Mediterranean Moments

Tourism in Lebanon

2012-02-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

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

2012-02-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

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

2012-02-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

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

2012-02-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

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

2012-02-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

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

2012-02-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

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.

Opportunity Cost of Conflict in the Middle East

2012-01-26T20:09:00.000-08:00

The opportunity cost of conflict basically means what the economy of a specific country could have looked like, or appeared, had there not been any wars or other trouble that could potentially disrupt economic growth. The combined opportunity cost of conflict for the Middle East as a whole is around twelve trillion dollars! That's a very very very large number, considering that fact that many of these countries are seen as containing the potential for becoming economically powerful.

The opportunity cost of conflict in Lebanon is something close to one hundred billion dollars. The opportunity cost of conflict for Jordan is around eighty four billion dollars, the opportunity cost of conflict for Syria is close to $150 billion. The opportunity cost of conflict of Egypt is $800 billion, which is an extremely large number.

Basically these figures here represent the amount of wealth that could have been distributed among the citizens of the specific country had there not been any wars or conflicts.

In my opinion, these numbers truly represent the economic power of the Middle Eastern countries. If other nations hadn't taken advantage of them in the past, then there would definitely be a change in the economic powers, with the list being altered magnificently.

Mosques in the Middle East

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

Mosques in the Middle East are amazing. In Egypt, they are located almost on every single corner. They're easily spotted too. Every minaret in Egypt soars well into the sky at night and is illuminated with plenty of light green bulbs. There are thousands of mosques in Egypt, which is why they call the city, "The city of a Thousand minarets". It's the only city in the world that receives that title. However, there are many shared characteristics between the mosques in Egypt and the mosques in like Lebanon, Syria, or Jordan. And since each of these countries elaborately portrays the unequal distribution of wealth, the mosques differ based on where they are located. In Egypt, if they give you a small alley and put in some walls, a fan or two, and possibly a ceiling with green lights on the outside, then it's a mosque. In Amman the mosques there are in the middle of the downtown area scattered throughout.

It's essential to have mosques in the Middle East. People need to pray when it's time to pray and people need a close one that will be convenient to their jobs and homes. But since mosques in the Middle East are more common than cars, finding a few close to your home shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Saudi Arabia has the Ka'abah which is located in Mecca. It's the most sacred place in the world for worshipping for a Muslim. I myself can't imagine what it would be like to pray among those many Muslims in one area (even though I did, I just can't remember) and experience it. The Prophet's (Peace be Upon him) mosque is also located in Saudi Arabia. These two mosques are very important to a Muslim.

Every country in the Middle East has that "famous" mosque. The Ka'bah in Saudi Arabia, Al-Quds in Palestine, Masjid Al- Azhar in Egypt and so on. These mosques are important landmarks throughout these countries, however it's a against Islam to travel to a certain place with intentions to pray at a certain mosque unless it is Al Ka'abah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The qualities of the mosques differ from country to country as well. The very commonly known characteristics of a typical mosque in Egypt is as follows; crowded, hot, infested with flies and other sorts of insects. However these qualities are inviting, especially since it proves one's dedication to go pray. Several other mosques' qualities include clean, air conditioned, spacious, and in good locations. These mosques are present in Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon as well, however they are only found in the affluent districts.

Mosques in Dubai, Doha, and Kuwait city are probably large, clean, and air conditioned. What do you expect? These people have the money to do much more. And I thank God that they're actually building good facilities with their money. In Egypt and the Levant countries however, the mosques (particulary in the older downtown areas) aren't very new because they were either made on short notice, or in an emergency due to lack of mosques in the area. In the end, mosques in the Middle East provide clear images of the dominant religion in the Arab world.

Istanbul

2012-01-26T08:41:00.000-08:00

Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey. I That's a common misconception that people tend to make. The capital of the country is Ankara. Nonetheless, Istanbul is the country's economic center, with many international corporations operating directly out of the city. It's Turkey's largest city so it also serves as the nation's political center along with culture and this and that.
Istanbul has a very unique form of architecture. It ranges from old and classic Ottoman style buildings all the way until the modern city center skyscrapers. Istanbul also has a very unique form of housing. Being surrounded by water, the city is home to many yalis. Yalis are these modern waterfront homes; these types of homes are newly built, however they take on the ancient architecture. Yalis are very notoriously known throughout the world as being very common in Turkey.

