Traders and travellers of old believed that you could feel this part of the globe long before you arrived. The desert's touch would come to greet you from far over the horizons, so too the scent of spices and perfumes from faraway souks and markets, and you could hear the whispers of past civilisations carried on the ancient and wise winds. The Middle East has long been at the centre of humankind's imagination, it is a region that cradled some of our greatest civilisations and gave the world prophets whose teachings continue to reverberate.
The Middle East's outlook has ebbed and flowed over the centuries, oscillating between times of guarded introspection, and reinvention and engagement. Today the winds are again full of promise, with much of the region undergoing a cultural and commercial renaissance. Nowhere is this more evident than in the United Arab Emirates where daring building projects and inspired architecture is transforming the landscape on a scale not seen since the building of the pyramids or the city of Petra. While countries like Dubai, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi offer travellers the chance to experience this transformative energy - and shopping! - on a truly seismic scale, the region is also fiercely protecting its rich reserves of heritage and cultural treasure.
Instead of building skyscrapers, Oman has lovingly restored its forts and citadels, seamlessly blending the accoutrements of the modern age with an exotic skyline that evokes the epic tales of Arabia. Israel too, is a country where some of the world's most significant holy sites sit harmoniously within cosmopolitan cities that burst with youthful energy. And from Jordon to Syria, Lebanon to Iran, this sensual balance is repeated.
Travelling though this region's vast landscapes and ancient cities does something for the soul, it's a knowing that despite the satellite dishes and the designer sunglasses on your guide, you are sharing the same experiences as travellers, pilgrims and explorers who have come long before you. Don't for a minute buy into to the Western news-media-construct of a Middle East suffused with treachery and intolerance, this is a region where civility and hospitality is more abundant than 'black gold', and where respect and kindnesses are repaid tenfold.
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