Petra, Persepolis, the Nile and Damascus — the oldest continuously inhabited region on earth, and the one where current advice matters more than any guidebook.
What it is
The land between the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf, plus the Arabian Peninsula and, depending who is counting, Egypt and Turkey. It contains the oldest cities on earth — Damascus, Aleppo, Byblos, Erbil — and the ruins of most of the civilisations that invented writing, cities and law.
It also contains some of the most stable and easy countries to travel in and some that cannot be travelled at all, and the line between those moves. This is the one region where a guide’s advice ages dangerously, so what follows is a shape rather than a verdict, and current government advice for the specific country is what you should act on.
The countries that are straightforward
Jordan is the region’s easiest and one of the great travel countries: Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, Jerash and the desert castles in a country the size of Portugal. The Jordan Pass bundles the tourist visa with entry to Petra and forty other sites and saves a substantial amount — buy it before you fly, because the visa waiver only applies if you do.
Oman is quiet, spectacular and almost untravelled: mountains, wadis, forts and a coastline with nesting turtles. Self-drive is the way.
The UAE and Qatar are efficient, expensive, easy, and mostly about cities built in the last fifty years. Long stopovers are the usual entry.
Turkey straddles the definition and is one of the most complete travel countries anywhere — Istanbul, the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, Cappadocia, and the east.
Egypt is straightforward on the Nile corridor and the Red Sea. The pyramids, Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel are as extraordinary as advertised and the hassle at the sites is real and tiring.
Saudi Arabia opened to tourism in 2019, and AlUla, the Nabataean site at Hegra and the Red Sea coast are genuinely remarkable and very lightly visited.
Seasons
October to April across the whole region. Inland summer temperatures — Iraq, the Gulf, Upper Egypt, the Jordanian desert — routinely pass 45°C and are not a discomfort but a hazard.
December to February is cold at altitude and in the desert at night; Petra and Cappadocia get snow.
Ramadan shifts about eleven days earlier each year. Travelling during it is entirely possible and in some ways lovely — the evening meal is a spectacle — but daytime eating in public is restricted in some countries, opening hours shorten, and transport around Eid is chaotic.
Practicalities
Dress matters more here than in most of this guide, and the standard is context-dependent rather than uniform. Covering shoulders and knees is a reasonable default for everyone. Head covering for women is required in Iran and in mosques generally, and not otherwise.
Alcohol ranges from freely available (Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt) to hotel-only to entirely prohibited (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait).
Israeli passport stamps used to bar entry to several countries; most now issue electronic records rather than stamps, but the underlying restrictions in some states remain. Check if your route includes both.
Photography of anything military, government or infrastructure is a genuine problem in several countries. Ask before photographing people.
Solo women travellers report very different experiences country to country — Oman and Jordan generally straightforward, Egypt frequently wearing. Reading recent first-hand accounts is more useful than any general statement.
What is not currently travellable
This changes. As of writing, several countries in the region are subject to advisories against all travel, and others are advisory-against-all-but-essential in specific provinces. Insurance is typically void where you travel against your government’s advice, which is the practical consequence that catches people out.
Where to start
Jordan for a first trip: ten days, easy, spectacular, safe, and it covers desert, ruins, a sea you float in and a city. Add Egypt for a second week if the Nile is the draw.
More Regions
Southeast Asia
The region that taught a generation how to travel cheaply and is still the easiest place on earth to do it. Warm, connected, and far more varied than the circuit suggests.
The Andes
The longest mountain range on earth, running the length of a continent, with the altitude that shapes every decision you make about travelling in it.
East Africa
The Serengeti and the Mara, Kilimanjaro, the Rift Valley lakes and the Swahili coast — and the safari industry that sits on top of all of it.