Many famous landmarks in Istanbul include the Blue Mosque which represents the ancient times and more modern retail centers and districts. Being that Turkey is a very secular country, the nightlife seems to be amplified dramatically. The scene can be as wild as night clubs and as moderate as cafes. The cobblestone streets are also a unique design throughout the city and the numerous cafes that are along the perimeter of those streets are very convenient.

The nightlife and the young atmosphere have both contributed to many exotic cars appearing on the streets of Istanbul and plenty of streets races take place. Lamborghinis and Ferraris are present at these races and people usually stand around and watch them while the races take charge of the locally organized races.

Being that Turkey in general is a secular country, the most common religion in the entire nation (not just Istanbul) is Islam, at about ninety eight percent; the majority of those Muslims are Sunni. Istanbul alone is home to over 2900 mosques. And since freedom of religion is expressed throughout the city, you'll also find plenty of churches and synagogues scattered here and there as well.

And so here comes the final question: what do I think about Istanbul? Well, upon viewing my description of the city, you'll find that I am trule fond of it. I have a great deal of respect for the older time Ottoman architecture, I'm very pleased to know that even though the country's secular that the vast majority of the population is Muslim. Although I have never been there, Istanbul seems like a very well taken care of type city. It seems clean and the infrastructure itself seems very developed. The city itself seems to promote success and stability. How am I not suppossed to love a city with these qualities? It's like the perfect city, everything is present and people tend to approve of their government quite a bit. If you ask me, Istanbul is a good face the Middle East should have. It definately demolishes what Dubai or Doha have to offer because not only does is it present in Istanbul, but it is in a moderate amount.

Turkey

2012-01-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Talking about common misconceptions about the Middle East always seems to anger me. So it's come to my attention to direct my attention on this blog back to the Middle East. The next country I plan to discuss is Turkey.

Some people argue that Turkey isn't a Middle Eastern country. 'They're not Arab and they don't speak Arabic' seems to be their only argument. I seem to find it a Middle Eastern country because it is in the region and ninety eight percent out of the entire population is Muslim. They hold close ties with the "already agreed upon" Middle Eastern countries.

I love Turkey. I think it is among the most beautiful and amazing countries in the entire world. It's very powerful, rich, and culturally unique, with a very respectable past. It also seems like they try to make treaties with every one, even though some treaties conflict with others, they are still a peace-keeping nation. I also think of them as the European Middle Eastern people. Their complexion and their characteristics aren't very Arab.

Turkey has a very powerful army that's ready for business anytime. Due to the amount of respect given to this nations from others, I don't think they'll have to use their military anytime soon. However, if it is ever needed for what ever reason, it is always available. It's large, modern, equipped, and very professional.

The Turks tend to maintain everything in their nation in order to keep stability. Their economy used to suffer from robbery caused by corruption, so that seems to impede their economic growth a little bit. But when the new regime came into power, you're able to witness a significant increase in their economy. This new increase was caused by prevention of the robbery.

In the midst of the Arab Uprising, Turkey had protests. But they were in protest of how good their government and regime was. People tend to cancel Turkey out when they think regional powers,. I'll be honest, I barely ever used to pay much attention to this amazing nation, however, after looking into them, I realized that they deserve a lot of attention.

Left because of Reason

2012-01-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

Political corruption is something found in almost every single country located in the Middle East. Powers tend to have a wide range which essentially leads to a much larger room for maneuvering the matters to fit your own needs; your own needs and the people whom you work with. I never really understood the excitement behind robbing from your own country. In fact, I never even knew why the former rules would do it. They'd take the money and stash it in private banks. People aren't naive, and when they know something is wrong, they'll speak out; or they'll attempt to. Any single word with the potential of breaking down the entire franchise of corruption will quickly be eliminated. The owner of the word gets punished and anybody who thinks like him as well. People hated the way their government was dealing with them. They stole out of every single pocket, they wouldn't promote personal freedom, and they wouldn't even stand and give people a chance to speak.

