The Middle East Awards!
Trip Start
Sep 20, 2007
1
61
Trip End
Jan 10, 2008
Cairo, Egypt
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Well now that the trip is over I will present to you a list of different awards based on my observations of the places I visited and things I saw.
I have also added a picture of each place mentioned if you would rather just look at them (for those of you who are too lazy to read) - I recommend using the slideshow function as I have inserted extra text into each photo.
Favourite place overall
Cappadocia, Turkey - If I could name one place that was the highlight of the trip this would definitely be it. Although more of a region than a place, this are is littered with spectacular scenery, underground cities, rock-cut churches and probably the best "tourist town" I have ever visited; Goreme.
Best Cities
A very tough one for me, as there are many different things that make a city appealing.
Cairo, Egypt - Although one of the most populated and polluted cities in the world, this city has a lot of charm as well as an abundance of fantastic sights to see.
Istanbul, Turkey - This city has been the capital of many of the worlds greatest empires and each one has left their mark on this city in some way or another.
Aleppo, Syria - A fantastic citadel, one of the best souqs (markets) in the Middle East, as well as many fine old buildings made this city one the surprise highlights of my trip.
Jerusalem, Israel - One of the most important cities in the world for three religions, this place reeks of history which is still evident to this day.
Damascus, Syria - Many fine old buildings, the Umayyad Mosque, and many of the Middle East's most atmospheric eating places make this a fantastic city to be in.
Best Mosques
Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, Israel - Although not technically a mosque, this symbol of Jerusalem remains as the most beautiful of all Islamic structures I have seen. The brilliant blue of the tiles contrasting with the golden dome really is stunning.
Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey - A beautiful exterior with an equally striking interior made up of tens of thousands of decorated tiles.
Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey - This mosque is actually the largest of the mosques in Istanbul and is surprisingly rarely visited by tourists. Similar to the Blue Mosque in design, it is also intricately decorated with thousands of tiles.
Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria - Originally constructed with the intention to be the "best structure ever built", what remains of this holy place is impressive, especially the atmospheric, giant marble courtyard.
Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt - Similar the Umayyad mosque in many respects, what is really impressive about this place is the 5 unique minarets as well as the beautiful open courtyard
Best Museums
Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt - An outright winner as the best museum I have ever visited. The Tutankhamen galleries are the star of the show.
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey - This church that became a mosque that became a museum is absolutely stunning despite its age of 1500 years.
Tower Museum, Jerusalem, Israel - An excellently laid out and presented museum on the complete history of Jerusalem. Very informative and highly recommended.
Archeology Museum / Museum of Ancient Orient, Istanbul, Turkey - Housing one of the world's greatest collection of ancient and classical artifacts, there is enough treasures here to occupy you for the whole day. The highlight is the Alexander Sarcophagus.
Best Ancient or Classical Sites
No surprise that Egypt dominates this list.
Karnak Temple Complex, Luxor, Egypt - Easily the most impressive temple complex in Egypt and one of the best in the world.
Ancient city of Palmyra, Palmyra, Syria - Situated literally in the middle of the desert contains perhaps one of the most impressive if not the most unique classical sites in the world.
Great Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt - Four ancient, giant statues staring down on you and across into Sudan, wow.
Pyramids of Giza, Cairo, Egypt - The only survivor of the Seven Anceint Wonders of World, need I say more?
Medinat Habu Temple, Luxor, Egypt - Although greatly overshadowed by Egypt's many other temples, this ones size and state of preservation helped it make this list.
Best Activities
Gulet Cruise, Fethiye to Olympos, Turkey - Four days sitting around on the deck of boat and swimming in the clear blue meditaranean.... Life doesn't get much better than that.
Hot-air balloon ride, Luxor, Egypt - The most spectacular way to see the many sights of Luxor as well and see some stunning scenery.
Scooter for a day, Goreme, Turkey - see below
Snorkeling in the Red Sea, Dahab, Egypt - My first time snorkeling with fish was really beautiful, swimming in a school of colourful fish really is a surreal feeling.
Best Single Day
Wednesday, October 24 - Hiring Scooters for the day, Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey - Perfect weather, stunning scenery, fantastic sights, great company and of course a scooter make this a day I look back on an reminisce. Not even injuring myself falling off the scooter could make this an unmemorable day.
Sunday, December 30 - A hot-air balloon ride and exploring Luxor's sights - Probably the ultimate sightseeing day; a sunrise hot-air balloon ride, a tour of the Valley of the Kings and Queens and a sunset visit to the spectacular Luxor Temple.
