as Europeans, where in the middle east would you travel?

**drogin** · 12-18-2012, 05:34 PM

As Europeans, where in the middle east would you travel, for a holiday or other short-term stuff?
Both in terms of your interests, your political and moral sense, and in terms of your security.

My list:
Georgia(if you count that as middle east)
Armenia(possibly) and/or Azerbaijan
Israel
South-Kurdistan("Iraqi" kurdistan region).

Why? It's the only countries in the region that seems progressive to me.
The rest is a bunch of backwards dictatorships or extremist religious countries, a lot of them racist. With very little of interest for me.

And I would've had Lebanon on the list, if the Maronites handt lost the civil war to the Syrians and Palestinians.

Turkey is kind of tricky. It's certainly better than some countries in the middle east. On the other hand, the government of Turkey is driving the country in the wrong direction. Not to mention the occasional massacres of assyrian and armenian christians, that they still does not acknowledge.

**~~Sikeliot~~** · 12-18-2012, 05:35 PM

Lebanon, Armenia, and Turkey.

**~~Illancha~~** · 12-18-2012, 05:48 PM

You should try Jordan. You'll be surprised at what it has to offer.

**drogin** · 12-18-2012, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by Noxcho

You should try Jordan. You'll be surprised at what it has to offer.

Granted. Although I'm not sure if the majority of the population are as pragmatic as the king.

**~~Illancha~~** · 12-18-2012, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by drogin

Granted. Although I'm not sure if the majority of the population are as pragmatic as the king.

The vast majority are especially in the capital and other touristic areas, I've lived there for half my life.
There's a bit of an upheaval there at present due to the Arab spring stuff going on, but it's certainly worth visiting and I would honestly say it is easily the most stable and forward thinking country in that region.