Another reason why people tend to leave. The sad truth is that they'll try to leave and look for a better place to stay, little do they know that this "better" place will eight times out of ten be worse than their previous location, and that's for a number of reasons. A few questions that a knowledgeable individual might ask would be, "do you really think that this new society will accept you?" Middle Eastern folks tend to find Europe the land of the free, a land that will accept them for who they are. I here this statement and my reaction is filled with a mixture of anger and laughter. Laughing only because I don't understand people's reasoning behind their stance. They're willing to sacrifice everything for something that is not guaranteed.

My audience for this specific post seems to be undecided. I guess it's for anybody oversees who sees a foreigner and understands their situation. Few people tend to respect them because of their determination; that and plenty of them are well educated and respected. Idealistically speaking, they don't want to ruin the image of their country. But if you ask me, they already have ruined it. This is because a foreigner to the foreigner will think that where they come from holds no peace. Fast call judgments are unnecessary because it only makes a person look like a fool.

The Middle East at its Finest

2012-01-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Middle East is not something that's shown too often to the outside world, whether the indicated place being Asia or Europe. There's always been an image that people seem to take about the Middle East region with a negative connotation that has the potential to destroy their positive view of the people who live there. Ignorance and a naive self really haven't been to the liking of many Middle Eastern folks when they view the outside world's view on them. The people in the Middle East could care less about these people's views on them; and that's not out of disrespect towards them or anything, but it is about lack of care regarding judgment towards the people who impose these wrong views on the Middle Eastern themselves. I haven't really seen many Middle Eastern loving the Middle East region for what it is, especially since the massive amounts of trouble going on right now and that's happened in the past; however the people's hatred for their rulers and the corrupt government seems to be mixed with patriotism. And that's something that people over there make clear. Many of them want to leave their home countries because they claim that receiving your rights is almost impossible, however, they think that their rights will fly towards them the same speed as the airplane flying them out.

Whether they know they'll receive their opportunities outside or not, they leave. But they have massive amount of hope for returning. Some leave and get man handled, so they return quickly. Others seem to find that "perfect" opportunity so they seem to stay there. But so people back home don't give them the wrong looks, they go back every once in a while to visit. Permanent residence back home however seems to be out of the question, but "patriotism" never left their hearts.
Who cares for these people? I'd much rather have them not return back home, especially with that state of mind and that newly developed attitude; even if it is for a visit. I still recognize those whom return because it justifies their true patriotism, however people who return and look "down" upon their home countries need not any respect from anyone. Who do they think they are? They probably got accepted into some society by a different group of people, quickly forgetting about their cultures and traditions, they hopped on these new ones. Oh well, it is their loss in the end.

Cars in Amman

2012-01-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

Amman streets enjoy a large variety of luxurious and exotic cars. The population isn't large so it only makes sense to see numerous exotic cars roam the streets. Many people also realize that since Amman is becoming a new destination, they decide to bring in their cars from outside countries, mostly the Gulf region. And so quite a bit of times you'll find that the plates on the cars themselves are from outside the country and mostly titled "Saudi Arabia" or "Qatar".

Despite this "angering" fact, you'll also find many exotic cars plated with the local Amman plates. But like most cities in the Middle East, where you are plays a big factor in seeing what types of cars. For example, you can't expect to find a Ferrari roaming through the streets of Old Amman in the east, however, it is possible that the owner is just passing by to check the scenes.

Many of the nice cars will be found in West Amman (of course) because of the more contemporary and modern atmosphere there. Mecca street is home to the region's first (and possibly the first in the world) Automall. This mall comprises of a nice showroom of cars and accessories needed for maintaining the vehicle itself. Cars found inside this mall includes Maserati, Bentley, and many more foreign yet amazing cars. Mecca street also comprises of something known as "small lots" or whatever they seem to be. These small parking lots are wedged between shops and stores and due to its location in Amman (west) people tend to find among the most amazing cars here. Audi R8, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and much more.