Best of the Rest
Other sights or places that were definite highlights.
Krak De Chevaliers, Syria - One of the most spectacular and well-preserved castles in the world - fantastic!
Olympos, Turkey - Besides Goreme, this was another fantastic "tourist town" made up of tree-houses and other chilled-out accommodation. A great place to just relax and spend a few days.
Islamic Cairo, Egypt - The amount of great sights there is to see in this vast area is mind-blowing. I didn't get to see all of it and what I did see took up 2 full days.
Wadi Rum, Jordan - Touted as the "most spectacular desert scenery in the world", this place was indeed a gem.
Hebron, Israel - Although not pretty or with much to see, a tour of this conflict torn city proved to be one of the most moving and thought provoking of the entire trip.
Azem Palace, Damascus, Syria - If I could choose a palace to live in this would be it. A must see on any visit to Damascus.
Best women
A tough one, each country had really stunning women, and Israel had women with guns which boosted their sex appeal, but I would have to go with:
Syria - Although not necessarily physically superior to any other country, I had many groups of females just come up and speak to me to be friendly and practice their English with me. In general women in Syria came across as lovely, elegant and beautiful.
And now to the negatives:
Worst City / Town
Bodrum, Turkey - Overdeveloped, overpriced, and bogan British people made this place most unappealing.
Wadi Musa, Jordan - The town that houses all of Petra tourists is an absolute hole. Dishonest and abusive locals, many of whom also try to sell you drugs, made me more than happy to leave this place.
Biggest Disappointments
Petra, Wadi Musa, Jordan - This place was voted as one of the "new" Seven Wonders of the World recently, and they were to be one of the highlights of my trip. I did enjoy them and admire them, but perhaps I had my expectations too high of this place.
Hama, Syria - Although I did like this town, I was expecting something a lot more picturesque with its riverside setting. However the water levels were low and unfortunately the river stunk of sewerage and was filled with rubbish.
Ruins of Ephesus, Selcuk, Turkey - I really liked the town of Selcuk, but the ruins of Ephesus, dubbed as the finest of the Mediterranean, were a bit of a let down.
Places I regret seeing or visiting
Divrgi Mosque Complex, Divrigi, Turkey - This is the least visited of Turkey's world-heritage listed sites, and after visiting there I can see why. It is a long and expensive haul to get there, and while the sight mosque complex itself is OK, it is definitely not worth the effort.
Sivas, Turkey - Although containing some of the best remaining Selcuk architecture in the world, the sights of this city really could be seen in a couple of hours and the nearest place of interest was at least 4 hours away. Not really worth the effort again.
Jerash, Jordan - Although there was nothing wrong with the sight, I was well over Roman cities by that stage in the trip and did not enjoy my time there.
Cairo Zoo, Cairo, Egypt - I am probably the only tourist ever stupid enough to visit this place. It is more like an animal prison than a zoo, with underfed and exploited animals. Terrible.
Alexandria, Egypt - There was nothing wrong with this place, there was just nothing too right about it either, and really lacked any great sights.
Other regrets
Getting the Israeli Stamp on my passport - I am now officially not allowed to enter Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen or Sudan on my current passport. :(
Not visiting Iran - Due to time, money and weather constraints I did not visit Iran and deeply regret it from what I have heard about the place from other people. And in lieu of the Israeli stamp on my passport, I may not get a chance to visit this country for quite some time. :(
Not being more confident with my photography - There were so many fantastic opportunities to get some great people shots but I did not have the courage to ask them if I could take their photo. I know this is going to haunt me when looking back at my photos. My advice to anyone traveling to these parts (or any other parts of the world for that matter) is always have the courage to take photos of people, I deeply regret not doing it.
People I wanted to punch in the head
Many, many Egyptians... too many to name. :)
So that concludes my 3 ½ months of traveling through the Middle East, I have had an absolutely fantastic time and it really couldn't have gone to plan much better than it did.
The Middle East is a vibrant and fascinating place that many people shy away from for so called "security reasons", however I never once felt threatened or scarred the entire time and everyone else who you speak to who has visited the region will echo my thoughts. There is so much to see and do as well as being home to some of the most friendly and honest (Egyptians excluded) people I have ever met.
If you have any questions regarding any where I have been or the things I have seen please do not hesitate to contact me through this site. Anyway it has been an exciting journey and if you have followed my travels I thank you for your time and being with me throughout it.
Till the next adventure,
Julian
p.s. My best photographs from the adventure, some of which have gone on to win awards, can be found here:
http://jkaesler.zenfolio.com/f872512496
