragrant souqs and the extraordinary architecture of the Old City
14 Dhofar, Oman

Search for home-grown frankincense on the green hillsides of Oman's sub-tropical southern province
15 Sharqiya Region, Oman

Happen on villages, swim with sardines, hike in high places in this outdoor wonderland

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What's and Who's on !?The beating heart of Syria

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Introducing Middle East

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The Middle East is quite simply extraordinary, one of the world's most fascinating and rewarding travel destinations. It was here that some of the most significant civilisations of antiquity rose and fell and where the three great monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - were born. Left behind is an astonishing open-air museum of ancient cities and historic buildings, the stones of which still resonate with the sounds of the faithful.

The Middle East is home to some of the world's most significant cities - Jerusalem, Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad and İstanbul. The ruins of the once similarly epic cities of history - Petra, Persepolis, Ephesus, Palmyra, Baalbek, Leptis Magna and the bounty of ancient Egypt - also mark the passage of centuries in a region where the ancient world lives and breathes.

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More about Middle East

Tips & articles

What’s going on in Iran?

6 July 2009

The situation in Iran remains tense. A council of clerics in the holy city of Qum has defied Supreme...

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Essential tips for Dubai

12 June 2009

Want to keep your cool and your cash in Dubai? This glorious megatropolis of mind-boggling architecture...

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