Since you seem to find these nice cars grouped together, what does that tell you? A problem with wealth distribution? No. And by the way, when you see someone in the Middle East with a nice cars, you know right away that they are filthy rich. This is because cars there are taxed like 150-200% on the full price of the cars due to customs. And they always seem to pay in full price; installments isn't really what they want to do. Anyways, the nice cars grouped together's owners all know each other. It is not a matter of connection, but a matter of friendship that seems to identify these groups of cars. This is another reason why I love Amman.

Amman's quality of life

2012-01-11T20:23:00.000-08:00

Amman seems to offer its citizens the luxury of obtaining a relatively high quality of life. Of course when you compare Amman to the "dream" cities of Dubai, Doha, and Kuwait City, you'll find that it may not really be up there. But who cares, with respect to the rest of the Middle East, Amman is very high up there with regards of its quality of life. I my self would not mind relocating there. In fact, many people are moving to Amman as expat employees due to its bright economic future and the already-low population.

Quality of life includes good health care system, good atmosphere, good educational system, and good economy. Amman ranks highly among the other cities of the region when it comes to researching these topics up. And the night life of Amman is also flourishing; it seems to be taking Beirut's place as the hotspot of the Middle East. I mean, people will go to Amman for the night scene, but they'll go to Cairo for the monuments and the good "picture taking" scenes. So the tourists should make two stops in the Middle East, Cairo and Amman.

Amman also has many projects that are soaring throughout the city. The largest and most expensive is Abdali, which is the new economic city center. It is a very luxurious project that truly represents the wealth of the country, however due to some economic trouble, the project has been set back a few years. But upon completion of this project, Amman will certainly obtain a new fashionable, international skyline and city center. I just hope that it doesn't turn into another Dubai!

Amman also has a promising educational atmosphere, with many public and private universities, accomodating all the professions as well as the degrees. So you don't even need to leave the country in order to obtain a solid education. And as far as getting a job; well I'm pretty sure there is a high demand for any kind of job in the country due to its expanding infrastructure. I am very proud of Amman because it is a good face in the Middle East.

Beirut

2012-01-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

The modern Beirut has been officially termed as the Paris of the Middle East. However I would like to point out in earlier times (like during the 50s and 60s) the Paris of the Middle East was given to Cairo due to its extensive amounts of European architecture found in the city as well as the vast amount of wealth that was there. Nowadays there is absolutely no city in the Middle East region "worthy" enough of receiving that title, however the obvious discrimination of the modern day Arab world needs to be avoided to they gave it to Beirut.

And I honestly have to admit that Beirut does deserve the title nowadays. It is a very clean city that preserves both its historical touch to it as well as apply a touch of modern and contemporary architecture to it. West Beirut is that like of West Amman, meaning that it is where most of the new fashionable and expensive retail stores are located, the hot spots, bars, expensive hotels, and such stuff that seems to attract the tourists these days. Being that Beirut is a coastal city, it maintains good climate year-round with some snow during the winter.

Beirut is split into two different sections; the beach-side section and the mountain section. The beach side section is where most of the Muslims of the country live. Many mosques will be found in this location. Kind of odd to give the coastal side to the Muslims, knowing that any beach city in the world (with a few exceptions) is a little "out there" for some of the Muslims with regards to clothing. So I'm not so sure how they seem to deal with it there. Now, the mountain side of the city was kept for the Christians. The mountain side of the country also seems to be very scenic, especially since it is dotted with many multi story villas and mansions over-looking the rest of the city.

Beirut claims to be very "liberal" but in my eyes I think of it as a very loose city. The majority of the population is Muslim so they should secure the spot for the Muslims. But it seems that Lebanon as a whole is dependent on tourism since its economic downfall due to many wars, so it is willing to keep the city as an "open and come do whatever you want, it is allowed here". I mean, with all due respect, that is not the way it should be over there, however who am I do decide, right?

