Things to do in the Middle East

Religious sites

The Bible, the Torah and the Quran loom large over the Middle Eastern landscape. Most important, of course, is Jerusalem, whose holy sites are significant for Jews, Christians and Muslims, and include the Western Wall, Temple Mount (Al Haram Ash Sharif) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Church of the Nativity stands in Bethlehem in the Palestinian Territories on the site where Jesus was believed to be born.

Other key religious sites across the region include Mount Sinai, where it is believed that Moses received his Ten Commandments from God, and Jordan’s Mount Nebo, from where Moses looked out over the Promised Land.

Some of the world’s oldest, most beautiful and most open mosques can be found in Iran, with most dating back 500-1,000 years. The best examples include the Blue Mosque of Tabriz, and Shiraz’s Nasir al-Mulk, known as the Pink Mosque, after the rose-coloured tiles that cover the interior. Unlike in many countries, most Iranian mosques are open to non-Muslims; all visitors must remove their shoes before entering, and women must wear a headscarf.

Walking & cycling holidays

If you prefer trekking to tombs and temples, never fear – the Middle East offers enough walking territory to keep you going for weeks. And if you’re worried that Middle Eastern walks only involve baking in a hot desert, then don’t be. Yes, there are trails though barren and dusty lands, but you can also wander through olive groves, lush valleys, fields of wildflowers and along coastal paths with the tang of salt in your mouth.

Highlights include hiking Jordan’s Dana Biosphere Reserve, which has 320km² of shark-tooth mountain ridges, towering cliffs, and sandstone and granite canyons; tackling the Galilee Walking Trail, a 65km pilgrimage route also known as the Jesus Trail, which takes you through some of Israel’s eclectic landscapes; and following the Palestinian leg of the Abraham Path, which traces the footsteps of Prophet Abraham and is a fantastic opportunity to connect with remote local communities.

There are also some fantastic and little-known cycling routes in the Middle East. You could cycle through wadi landscapes and green plantations in Oman; make your way through the deserts and mountains of Jordan; or pedal from Tehran to Shiraz, through the great, open terrain of the Iranian countryside. Wherever you choose to go, you’ll find that cycling through rural areas is a fantastic way to get to meet local people and see a side of life that tourists often miss out on.