Time for a New Topic- Homes in the Middle East

If you are anywhere in the Middle East, and you plan on going into a home there, then you need a few tips and pointers so you're not comparable to a foreigner. You can go into a shack on the roof of a rundown building somewhere in the older downtown areas or you can go inside a mansion in some gated community with palm trees lining the road and essentially you will find the same features in both.

I won't go into minimized detail about separate topics because each feature of a Middle Eastern home requires its own elaborate explanation. I haven't been inside a home in the Middle East that deserves the title "organized". The houses there can be clean and new but that will never change the activities that occur behind the walls of the home itself.

First and foremost, a Middle Eastern home, whether it is a shack or a villa, is probably filled will more than the immediate family members that actually own the home. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and etc will all be in there at some given point in time. Whether it is three in the morning or three in the afternoon, the homes there will always be crowded and people will always be yelling, crying, laughing. All kinds of noises from all ages ranging from a few months to more than ninety.

There will always be the diva girl who's on the phone with whoever, and the teenage boy kicking around a soccer ball screaming at the television that probably has a soccer game running. There will be the mother and the grandmother cooking in the overheated kitchen and there will always be an irritated grandfather and possibly even father.

It's these qualities that make the Middle Eastern homes much different than any other place in the world. The unique characteristics of these establishments embody the true nature of elaborated exhibition of Middle Eastern and nothing more to it.

Spotlight on Iran (part II)

It's not that I want Iran to build a nuclear weapon, but if that's what it takes to shut out the major powers opposing the advancement of them, then by all means prove them wrong. The Iranians have something that they need to fulfill; and that is dotted with plenty of different advancement in their science and technology sector. 

I would hope to see the west and Iran come to some sort of agreement regarding this topic that doesn't even need to be discussed. And it's not like the Chinese or the Russians are supporting Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, but they are doing the right thing by trying to advocate a peaceful route to obtain a solution. Turkey is trying to moderate between Iran and the west and everyone is waiting on Iran now. Whether they agree to international terms or not, it's up to them to do whatever they want.

Perhaps Iran wanting to obtain a nuclear weapon (that is if they even want make one) will indeed drive the other nations in the region to follow through and obtain the same technology. So what? What's the big deal? If it is not for defense then it's for advancing their science and technology sector. People need to eliminate the thoughts of "extremism" from their minds. Nations in the Middle East aren't trying to start problems. But since the west as been deliberately distributing tainted images of the Middle East, then everyone is forced to think of them as extreme; which is very very wrong in my opinion. 

There will not be one nation in the world that will benefit from war with Iran; not israel or Iran or Russia or any other nation. But that is something commonly known throughout the world; yet people still insist on keeping this option available.

In the end, I sure do hope that Iran and its enemies do come to some sort of agreement.

Spotlight on Iran

The current spotlight on the Middle East these days is centered around Iran and their extremely controversial nuclear program. To make a long story short; there are major powers around the world such as usa, uk israel, france, and all of their puppet states that are completely against Iran obtaining nuclear energy. These nations put together the equation that Iran plus nuclear power would equal israel's massive destruction....?

Ok, hypothetically speaking, let's say that Iran did in fact obtain a nuclear weapon(s). What's the big deal? They're not bullies, they're not murderers, and they are not terrorists. I happen to know that israel is suspected of having a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons. In fact, they indirectly admit to having it because they openly advocated the use of their so-called "samsun option" (look if up if you don't know what it is). Why would israel be making threats to destroy itself and all of the nations around it with nuclear weapons and at the same time they don't openly admit to possessing it. If you ask me, israel's the real threat in the Middle East. Not Iran. I mean, they never once admitted to even have the intentions of manufacturing nuclear weapons; yet everyone in the world seems to think that it is their number one priority. The only argument that the west has against Iran is the whole idea of the Iranian government not allowing international atomic energy officials to inspect their own classified military base that's "suspected" of possessing these weapons.

Responding to what has been said above, I don't believe the IAEA or anybody other than the Iranian government have the right to go to classified areas of their country and "inspect" vital points about their so called "nuclear program". I fully fully support the Iranian government wanting to enrich their uranium and I would even support them if they wanted to build nuclear weapons. People in israel claim that if Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons, then it'll spark a Middle Eastern "Cold War". Even if it does, what is the business of the other nations??