Amman or Beirut? Amman by a long range. Don't tell me Beirut is this or Beirut is that. Amman is slowly emerging as the financial spot of the Levant district and Beirut is slowly losing that title. Now, with that being said, Beirut is still a respectable city, however many of the aspects of the city are some of the reasons why I wouldn't think of relocating here.

Lebanon

2012-01-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

Lebanon is another "very Arab" country in the Middle East. It borders the Mediterranean Sea and that's where most of its cities and such are located. Lebanon and Jordan share quite a bit of characteristics, however the major difference between Amman and Beirut (the capital of Lebanon) is that one is a coastal city and the other isn't. Many people used to think that Lebanon was the 'spot' because of the liberal atmosphere there. Lebanon houses some things that you could never find in a different Arab city such as Cairo or Amman or even Damascus. But the thing I dislike about Lebanon is its ratio of Muslims to Christians. 59.7% are Muslims ( and that includes Sunni, Shiite) while 39.7% are Christians (all branches) and then there's a 1.3% other. You would think that a country with a ton of history like Lebanon would maintain its Muslim culture throughout the entire country like Syria, Egypt, or Jordan. But I guess the large non-Muslim population is among many reasons why it is such a liberal country. At least the culture of Lebanon though is mostly Arab, but of course it does share some European (mostly coastal European countries) characteristics in the newer areas; but it is still not the majority.

The rest of West Amman

2012-01-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

Abdoun is the upscale residential (and soon to be commercial) district of Amman. It has what you may call the city's only "red-light district" even though it is unofficial and hasn't really been recognized internationally. It has the new stylish apartment buildings that you probably won't find increase beyond five or six floors. It has those new mansions that you may find on a mountain or hill overlooking the rest of the city. Most of the cities bars and clubs are found in this area. This area also makes Amman bear the title of a "liberal city" even though these flexible regularities are only applied to the tourists. So these night clubs and bars have become a popular Arab destination. Arab as in from Saudi Arabia, which of course doesn't have anything absolutely close to a red-light district.

Leaving Abdoun you'll probably cross into the new urban centers. The "city centers" of the city. And "Mecca Street" is that new street that takes the title. On this street are many modern companies and fashionable stores. Expensive and luxurious cars are also found on this street. And due to the expenive net worth of the street at particular moments, you'll find that people tend to obey the traffic laws and drive a little more cautiously. Because of the cars and also because these people tend to be among the upper class, so manners is something they need to apply so they don't have to look like their counter parts in East Amman. These so called manners however are worth nothing if they forget the true way they should be living their lives.

Wakalat Street is also located somewhere in this area. It's known as a pedestrian only street that houses many retail stores and malls and more luxurious cafes. The buzz of the street can be found even as late as three in the morning. And all of these areas are located somewhere near a place known as Sweifieh, which is apart from Wadi As Seer. Wadi As Seer is about seven mile northwest of the mid center of Amman. So the new area is still within the city, however it is just far away from the congested center of the older downtown Amman.

Why do you think that I started talking about Amman right off the bat? What ever happened to the usual introduction of the country as a whole; Jordan? Well the simple answer is that Amman *is* Jordan. Kind of like Doha to Qatar. When you describe Amman, you are basically describing Jordan. Alright, Jordan does have another "populated" city; Aqaba. Aqaba is a small resort city on the Gulf of Aqaba apart of the Red Sea. That's all you need to know about Aqaba. However, Amman indeed does require a much more thorough description because it's not just describing a city, but an entire country.

I'm done talking about the Gulf, let's focus on the actual Middle East: Amman

2012-01-05T08:49:00.000-08:00

I love this city. Amman, Al Urdun. Ask me have I ever been to it, and the answer is of course no, like the majority of the other cities in the Middle East. But here's the thing, I don't really care for not going there, I have friends whose family resides in this particular city and my own family has even stopped there before. It's true that they stayed there over night or even two hours, (one of the two) however that's good enough for me to make my own opinonated claim that Amman is a very beautiful city.

