Exploring Middle East As Tourist Destination

The Middle East is a world region that is skirted by South-Eastern Europe, across south-western Asia and North Africa. The term was created by US military strategists in the 1920-1930s, and definitions of the Middle East vary; it is not simply a geographical term, but also a political one.

As one of the wellsprings of human civilisation in the ancient and medieval worlds, the birthplace of at least three world religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), and the focus of much modern economic and political importance, the Middle East remains a popular destination for travellers.

Arabic is the primary language of the region, and the main language in all Middle Eastern countries except Iran (where Persian predominates), Turkey (Turkish) and Israel (Hebrew). Even in those countries, Arabic is the first language for some people and fairly common as a second language.

Ethnically, the region is extremely mixed. Arabs, Persians and Turks are the largest groups, but there are several substantial minorities — Kurds, Armenians and others — with their own languages, customs and sometimes their own countries. Every invading army — from Alexander and the Romans through Genghis Khan to the 19th century colonial powers — has left descendants behind. Probably the American troops there now will too. There are also substantial numbers of workers from other countries coming to the region for higher pay — mainly Afghan, Korean, Pakistani for jobs like construction labourer, with Egyptians, Philipinos, more Pakistanis, and some westerners in the more skilled jobs.

A great majority of people throughout the region are Muslim — with Iran mainly Shia, other areas mainly Sunni, and both with minorities of the other — and the legal systems in most of these countries are influenced by Islamic Law; a few are entirely based on it.

Planning a visit to the Middle East can be complicated in various ways:

Some countries in the area, such as Iraq, are at war and should not be visited. See War zone safety if you must go. Some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, do not issue tourist visas except for a few expensive tours
Some countries in the region have strict Islamic Law, with heavy penalties for homosexuality, adultery and other offenses. Many countries in the region do not recognise the state of Israel; they consider it to be Occupied Palestine. These nations may refuse you entry if you have an Israeli visa or an Israeli stamp in your passport, or even a visa for another country that was issued in Israel. The Israeli authorities will generally help you avoid problems by providing a visa as a separate document so it is not in the passport; see the Israel article for details.