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Introducing Middle East
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.
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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.
The landscapes of the region are equally spellbinding, from the unrivalled seas of sand dunes and palm-fringed lakes in Libya's Sahara desert to the stunning mountains of the north and the underwater world of the Red Sea.
Above all else, however, your most enduring memory of the Middle East is likely to be its people. Their gracious welcome, many kindnesses and boundless hospitality speak of an altogether more civilised age.
From the gravitas of the Sahara to the blue tiles of Esfahan, this is a region for discerning travellers, for those looking for the story behind the headline, and where the bridges between ancient and modern civilisations are everywhere evident. If you believe what the media tells you and decide not to visit, you'd be missing out on the journey of a lifetime.
Make it happen
Ready to go? These recommended partners make it easy:
Iran- journey through Iran
- explore Tashkent to Tehran
- search cheap flights to Tehran
- travel from Turkey to Jordan
- explore Jordan
- journey through Egypt to Jordan
- search cheap flights to Amman
- explore Cairo to the great temple of Luxor
- journey through Egypt
- travel from Cairo to Istanbul
- take in the colours of Morocco
- search cheap flights to Cairo
- explore Moroccan Kasbahs and desert
- journey through the Atlas Mountains
- take in the colours of Morocco
- search cheap flights to Casablanca
- travel to Syria and Jordan
- explore Syria
- journey through Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Turkey
- search cheap flights to Damascus
- explore the www.gapadventures.com/trips/arabian-seatrek/AOAS/?aff=18424"> Musandam Peninsula by sea
- journey through Oman
- search for cheap flights to Oman
Last updated: Oct 22, 2009
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Middle East
Our Top Picks For Middle East
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1 Esfahan, Iran
Shah Abbas's majestic capital, with its grand mosques, enchanting bridges and incomparable Imam Sq
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2 Palmyra, Syria
Be spellbound watching the sun rise over these glorious rose-gold ruins in the heart of the Syrian desert
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3 Jerusalem, Israel & the Palestinian Territories
Follow the spiritual path of pilgrims in what could be the world's holiest city
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4 Beirut, Lebanon
Get into the groove of one of the Middle East's most sophisticated cities and certainly its most resilient
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5 Madain Saleh, Saudi Arabia
Watch the wind-blown sandstone of Saudi's Little Petra melt like treacle in the setting sun