The opposition of the west and major world powers against the Middle East's advancement is something that seems to anger me a lot. It so happens that fallacies about the Middle East are viewed through the same pair of binoculars that essentially provide a tainted panorama of the Middle East and its "extremist" intentions. Iran nowadays is known as the "warmonger" because their holding excessive amounts of military exercises because of direct threats from opposing nations to make air strikes on Iran. So it's only natural for them to respond with the same, if not, more aggressive threats for they are not the ones who initiated the conflict in the first place.

Other people claim that this conflict over Iran is going to be the reason why the world is plunged into world war three.........no it's not. Nobody is going to initiate massive world destruction over some nation that appears to be advancing, because that is what is comes down to. World leaders aren't dumb and they know that if an attack on Iran happened the consequences would be devastating. Only then would a massive war break out; but until then, I don't believe in any military actions....from either side.

Politics

Politics of the Middle East is a very controversial topic that can essentially spark up anger and drive it to a certain point in which people will go crazy. Of course the topic of the Middle East these days has to do with the so called "extremist" country of Iran and the international dispute as to whether Iran should have nuclear energy or not. This topic can be talked about for hours and I love talking about it. I love hearing what the other side has to say. They don't respect Iran's liberty for building something that they (the west) have and have had for a while. Keep in mind that Iran has claimed that its intentions to generate nuclear energy is because they need it for electricity and other things essential for its nation. I believe them and I even support their right to build the nuclear weapon in they wanted to.

Tourism in Dubai/Doha/Kuwait City (they're all the same)

Tourism in Dubai and Doha and Kuwait City essentially all offer the same thing. No doubt that some of these cities are on different levels, but keep in mind that they all share the same qualities as well; low population, plenty of money, nothing to spend it on, and good weather all year.

I won't single out one city in particular, but I do really want to advocate the fact that these cities as well are in need for the tourism sector in their economy. If they don't strengthen this sector (among other ones) then they will be in deep trouble for when their oil runs out.

Now, what these cities have to offer is very luxurious hotels, world class amenities, and a stable society (for the most part). Indeed, the hotels there deserve commendation, but I just don't see the point in over doing it. The amount of competition these hotels that are essentially located on the same roads might cause some trouble or disputes. I don't think that they care for that at the moment since revenues from other things seem to cloud that fact.

Like I said, the tourism industries in various countries around the Middle East tend to compete with each other. But the competition can be very subtle. But as for monuments and historical centers, these new "world class" cities can't compete. It also angers me when tourists go visit these cities before thinking about the other actual Arab cities in the Middle East and claim that they went to the "real" Middle East. Oh man, can Dubai put on a show for its visitors. Apart from hotels and world class beaches and seven star hotels (which essentially all offer the same thing) they have nothing to offer its visitors.

I know I mentioned this a little bit before in the previous post, but these Gulf Arabs tend to leave their countries and spend their money in other cities. You know, it's good for these other cities but it makes them look bad, in my opinion.

Tourism in Amman

Tourism in Amman is probably the one that's trying to advance the most. The newly titled "liberal" city is quickly making its way to the regional magezines and such forms of mass media that could quickly spread the word; the word that Amman is trying to become the regional "spot".

I agree but disagree with what they are trying to do. I mean, other than amplifying their current infrastructure and alter the city into a more modern one, they really have nothing else to offer the world. People who go there aren't going to go visit the marine life. Amman isn't bordered by water at all and the only city in the entire country that has what you may call a coastline is Aqaba, which essentially only shares around 16 miles of the Red Sea; something that could easily be disregarded for any tourist coming from Europe or something.

What Amman does have, however, is a bunch of monuments and Roman architecture that photographers seem to find intersting/fun. To each his own; when it comes to tourism and topics that differ, I personally tend to stay away from the unfortunate steryotype of the unnecessary sun hat, sunglasses, a camera that is expensive beyond words, and a comletely clueless mind about the place in which they are visiting.

