Middle East

Ancient trade routes and contemporary cities

Middle East

The Middle East brings together desert landscapes, fertile valleys and fast-changing cities. Archaeology and religion are ever-present, while architecture, food and hospitality also shape the journey.

The Middle East has stood at the crossroads of trade routes and ideas for centuries. Old cities, forts and places of worship sit alongside contemporary art districts and ambitious new architecture. Beyond the cities, routes cross wadis, mountains, oases and deserts, each requiring a different pace.

Conditions vary sharply by country and can change quickly. Always check current travel advice, local rules and border situations before departure. Avoid the hottest months for active trips and account for religious holidays and customs. Careful preparation leaves room for regional cooking, conversations and historic places that help explain the present.

From the magazine

Stories about Middle East

Editorial stories linked to Middle East and to the countries and places within this region.

The 10 Cities Best Understood from the Water
Article

The 10 Cities Best Understood from the Water

A fine skyline is not enough. In these ten cities, a ferry or small boat reveals how trade, terrain, buildings and daily travel grew around a river, canal or bay.

Ten places where local bread is still made by hand
Article

Ten places where local bread is still made by hand

Bread shows the daily work behind a neighbourhood meal: a household’s marked dough at a Marrakesh communal oven, dark rye beside sourdough in Copenhagen, and bolillos from brick ovens in Mexico City. These ten working addresses and market settings sell local bread made through distinct local practices.

Ten Squares That Change After Dark
Article

Ten Squares That Change After Dark

At sunset, restaurant stalls fill Jemaa el-Fna and listeners close around storytellers who adjust each performance to the crowd. Elsewhere, evening brings aperitivo tables, commuter tides, street food, ceremonies and concert audiences to public ground.

Eight mineral landscapes shaped by salt, iron and hot water
Article

Eight mineral landscapes shaped by salt, iron and hot water

On Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, a hard white crust runs towards an empty horizon. Elsewhere, iron colours whole mountains red, hot springs build terraces, and Roman miners have left cliffs behind.

Ten dark-sky landscapes, ranked from moorland to mountain basin
Article

Ten dark-sky landscapes, ranked from moorland to mountain basin

Pink sand runs below Wadi Rum’s sandstone walls, while telescope domes stand on La Palma’s volcanic crest. This ranking places New Zealand’s glacial Mackenzie Basin first, where a wide alpine floor gives the night sky a large, uncluttered frame.

Eight cities where cultures still share the street
Article

Eight cities where cultures still share the street

A Hindu temple and a mosque stand among the shophouses of Singapore’s Chinatown. In Sarajevo, a short walk runs from an Ottoman bazaar to Habsburg-era façades. In these eight cities, history still shapes worship, trade, food and ordinary street life.

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