Middle East Travel

In Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms, former diplomat Gerard Russell ventures to the distant, nearly impassable regions where these mysterious religions still cling to survival. He lives alongside the Mandaeans and Ezidis of Iraq, the Zoroastrians of Iran, the Copts of Egypt, and others. He learns their histories, participates in their rituals, and comes to understand the threats to their communities.

Prize-winning author Michael J. Totten returns with a masterpiece of travel writing and history in this journey through 13 nations - all but two formerly communist - just beyond the edge of the West where few casual travelers venture. His work as an independent foreign correspondent takes him deep into the field beyond the sensational headlines, from his hilariously miserable road trip with his best friend to Iraq to the Wild West of Albania, the most bizarre country in Europe; from the killing fields in Bosnia and Kosovo to a Romania haunted by the ghosts of its communist past.

A gonzo ride through war-torn Yemen as only Chas Smith, the award-winning author of Welcome to Paradise, Now Go to Hell and Cocaine + Surfing: A Sordid History of Surfing's Greatest Love Affair, could provide. Follow Smith and his misfit band of merrymakers as they search for the true origins of Al Qaeda and endeavor to ride the unsurfed waves of Yemen all while exploring the slim opportunities for fun in the margins of our global war on terror and at any cost - even if it means eventual kidnapping by Hezbollah.

Most visitors to Israel face an important task: crossing the highlights off their list. After guiding countless tours through the highlights, Shakked realized that they can never replace the excitement of discovering a hidden gem. In her book Secret Israel, Shakked reveals the Israel that she knows and loves, the one most people never get to see. Hidden sites off the beaten path are presented to the listener from a personal angle of a 10th-generation native Israeli Jewess with a spicy personality, guaranteeing a fun listen.

From a distance, Saudi Arabia may seem a subdued, or even dull place; but for those who take a closer look it emerges as a fascinating country, not necessarily because of its political and economic importance, but because of its people. Reticent perhaps but, on closer acquaintance, charming and warm, the Saudis form a far less monolithic society than one might expect.

The Sultanate of Oman, long regarded as one of the more mysterious countries of the Arabian Peninsula, is finally getting more of the attention it so deserves. An ancient land with a rich history and dramatic landscapes, Oman was largely cut off from the modern world until the accession to the throne of Sultan Qaboos in 1970. Since then this peaceful country has developed slowly but deliberately, placing a strong emphasis on retaining its cultural heritage while moving into the hi-tech era.

At first sight, modern-day Egypt is an unruly and chaotic place: a cacophony of sounds, an overload of smells, and a swirling visual feast. Ancient church domes and medieval minarets share the same space with fast-food chains and chic air-conditioned cafes. Egyptian society has undergone dramatic changes in recent years, yet tradition and deeply conservative views prevail. Culture Smart! Egypt explores the codes and paradoxes of Egyptian life, outlines the country's history, and shows the forces that have shaped its sensibility.

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.

إذا ما فتحنا ملف المشاهير في عوالم الأدب والفكر والثقافة والشعر والخط العربي واللوحات الفنية والمقتنيات التراثية والفنون بمختلف أشكالها فلن نجد أفضل من الأستاذ "محمد المر" كي نتحدث عنه فلقد وهبه الله قدرةً استثنائية على الخوض في مختلف المجالات والمسك بتلابيبها فهو أشبه بموسوعةٍ متنقلة باهتمامات لاحصرية أغلبها تصبُّ في التاريخ والفنون.

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....

Yes, I Would Love Another Glass of Tea comprises a series of imaginary letters written to Lady Mary Montagu, whose famous Embassy Letters were written in 1716-1718 during her stay in Turkey as the wife of the English ambassador. The author uses themes dear to Lady Mary, such as culture, art, religion, women and daily life, to reflect on those same topics as encountered during the author's past 30 years of travel in Turkey.

This memoir tells the story of an American English teacher working in a new university in Palestine during a time of political strife and upheaval. Cynthia Yoder describes the joys of life in Palestine, against the backdrop of military occupation and the second intifada, which began soon after she arrived in 2000. Rather than give political analysis, the book gives glimpses into the lives of the Palestinian people the author met. Yoder details the effects of the occupation and describes her journey as a pacifist working amidst violence.

"Den gamle sti har ført mig helt ned til Midal, der er nutidens navn for det gamle Magdala. En arabisk hyrde står mellem kvæget på den stenede græsslette og morer sig med fra tid til anden at kaste sten ud i Genezareth sø. Da han er blevet træt af dette tidsfordriv, går han et stykke op i terrænet, hvor han har anbragt en transistorradio. Han stiller ind på senderen i det jordanske Amman og klagende arabiske toner lyder ud over den stenede grund, der engang husede de boliger i Magdala, som Jesus og Peter og Maria Magdalene må have kendt så godt.

For centuries travelers have been drawn to the stunning and mysterious Dead Sea and Jordan River, a region that is unlike any other on earth in its religious and historical significance. In this exceptionally engaging book, Barbara Kreiger chronicles the natural and human history of these storied bodies of water, drawing on accounts by travelers, pilgrims, and explorers from ancient times to the present.

Dom Joly was born in Beirut and lived there until he was 18. He lived through the civil war, went to school with Osama Bin Laden, and learned to ski. At the age of seven he was sent to an English boarding school. It was a schizophrenic existence. Dom's parents divorced when he was 18, and he moved permanently to the UK, becoming a diplomat, a political journalist and then famous as a man who dressed as a giant squirrel. He has been back to Lebanon only twice since. Then he read about an attempt to encourage tourism in this long-suffering country: The Lebanon Mountain Trail.

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.

This book is a practical map that will help you understand the people and demystify the culture of the Arab world - the beliefs, values and social structures that determine how business is conducted and how things are done. This is not a sterile list of dos and don'ts. This book will help you develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the motivators of behavior. It will also widen your perspective and arm you with the knowledge that will enable you to float with ease and confidence from one situation to the other.

Regardless of where your suitcase goes next, you can cultivate a feeling of home in the place it matters most - yourself. How do you navigate the changes that come with moving across the country, or perhaps perpetually around the globe? While #digitalnomad posts on Instagram may show the glamorous side of traveling somewhere new, the reality is often one of loneliness, alienation, and internal struggle. When Rachael left Toronto for Dubai, it was supposed to be the place where everything finally came together.

Laura Kasinof studied Arabic in college and moved to Yemen a few years later - after a friend at a late-night party in Washington, DC, recommended the country as a good place to work as a freelance journalist. When she first moved to Sanaa in 2009, she was the only American reporter based in the country. She quickly fell in love with Yemen’s people and culture, in addition to finding herself the star of a local TV soap opera.

In this heart-pounding adventure, award-winning journalist and best-selling author Howard Blum tells the enthralling story of two modern-day adventurers - Larry Williams, a self-made millionaire and published author from Montana, and his friend Bob Cornuke, a retired policeman and former SWAT team member. Lured by the prospect of finding a fortune in gold, the two men set out to find the true site of Mount Sinai - with the Old Testament as a guide.