The Middle East has been heavily stereotyped and romanticised over the years. Stories of conflict, violence and religious extremism have bombarded the western media in recent decades, shaping a narrow view of the Middle East and its people. The following list contains 8 incredible places that shatter the traditional stereotypes and showcase the remarkable diversity of the Middle East.
Throughout its rich history of trade, migration and empire, the East African coast – from Eritrea in the north to Mozambique in the south – has developed a unique cultural, religious and demographic identity that makes it distinct from the rest of the African continent.
Instagram is the perfect place to go for travel inspiration, but we often tend to follow fellow travellers from our own country or region as opposed to local people, who usually have much greater insight into the best places to go and show a more nuanced view of the local culture. Follow these 7 Instagrammers who share beautiful photographs and local perspectives on the countries where they live and document their adventures.
Salalah is the largest city of the Dhofar governorate of Oman, known to many as the ‘Land of Frankincense’. In this post, we’ll lay out 5 reasons why we think you should visit Salalah, including some of the best things to do and beautiful places to visit.
The food of Oman and Yemen is distinct to that of much of the Middle East, reflecting the area’s complex history of trade, migration and colonialism. Follow these 4 Yemeni and Omani foodies for recipes and culinary inspiration from the southern Arabian Peninsula.
With Covid-19 causing chaos throughout the world, we decided to conduct a series of interviews with people across the Middle East and North Africa to try to understand how the effects are being felt across the region. In this interview, Oman-based teacher and podcaster D. Michael shares his reflections.
Iran is one of the countries hardest-hit by COVID-19 in the Middle East. Iran’s regional neighbours, including its supposed competitors and adversaries in the Gulf, have quickly stepped up to provide aid to Iran. Is an end to the regional rivalry between Iran and its neighbours in sight?
We’ve been umming and ahing about whether we should continue to content focused on travel in the Middle East and North Africa right now what with everything going on in the world. But after a lot of thought we decided that people still need reminding of what a beautiful place the world is, and of what’s waiting for us beyond our front doors when this is all over.
These non-native Arabic-speaking vloggers show life and culture in the region through a unique lens - both local and foreign, and also not quite either. If you’re looking for Arabic resources on social media or perhaps just a bit of inspiration to remind of what you can achieve when you commit to learning Arabic, you need to follow these guys now!
Oman hit the headlines recently after the passing of the country’s ruler of 49 years, Sultan Qaboos Al Said, in January 2020. These three books constitute an essential reading list for anyone with an interest in Oman - whether academic, professional or otherwise. They include both non-fiction and fiction books covering useful information about the country’s fascinating history, complex politics, and the ever-evolving cultural dynamics that make the Sultanate so special.