Like I said, competition is somewhat present when it comes to tourism around the region. Monuments? You would be wasting your time if you go anywhere other than Egypt. But another thing that Amman wants to amplify is their nightlife scene. Clubs bars, stripclubs, adult shops, and possibly something that would never be seen in the Middle East; bars that allow for the unspeakable action between the same gender. This is something that would never pass off as acceptable any where in Egypt or Syria or places that are somewhat strict in their regulations. But since Amman is adopting the western cultures, they allow for it. I'm confused as to what they are trying to advocate exactly. They don't allow Muslim residents of the city to enter these clubs but they will take the tourists' money? Something else that doesn't make sense is the need to have these clubs and bars, especially when the money they collect from it is technically forbidden. This is something I have to look into.

Amman needs tourism though. The entire nation needs tourism because there is nothing else they can offer to help their economy except maybe industry and services. Whatever their reasons are for trying new routes that could be used to amplify this particular sector is completely up to them. Keep in mind that tourism is rapidly expanding in Amman; especially since plenty of tourists that aren't going to Cairo ot Damascus or Beirut are going to go there.

The Gulf Arabs are essentially the ones that provide a lot of money to the countries in which they visit. For example, in Cairo and Amman alike, they'll go the shopping malls and souks there and just spend tons and tons of money. You'll see them walking around in like packs of ten or eleven (which is usually the size of their families) and each member of the "team" is carrying at least two shopping bags in each hand. I mean, I know for a fact that they are not going to these cities because of the utilities of the malls offered there because they are essentially the same, if not less advanced and luxurious and blah blah blah as the kind of malls that they have in Dubai or Doha. So then the question is why do they go there. I honestly don't have an answer to this question because I'm still unsure. It might be that they want a change but it still doesn't appeal to me that they won't leave the Middle East to go visit places in Europe or Asia; which indeed is a huge possibility that they do.

In the end, I think that Amman (yes I got off topic a little but that's ok) is quickly expanding its tourism sector to be able to compete with the other countries in the region. I just hope they filter out some of the unacceptable features that they have and make it more reasonable.

Tourism in Lebanon

Being that Lebanon is a much more liberal country, the tourism industry there is quite flexible. Plenty of people tend to visit Lebanon to enjoy the enhanced night life there. Nonetheless, Lebanon's deep and complicated past also provides plenty of monuments and sight seeing events.

The scenic country also seems to take advantage of its mountains and forests and plenty of organized hiking trips are planned there, including some ski resorts. But of course the deep focus of Lebanon is directed towards their Rivera, with plenty of hotels and resorts lining up the Mediterranean coast. Rules are relaxed, which leads to the foreign tourists being relaxed when they go there.

The nice weather leads to swimming in the morning and the cool nights leads to a visit to the night clubs and discos or whatever they have there to offer, I don't even know what it is. All I know is that people there seem to have quite a bit of fun. Nonetheless, Beirut and Lebanon as a whole is facing some competition regarding it tourism industry from its neighbor county's capital Amman.

Tourism in Egypt

Now I can get back on topic and discuss tourism in the Middle East. Excuse my anger that may have been expressed in the previous post, however I though it was very necessary to post it considering the current state of the world.

I now plan to shift the topics of my posts back to tourism; first starting with Egypt.

The tourism industry in Egypt is diverse. You can practically do anything you want to; sight-seeing, swimming, and...oh wait, that is about it. True, it may not be as diverse as other countries, nonetheless it is very unique. Egypt has one third of the total historical monuments in the world. So if you are into photography and such stuff, Egypt definitely is the place to go.

Now, as far as the marine and swimming sectors go, Egypt has a very promising swimming life. From the Red Sea Rivera to the Mediterranean Sea. From the Gulf of Suez to the inner city water parks. The Red Sea Rivera offers plenty of things such as scuba diving, jet skiing, and many many more things that I just can't seem to think of at the moment.

There's a catch to being a foreign tourist in Egypt though; there is a big chance you will be scammed. A lot. Egyptians will jump to the chance to rob you of your money. They think that you are completely clueless and you won't know the real price of things. For foreign tourists, this statement is very valid. Which is why I recommend not taking a trip to Egypt unless you are with an Egyptian. But keep in mind that these scams are only present in the old areas where plenty of the monuments are located. For instance the Khan el Khalili bizarre, there are plenty of cafes there. A can of soda there costs around 30 Egyptian Pounds to a foreign tourist; which is close to six times the price of a can in a cafe outside the touristic boundaries.

