Middle East/North Africa Forum

This is a region that includes some of the richest and poorest places in the world, as well as some of its most extraordinary sights (dating back to some of the most ancient times in all of history), cultures, ecotourism, beaches, and more.

And our thoughts now are with the many thousands of victims of disasters in North Africa due to the earthquake in Morocco and the catastrophic flooding on the coast of Libya. To contibute what you can to aid victims, click here for Morocco. and here for Libya.

In addition, we like almost everyone are appalled at the intense conflict currently escalating in Palestine between Israel and Hamas, and for those who would like to contribute to humanitarian efforts to aid victims, this article lists several organizations to which to donate.

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5 fabulous sites of classical antiquity in Libya

Luca Galuzzi - www.galuzzi.it The territory of what is today Libya, along with Algeria and Tunisia, was once part of ancient Rome´s second most prosperous region after Italy itself, beginning with the Roman Republic´s conquest of Carthage and the rest of the Punic Empire in 146 BCE and lasting until 439, when it was in turn conquered by Germanic Vandals. Its legacy (as well as that of ancient Greece, which had its own colonies along this coast) lives on today in some extraordinary…

Started by Riccardo R

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Qatar as one of ´7 of the Top Destination Brands of 2023´

Qatar Tourism Meanwhile, over in the Middle East, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates have of course been garnering endless travel press in recent years, but in 2023 the star has been Qatar, especially since its month on the world stage last year as host of the FIFA World Cup. In large part thanks to that, and to hosting with distinction various other sporting events since, its capital Doha was awarded “World’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination,” and the ‘World’s Leading Business…

Started by David Paul Appell

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Will Tourism in Gaza Ever Exist? If So, Here Are 8 Spots Worth Seeing

Ramez Habboub This narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean coast between Israel and Egypt is tiny – just 141 square miles/365 sq. kilometers (about the size of Las Vegas or the British city of Sheffield) – and with a population of nearly 2.1 million, making it one of the world´s most densely packed territories. And Gaza has of course massively been in the news since October 7 because of the tragic and horrific reasons with which by now we´re all too familiar. And when it comes to spots…

Started by David Paul Appell

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Conquering Israel´s UNESCO World Heritage Masada

Itamar Grinberg/Israeli Ministry of Tourism Israel is truly a land of exceptional sights – and sites – from top to bottom. But roughly two hours south of Jerusalem, one of its most evocative (and popular) high points, so to speak, looms in the Judea desert some 396 metres (1,300 feet) above the shores of the Dead Sea. Masada (Hebrew for fortress) is an imposing UNESCO World Heritage Site, and after Jerusalem the most visited spot in the country. At this rugged fortress complex, excavated in…

Started by Iberia Airlines

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José Balido October 20, 2023 at 12:29pm

This is a question that´s on a lot of people´s minds right now, and my sister and her wife just canceled a plan group tour to Jordan: https://www.escape.com.au/travel-advice/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-the...

Is it safe to travel to the Middle East right now?

The travel advice varies from country to country in the region.
José Balido October 11, 2023 at 5:31pm

Tragically, the situation in Gaza, Palestine is horrific and now certain to get even worse. But strangely, it got me curious about tourism. When it comes to Palestine, we hear about the great stuff in the West Bank but virtually nothing about Gaza - partly because the situation has been so difficult there for so long, and few tourists have been able venture there even if they wanted to. But I went to my favorite "off the beaten track" expert, Joan Torres, from Barcelona, and sure enough, on his fascinating site AgainsttheCompass.com he has a whole section on Gaza - what to see as well as some very important info about logistics and planning. He even updated it on October 2 - perhaps poorly timed, a mere several days before this whole Hamas mess (although he does have a caveat that "the major risk a foreigner can face there is military escalation" and "If the situation “erupts” while you are there, try to leave the Strip as soon as possible. If the borders are closed, the best option would be to stay at your hotel/accommodation and ask the staff for safety instructions." Certainly prescient. Anyway, check this out and I think you´ll find it quite interesting: https://againstthecompass.com/en/travel-gaza/
Tripatini September 14, 2023 at 2:28pm

Once again our thoughts are with disaster victims, this time in North Africa, due to the earthquake in Morocco and the catastrophic flooding on the coast of Libya. To contibute what you can to aid victims, click here for Morocco https://time.com/6312509/morocco-earthquake-victims-how-to-help/ and here for Libya https://time.com/6313307/help-flood-victims-libya/

Morocco Earthquake: Here's How to Help

At least two aftershocks exacerbated the disaster, with the latest being a 3.9 aftershock on Sunday.
Wissam Al Khoury May 14, 2023 at 10:05am

The Arabian Travel Market took place a few days ago in Dubai, and CNN took the occasion to run an interesting piece on how culture, heritage, and history are driving tourism across the Middle East: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2023/05/11/arabian-travel-m...

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2023/05/11/arabian-travel-market.cnn
Tripatini February 11, 2023 at 11:28am

Our profound and heartfelt condolences to the people of Turkey and Syria on the wrenching devastation wrought by this past week's catastrophic earthquake, and we urge our readers to contribute to relief efforts being coordinated by numerous aid groups around the world, to help the millions who have been ijured and made homeless in severely cold weather. You can find a list of highly rated such groups at https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/e....

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

Highly rated charities providing relief and recovery in the wake of the devastating earthquakes affecting Turkey and Syria.
Jordan Simon January 8, 2023 at 10:14pm

Wow, looks like a bunch of stunning new luxury hotels are bursting out all over the region! https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-26/best-over-the-to...
José Balido December 12, 2022 at 12:46pm

Syria's Assad régime has launched a flurry of tourism development projects and promotion campaigns - including Western travel blogger/vlogge/influencerr dupes - designed to convince prospective visitors (and investors) that Syria is a safe place for a wonderful vacation. Plenty of critics aren't having it, though. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/oct/28/whoever-...

‘Whoever says Syria’s safe is a liar’: country’s tourist drive at odds with human rights record | G…

Vloggers visit the country to create audience-boosting content, but critics say they’re being cynically used by the Assad regime
Max Pesling October 3, 2022 at 9:14am

MP Qatar Airlines was just recently announced as the "favorite" airline of 2022 by the influential Skytrax, a UK-based airline and airport review and ranking site, based on more than 14 million customer surveys in more than 100 countries between September 2021 to August 2022 More details: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/skytrax-world-airline-awards-202...

The world's best airline for 2022 named

Airline review site Skytrax has revealed its 2022 rankings of the world's best airlines, with an old favorite taking the number one spot and a contro…
Mo Madhoun September 12, 2022 at 6:16pm

https://arabscountries.com/new-year-celebration-in-uae/
New Year celebration in UAE: UAE is famous for its astonishing fireworks during the New Year celebration; however, there are many other amazing places that you can attend during the New Year celebration in UAE. Moreover, Dubai is one of the main touristic destinations all over the world. Also, the government exerts all its efforts to facilitate everything for the tourists.

New Year celebration in UAE

New Year celebration in UAE is an amazing adventure that you will never forget ar there are many activities and amazing places to visit.
David Paul Appell September 12, 2022 at 12:26pm

The ancient Berber desert oasis town Ghadames has a fascinating walled UNESCO World Heritage old quarter, but it has been declared endangered due to the country's civil strife as well as neglect by the government in Tripoli. This past May, Al Jazeera focused on its plight: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/through-war-and-decay-libya-e2...

Through war and decay, Libya’s ‘desert pearl’ tries to hold on

Instability in the rest of Libya has effects deep in the desert, finds Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina.