Saudi Arabia
This is arguably the Kingdom's premier pre-Islamic site and open-air art gallery. Covering an area measuring 39 sq km are some of the most impressive…
Must-see attractions in Middle East
Amman
This brilliantly designed hands-on museum for kids is a complete joy. In its many zones, young visitors can play and learn about everything from the…
Dhofar
The upper plateau of Jebel Samhan suddenly ends in a vertiginous drop more than 1000 meters to the coastal plain below. Barely a ledge interrupts the…
Jebel Shams
The term 'Grand Canyon of Arabia' is wholly deserved for this quintessential feature of Oman's spectacular mountain scenery. A short path leads to the…
Oman
Two cannons mark the interior courtyard of this enormous fort – the entrance alone signals its former importance. Built on top of pre-Islamic foundations,…
Shiraz
This formal garden encompasses an octagonal pavilion, which is now home to the Pars Museum. Karim Khan once received foreign dignitaries in the pavilion,…
Musandam
This beautiful inlet is interesting for its stone fishing villages, accessible only by boat, and for Telegraph Island, which dots the middle of the bay…
Wadi Rum
The largest of Rum's three arches is the Burdah Rock Bridge, precariously perched about 80m above surrounding rock. There’s a precipitous hike to the…
East Jerusalem
As teeming with controversy as it is with ancient history, the City of David is one of Jerusalem's most active archaeological sites. The oldest part of…
Tehran
The glories and excesses of the Qajar rulers are played out across this complex of grand buildings decorated with beautifully painted tiles and set around…
Jerusalem
Israel's official memorial to the six million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis is powerful, poignant and a masterpiece of design. The museum's name…
Jordan
One of the best-preserved desert buildings of the Umayyads, the Unesco World Heritage Site of Qusayr Amra is the highlight of a trip into the Eastern…
Jerusalem
The jewel in the crown of Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif is the gold-plated Dome of the Rock, the enduring symbol of the city and one of the most…
Beirut
Located on the former Green Line, this is Beirut's major cultural institution. Its impressive, magnificently displayed collection of archaeological…
Jordan
For several millennia, the Qa’al Azraq (Azraq Basin) comprised a huge area of mudflats, pools and marshlands, which led to the establishment of Azraq as…
North Coast
Nestled between Mt Carmel and Lower Galilee, spellbinding Beit She’arim is pitted with ancient catacombs, many of which you can enter. In the 2nd century…
Kuwait City
Housed in the basement of a large villa, this exquisite ethnographic museum should not be missed. There are inlaid musical instruments suspended in glass…
Jordan
This historic castle was built atop Mt ‘Auf (1250m) between 1184 and 1188 by one of Saladin’s generals, ‘Izz ad Din Usama bin Munqidh (who was also…
Dubai
Housed in an air-conditioned hangar the size of 28 football fields, IMG Worlds of Adventure is the world’s largest indoor theme park. The US$1 billion…
Bur Dubai
The city's main historical museum charts Dubai's turbo-evolution from fishing and pearling village to global centre of commerce, finance and tourism. It…
Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park
Israel
Covering 5 sq km of the Judean Hills, Beit Guvrin-Maresha’s rocky valleys and low hills are home to mountain gazelles, hyenas and songbirds – but most…
Lebanon
The largest of Lebanon’s three natural protectorates, comprising an incredible 5% of the total land area, this is the largest natural cedar reserve in the…
Doha
With the largest collection of Islamic art in the world, drawn from three continents, this fabulous museum is so rich in treasure that it rewards short,…
North Coast
Bone-white limestone cliffs seem to burst from the deep blue sea at this geological beauty spot straddling the Israel–Lebanon border. A cable car descends…
Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Bur Dubai
Anyone keen on delving deeper into Emirati culture and history should take advantage of the activities, Emirati meals and tours offered through this…
Jerash
Dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of hunting and fertility and the daughter of Zeus and Leto, this temple was built between AD 150 and 170, and flanked by…
Amman
The small but impressive Qasr Al Abad, west of Amman, is one of the very few examples of pre-Roman construction in Jordan. Mystery surrounds the palace,…
Golan Heights
Both casual strollers and experienced hikers – especially those who aren’t averse to getting wet – will find plenty to engage and challenge them in…
Iran
Choqa Zanbil’s magnificent, Unesco-listed brick ziggurat is the world's best surviving example of Elamite architecture. Even if you’re not a fan of…
Golan Heights
The gushing springs, waterfalls and lushly shaded streams of Banias Nature Reserve form one of the most beautiful – and popular – nature spots in the…
Sharjah
If you thought the UAE's history only really began when oil was struck, you'd be wrong, and this site is a fascinating introduction to a mind-boggling…
St George’s Church & Mosaic Map
Madaba
This rather modest 19th-century Greek Orthodox church houses a treasure of early Christianity. Imagine the excitement in 1884 when Christian builders came…
Amman
This magnificently restored theatre is the most obvious and impressive remnant of Roman Philadelphia, and is the highlight of Amman for most foreign…
Jerusalem
All of Jerusalem meets in Mahane Yehuda, from first-time visitors to residents filling their trolleys with fruit and veg. Market tables are laden with…
Hajar Mountains
Embellished with stalactites and stalagmites, this is the only cave in Oman developed for tourism and it's something of a gem. Sensitively lit, this…
Jerash
Whatever the light and whatever the weather, the forum, with its organ-pipe columns arranged around an unusual oval-shaped plaza, is always breathtaking…
Bur Dubai
Traffic fades to a quiet hum in the labyrinthine lanes of this nicely restored heritage area formerly known as the Bastakiya Quarter. Its narrow walking…
Ramallah
Next to the ornate tomb of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is a new museum that bears his name. Divided into two parts, the first half traces…
Golan Heights
Built by Muslims in the 13th century to protect the road from Tyre to Damascus, Nimrod Fortress rises fairy-tale-like on a long, narrow ridge (altitude…
Manama
Deservedly the country's most popular attraction, this is an outstanding introduction to Bahrain's history, with signage in English and Arabic. It's…