Now, in places like Sharm El Sheikh you probably won't be scammed directly. True some things might be overpriced, however nobody will directly scam you. Reason is that many international branches opened there and the Egyptian industry needs to maintain a good name for these names. If they ruin them or spoil their cause, then the industry can consider them gone.

In the end, visiting Egypt is a very smart idea, however what isn't a good idea is visiting them now due to the current trouble that is found almost every where in the country. But when things calm down a little, then I highly recommend making Egypt a top spot on your list of places to go.

Puppets of the Middle East

I know I promised to discuss the tourism industry among the different nations of the Middle East, however due to the current state of the region and the different revolutions that have been taking place, I realize that I need to address something else very important. Something that people who seem to be looking for something corrupt in the current regime seem to overlook. Something that I myself didn't know existed until I looked into it. But before I go into that, I will have to apologize for my inconsistencies throughout my posts.

Now, people will have excuse my anger if it seems to be expressed by a lot, however this is an angering topic. The topic consists of very transparent empires; ones that now are expanding in the Middle East. The core of this so- called "empire" are the ones that seem to be ambiguous to the outside world. Nonetheless, people in the Middle East do sense something that is out of place. The core of these empires seems to be located in the west and other places in Europe. The entire modern era of the Middle East wasn't dominated by the Arab culture. Now doubt the Arab cultures were present, however, something is different when you have British nations and French nations occupying and taking over different countries in the Middle East.

Ok, so many revolutions took place that completely removed these outsiders; or so they (Arabs) thought. Contemporary rulers of the Middle East are the mere puppets of the west. They (the west) know very well that any new occupation won't help their case and in conclusion, they won't be successful. They have accepted that fact and so to counter attack it they have decided to plant different "rulers" among the different nations in the Middle East.

What's the point of planting these rulers in the first place? Their purpose is to benefit the "implanting" country; which in this case is the world powers which are classified as the west. Essentially what the rulers would do is they'd accept massive amounts of bribes from these large powers and in return they'd incorporate the idealistic principles that in the end would benefit the countries that put them there. For instance, they'd want to expand the thoughts of secularism, modernism, and tag anybody who maybe classified as an extremist as a potential terrorist.

Unwanted treaties were formed and citizens of the nations that were wronged started despising their rulers. The parasite that infests the Middle East is the source of all "evil" and political trouble that even powerful nations aren't able to solve.

Like I said, it is a transparent occupation. Any new rules or regulations that are imposed on the "occupied" countries are essentially the rules and regulations of the occupying nation; it is just someone else (the rulers) enforcing it for them so the world doesn't view the occupying nation as a threat. It's just one large show that everyone seemed to buy before; but now ever since the Arab Spring, many revolutions overthrew their rulers and the occupying nations are more worried than ever. They don't know whether they should interfere to protect their interests there or what. If they do that first option, they're prone to attacks from other nations and also it is like they want themselves to carry the title of occupier. So it won't be in their best interest to do so. In the end, the best solution for everyone is they (the world powers) accept the fact that they are no longer ventriloquists and the Arab rulers are no longer puppets for anyone.

Tourism in the Middle East

Tourism in the Middle East is something that seems to be expressed heavily. Tourism in almost every country in the Middle East (with a few exceptions) seems to contribute to a large proportion of that nations entire economy. There are a lot of shared features of tourism among these countries. They mainly consist of beaches, historical monuments, annual events, and much more. Some however can be very specific like the Hajj Pilgrimage in Mecca.

Tourism seems to be advancing in the Middle East, seeing that it is a relatively competitive sector; and like I said, there are many shared characteristics between the nations. Some nations however like to focus a little more strongly on specifics. For example, Jordan is trying to focus on enhancing its nightlife, especially in Amman. Dubai is trying to attract tourists from all over the globe to come see the city's infrastructure. Egypt and Syria aren't really focusing much on tourism these days because of what is happening in their countries.

Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates all seem to want to enhance their city life scene so people will come and join them. But when it comes to these nations in particular, plenty of international tourists tend to avoid showing up during the summer. This is because the summer season in these countries is something unbearable. You'd be out of your mind if you chose to take a vacation in the Gulf countries in like mid July. It just doesn't happen.

