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Discover the Middle East
First-time visitors to the Middle East nearly always say the same thing: it was nothing like they expected. Here are the surprises we hear about most, from the warmth of the welcome to the Arabic words Americans use every day without knowing it.
Updated
At a glance
Guests are offered Arabic coffee and dates almost everywhere, from a desert camp to a government office. Hospitality is a point of honor, and the majlis, the room where guests are received, is recognized by UNESCO. See hospitality and the majlis.
Algebra, algorithm, zero, cipher, coffee, sugar, cotton, sofa, mattress, magazine, admiral, tariff, jasmine and lemon all reached English from Arabic. See the languages of the region.
During the Islamic Golden Age, scholars in Baghdad, Cairo and Córdoba advanced algebra, optics, medicine and astronomy, and carried to Europe the numerals we still use. See the Golden Age of science.
Egypt's Coptic Christians, around ten million people, are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, and some of the oldest churches and monasteries in the world are here. See Christian holy sites.
Summer in the Gulf is hot, but Taif's rose gardens, Abha's peaks and Oman's Jebel Akhdar are cool enough for a sweater, and Salalah turns green in the summer monsoon. See the summer escape.
The world's tallest building, the world's fastest roller coaster, and museums by Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry and Norman Foster. See amazing things being built.
Petra's Treasury appears in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Wadi Rum's red desert has stood in for other worlds in films from Lawrence of Arabia to The Martian and Dune. See Wadi Rum.
Oman's Musandam peninsula has dramatic fjords, explored by traditional dhow, a short trip from Dubai. See Musandam.
Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States, in 1777, and the Tangier Legation is the only US National Historic Landmark abroad. See America and the Middle East.
Nonstop flights, visas on arrival or online, English spoken widely and some of the finest hotels in the world. See your first trip.
Ultra-Luxury Real Estate · Own Here
Across the Middle East, the finest resorts and the finest homes now sit side by side, and many international buyers own before they ever visit.
Ultra-Luxury Tourism & Ultra-Luxury Real Estate
Checked October 2026. Prices and dates are approximate and can change. See our standard.