Middle East Travel

The University of Texas at Austin online libraries provide access to numerous maps of the Middle East, all produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Maps of the region and of individual countries are available; some are in PDF format, while others are jpg files. All maps enable you to zoom in for a better view, and you can view maps of different years for a better understanding of regional development.

The Encyclopaedia of the Orient is an excellent source for maps of the Middle East, though a bit difficult to navigate due to flashy ads. Click on a country name to access detailed maps that show numerous cities and geographical features. Click points of interest on the map to view photos and get further information. Read the accompanying article on the country where the place is located to get more facts and background information.

World Sites Atlas hosts a free political map of the Middle East that pinpoints dozens of cities and large towns throughout the region. Just be advised of ads cluttering the top and sides of each page. You can't zoom in on maps, but click on a country name, and you'll be directed to a page devoted to that country. Once there, you'll find all kinds of facts and statistics about the country's people, size, history, and more.

I Like 2 Learn is an educational site for students. The site has a simple online geography quiz on the Middle East: test your knowledge of the region's complex organization and fluid boundaries. If you don't do very well on your first try, don't worry; you can play as many times as you like.

Pars Times is a publication created primarily for scholars and researchers of the Middle East. In their Middle East Resource Guide, you'll find dozens of links connecting you to Middle Eastern media resources like online newspapers, virtual libraries, government organizations, and NGOs. There are particularly good links on Islam. Toward the bottom of the page, you'll also find several links to online museums and galleries.

TIMEA (Travelers in the Middle East Archive) is an online resource created by Rice University that chronicles travelers' experiences in the Middle East, primarily in the 19th and 20th centuries. You'll find texts, including travel writings and museum catalogs, drawings and photographs, historical maps, and sections that shed light on culture, customs, art, architecture, transportation, daily life, politics, and more. Note that you'll have to download individual documents to access each one.

Al-Bab has a series of links on dozens of specific countries in the Middle East region. These include media publications, historical documents, and statistical sources, and will inform you of the characteristics and evolution of countries you're interested in visiting. You'll even find links to news sources, to information about arts and culture, and to information about the different people who live in the region.

The New York Times has a whole travel section devoted to the Middle East, and while there are currently only guides to a handful of countries, including Jordan, Israel, Oman, Syria, and Bahrain, you'll also find any relevant pieces the newspaper has published as well as multimedia features such as slideshows or videos from the countries. Topics covered include cultural trends, hotspots for dining, socializing and relaxing, accommodation resources, and in-depth articles about other Middle Eastern locales.

Real Travel , apart from being a good resource to live vicariously through other travelers' experiences, also has a special "Attractions" section that is organized by region and lets users describe their tours, treks, and explorations of a particular place. The Middle East section, linked here, will give you ideas about where to go, what to see, and how to get there.

Peregrine Adventures is an adventure travel company that features several trips in the Middle East, many of which are multicountry tours. The site gives you guidance on when to go and offers several trip options, depending on the cultures you're interested in and your desired length of stay. Options include Nile cruises, desert treks, hiking destinations like Mt. Sinai, and cultural tours that focus on specific sights and artifacts in one or more countries. You can't book online, but use the "Brochures" tab at the top of the page to request more information, or choose "About Us" to contact the company by e-mail or phone.

Lonely Planet has a guide to the Middle East offering specific information and advice for traveling in each country in the region, including necessary terrorism warnings. You'll catch an adventurous spirit in each section: places to see, background info, transportation, or accommodation options. This guidebook company has been around for 30 years, and it has become so prolific that it was recently bought by the BBC.

Let's Go travel guides offer budget-friendly resources for exploring the Middle East, including suggested itineraries like "Best of the Middle East (45 weeks)." "Let's Go Picks" for sightseeing are especially intriguing; for example, they'll direct you to the "Best Café Frequented by a Nobel Laureate." The guides are entirely researched and written by Harvard University students, lending a college-age appreciation for saving money and for intellectual pursuits abroad.

Muturzikin has a difficult-to-read but interesting and colorful map showing the languages and dialects spoken in the countries of the Middle East. The varieties can be a bit mind-boggling but useful if you know the specific areas you want to visit.