What does beautiful in this context mean? Well, it certainly doesn't mean Dubai style beautiful or Sharm El Sheikh beautiful. In fact, Amman is beautiful in its own way, so I can't compare it to any other city because it's almost impossible. If I had to absolutely pick one city, then it'd have to be Alexandria, Egypt. You might say why didn't you choose Cairo, and I'll simply respond by answering that Cairo is just too big to be compared by any city in the Middle East. Alexandria even is out there when comparing it to Amman, but oh well, it needs a "close" city, does it not?

Don't bother with worrying yourself about why I chose Alexandria as Amman's "close" city. This post isn't about comparing the two. But you're most definately free to go back and read my Alexandria posts and the upcoming Amman ones and compare them yourself even though you might not agree with my previous claim

What makes Amman a special city? Nothing is my answer. It's a simple city with many shared characteristics of Cairo, but I shall not compare the two at all. Amman has a lower, middle, and upper class. And these categories may be divided into sub-categories. Amman is divided into two centers, East Amman and West Amman. East Amman is located in the old downtown district. Shops, bazaars, stands upon stands of food, people everywhere, crowded cafes, old cars honking for no apparent reason, and flies. That pretty much sums up East Amman. The Roman Theater is there, along with many other historical ruins that tourists may find intersting. East Amman isn't really what attracts what people like me look for in a city though; that would be West Amman.

West Amman is the more predominately modern extension of Amman. And Amman is so small that when compared in international standards, you'll find that Amman is ranked relatively "high" based on quality of life only because of West Amman. West Amman has indoor cafes with modern architecture and luxurious lighting. It has more modern and cleander buildings even though they may not be skyscrapers, but who cares, they're still new and expensive. West Amman has the new apartments and villas and mansions. It is where all of the mega malls are located. It has adapted to a more European style of life, despite the fact that the entire country is almost Muslim.

Doha

2011-12-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

Doha is the capital of Qatar, and it is the country's economic and cultural center. It has a population of about 990,000 people which is about eighty percent of the entire country's population. I don't know why the other twenty percent aren't living there, but it's their choice. I think its also because it would have looked very bad it one hundred percent of a nation's population resided within one city, and that city's population did not even cross the two million mark. If that was the case, then Qatar itself should have just been absorbed into another nation, possibly the United Arab Emirates, and Doha could have just been another city there. But then again, I can see some competition between the two separate nations. Useless and materialistic competition that involves numerous skyscrapers and mansions and the nicest cars in the streets. Doha is very similar to Dubai in that sense, however it's not as much as Dubai, yet; the race still goes on. And I wouldn't say that's it is more modest than Dubai, but that it just had a late start in the race.

Nonetheless, Doha has an impressive skyline. Don't get me wrong here, I like modern cities, however the case is different when it comes to these cities in particular because of other reasons I previously mentioned so there's no need for me to repeat them. So I'll just put my opinion in the city itself and leave the intentions of the build up out of it for the time being.

In fact, there's nothing much to say about Doha because everything I mentioned in the post titled "Qatar" can be applied to Doha. The only difference is Doha can be elaborated upon, skyline and smaller population and such, however who would care for that? An individual would make the connection instantly when he known it's a small country, small population, large amounts of oil, and no taxes. Hmmm, sounds very familiar, especially when it's surrounded by the numerous other cities exactly like it. In fact, there's no reason for me to post a photo of the city, just imagine a lot of tall buildings, possibly empty, and some nice cars except the plates are "Qatar" and you have got yourself Doha.

Qatar

2011-12-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

Qatar is another country apart of the "oil rich" countries. Its southern border is Saudi Arabia, and the other sides of the small country are surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Emir of Qatar is Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani; an absolute monarchy. The population of Qatar is close to one million seven hundred thousand people, and like the rest of the Gulf countries, it holds a large amount of expatriate employees. It's economy is heavily dependent upon the high amounts of oil and natural gas found there; which constitute close to fifty percent of the country's entire gross domestic product. However, like other Gulf countries, Qatar is trying to focus more on the non-energy sectors, such as private sectors and investment. It's economy is growing at about nineteen percent a year, which is the highest in the world. Qatar also has the world's highest gross domestic product per capita, with no absolute measure, however it's somewhere between $109,000 to $175,000; that's an unbelievable number.

