I'd go to Egypt and Israel, even though they are sketchy places, just for the history.
Anyone been?
Would you go?
I've been to Turkey - was supposed to go to Egypt and Jordan this fall with a friend, but it looks like it we won't do it until 2024. No hesitations at all going there.
shareI have several times and will continue to do so. Not war zones though.
shareWould be nice but the thought of getting blown up or imprisoned for some bogus charge, isn't appealing.
Here's a video from a quick tour of the Great Pyramid from about a year ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEl6P5wo6ro
Maybe it's just me but it looks depressing and like some broke-ass version of a trip to Disneyland.
I was there with the family December 2021 and it was awesome!
shareI'd love to go to Beirut, Tel Aviv, Damascus, Amman. Iran seems beautiful too.
shareI would like to see the Sphinx and the Pyramids but I would sharpen my ululating skills beforehand so I can blend in as a native.
sharePeople like me aren't safe in the Middle East, so no.
Which is a pity, I think a Nile cruise would be lovely! But it's far enough down my bucket list that it won't happen.
Why aren't you safe in the Middle East?
shareThe LGBTQ+ community isn’t quite as oppressed as the media makes out in some countries in that region.
shareMore than a couple of my friends in Abu Dhabi are very out, and they seem to be doing fine. Granted they are foreigners, and they work in the theatre community, but no one has had any issues.
shareDubai, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Morocco to name but a few, no problem. Saudi Arabia and the like, not so good.
shareThe problem with places like Dubai is same-sex bonking is illegal, but tolerated under some circumstances... and a foreigner doesn't know what the rules are or where the boundaries of acceptable behavior are drawn. Every society has unwritten rules which a person is penalized for breaking, and laws which are only enforced under some circumstances. So that's one of the first rules of travel: Do NOT push your luck.
So I hope your friends continue to have good luck, because google tells me that sex between men is still illegal there.
I'm not saying that it isn't illegal, but there is a thriving gay scene there. Dubai more than Abu Dhabi. Discretion is important, but no one will come knocking on your door to see who you have in bed with you.
From what I understand the UAE is really trying to be a tourist destination, and Abu Dhabi is full of expats. I think there are more expats there than citizens.
That being said, I didn't know, and I fully respect your decision to protect your safety. There are places in this world that I won't go by myself as a female, even now that I older.
The fact is, there isn't a lot I want to see in the Middle East, the only places I have any desire to see are Turkey and Egypt, and that desire isn't very strong. And my travel time and budget are limited enough that I've long since given up on seeing the world, and am now just hoping to see the places I want to see them most - Australia and Iceland, for starters! Places like the UAE aren't even on the bucket list.
So if I won the lottery I might think about a Nile river cruise, visiting the ancient ruins and along the river between living history stops, but even if I had unlimited time and money that'd be it for the Middle East.