Saudi Arabia only collects revenues from tourism in during the Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca. Saudi Arabia is an Islamic nation that follows the Islamic Shari'a. Therefore you will not see any beaches, or nightclubs, or any of that. Apart from Mecca, Saudi Arabia doesn't really have any monuments or places to go sight seeing in. During the summer, I'm guessing that Saudi Arabia is dominated by domestic tourists, although I'm not so sure.

In the end, the next few posts will essentially analyze the tourism industry in various nations in the Middle East. And if there are any repeats or nations that seem to obtain very similar qualities regarding their tourism, then I'll pretend that their both competing against each other and I'll analyze both nations at the same time.

Natural Resources of the Middle East

Normally when people think the Middle East, their minds immediately think of sand, camels, and pyramids. I don't understand what it is with people who insist that the Middle East is like that. However contemporary stereotypes include people saying that we have massive amounts of oil, which is essentially true. Among the top ten largest proven oil reserves in the world, six of the nations are located in the Middle East.

Lots of people know how much wealth oil can bring in, seeing that oil is the main cause of the industrial boom going on throughout nations such as Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. So with information like this in mind, people tend to show some hostility towards the Middle East. It doesn't really matter what people say, I just hope that these economies that have oil and petroleum make good use of the money they get from it and not just spend it on useless things.

People seem to think that oil is all that's available in the Middle East. However there are plenty of other natural resources found in this region. Resources such as natural gas, gold, plenty of forests, and very large mines. Saudi Arabia possesses eighteen percent of the entire world's total oil, Iran and Qatar posses 17% and 13% of the entire world's total natural gas reserves, respectively. Egypt has plenty of cotton and natural gas as well and Jordan contains close to three percent of the entire world's total uranium share.

In fact, the Middle East is ridden with plenty of natural resources. Why else do you think there are plenty of nations in the past and in the present that want to occupy the Middle East? Oil is their first goal, then comes natural gas, and gold. These resources seem to drive nations apart and manage to conjure massive wars that in the end lead to nothing beneficial.

I hope that the Middle Eastern nations make good use of their natural resources that they have. The could potentially be self sustained if they choose to use them right, especially of their use is efficient. The Middle East also seems to enjoy an adequate supply of water, whether it's from various seas or rivers, but nonetheless water is present.

Syria

Syria is a very nice nation, with a unique past and very respectable culture. It's lifestyle isn't much different than what you may find in other Middle Eastern nations, however the city's architecture expresses some noticeable differences. For example, the unique combining of mosques and churches is notoriously found in Syria, even though you can find that in any other Middle Eastern city (especially Beirut).

The capital of Syria is Damascus, however the largest city if Aleppo. Plenty of other cities in Syria are among the oldest and still inhabited cities in the world. It's located in the Sham district, otherwise known as the Levant along with Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. These three nations all share some style of Arabic that's somewhat different than the Egyptian Arabic used in Egypt. Don't get me wrong, an Egyptian will understand a Syrian or a Lebanese or Palestinian/Jordanian when they speak, however it might be a little unclear at first.

The population of Syria is almost 23 million people and the vast majority of it (87%) is Muslim, with around 74% being Sunni and the remaining bit is comprised of Shia and all of its branches. The remaining group of the population is mostly christian and other religions. Syria has many mosques near or relatively close to churches.  So you could say that Syria is sort of lenient about its laws regarding religion and such topics. I wouldn't call it a liberal country, however there are some characteristics in it that seem to be much more flexible than other features.

Syria has a strong educational system that they inherited from France. To be honest though, it is actually pretty similar to that of Egypt's and Jordan's. The grade system is divided up in the same way and then the university system is also pretty similar throughout all of these nations. Damascus University is the largest and oldest university in Syria with around 180,000 students. Syria also has plenty of other private universities that also offer a nice form of education.

Syria's culture is dominated by a number of features such as sports, cuisine, movies, and music. Sports in Syria seem to be diverse, seeing that soccer, basketball, swimming, and tennis all are popular throughout the nation. Music is also quite popular as well as the movie industry.

Like I said, Syria is a respectable nation. I just hope that their revolution ends fast, seeing that it is getting out of control by the day. It's a good friend of many other Arab nations, despite the fact that they are suspended from the Arab League, however that particular move was intentionally done to attack the president and the corrupt regime that empowers the country. I just hope that Syria will be among the other nations apart of the Arab Spring that were successful in their revolution.