Qatar is like the other countries that surround it. What I mean by that is that ever since the oil boom, there have been many construction projects and multi billion dollar investments in the country. In fact, Qatar us bidding to host the 2022 World Cup. Doha, which is the nation's capital, hosts a nice selection of "city living", due to the nice coastal skyline and the elaborated and modern lights and architecture.

Qatar is more on the liberal side, when considering its laws, however it is not as liberal as Bahrain, while at the same time it is no Saudi Arabia. The Islamic Shari'a (law) is still applied throughout family laws, inheritance, and courts. It's like most Arab countries when it comes to threats to national security from within its own boundaries and the government is following the Sunni branch of Islam.

The culture of the country is very similar to that of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, with "Arab" trying to be engraved into almost everything they 'say' and not do. However, if I attack their attempt to be Arab, I'll just be wasting my time and your time, for I have no reason to repeat what has already been said about its older brother Kuwait, or its uncle Saudi Arabia. Anyways, the most famous sport in Qatar is of course football like almost every other Arab nation.

One thing I that Qatar has, however, that has forced me to tip my hat in their direction is the education system. They have a modern and stable and well recognized internationally form of education. I won't bother you with any details, but the thing that caught my eye was their selection of universities. Many international schools have opened branches in Qatar, which is good because then it allows Muslims and Arabs in the Middle East to seek their high class knowledge in the Middle East.

Cars in Dubai

2011-12-18T10:57:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you already know of the amazing cars that are found in the streets of Dubai, some of which are so extreme that you will never find them anywhere else in the entire world. If you're not a car fanatic like some people are, then you probably won't really care for this post, however there are some people out there who actually are interested.

The cars there are of all kinds and colors. From the normal BMW seven series which is probably considered a "normal" car there (even though I nearly crash when I see that car on the road) all the way to the Bugatti, which is a million dollar car; and everything in between. And by everything in between, I mean everything in between. The super fast cars, the luxurious and more "chauffeur take a right up here" types of cars. It's unbelievable the numerous repetitive times you see them. You see them so much because Dubai is a very small city, and so you'll see them much more often. My friend who's traveled to Dubai confirmed my statements.

Lamborghini Murcielago, Gallardo, Ferrari California, the 458 Italia, Mercedes Benz Slr, Mercedes Benz Cls Amg, the beautiful Audi R8, the amazing Nissan GTR, Maserati Grantrusimo, Bentleys, the unbelievable Aston Martin, and Rolls Royces. These are just a few that came up, however there are probably plenty of other cars that their existence is unknown to me. And like I already mentioned, these cars are found a lot in throughout the city because of its size and population.

So what? These cars are found all over the world, right? Yes they are, no doubt. Then what makes Dubai so significant? Well, I already mentioned the frequency of witnessing these cars. But, if the questioner wants a better answer, I can give him this one; Dubai is known for it's completely chromed out Lamborghini, completely white and gold plated Bentley and Mercedes, that's what makes it so famous. I mean, these people go so far that they just want to prove their wealth more. For example, some guy has a a Ferrari and his neighbor is the owner of another Ferrari. No big deal, the first guy will just go put some gold trim on his car. This didn't happen for sure, I;m just clarifying a possible scenario that could easily occur. In fact, the most expensive license plate in the world is found in Dubai; like who cares about the license plate? Oh well, it's their money and not mine, so I have nothing to worry about.

Burj Khalifa

2011-12-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Burj Khalifa is the tallest man-made structure in the entire world. I honestly have to admit, it's a very impressive building. The cost was close to $1.5 billion and since Dubai fell behind and became a little in debt, their neighboring and more richer city Abu Dhabi helped them out with paying for the project. So they changed the name from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa, to honor the current President of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; who happens to be the world's third wealthiest monarch, with an estimated net worth at $19 billion.

Burj Khalifa has 163 habitable floors and another 43 maintenance floors located within the spire at the top of the building. The building is "mixed used", which basically means that it is used for many reasons. This building includes Armani Residence, Armani hotel, and offices. It's also very expensive to purchase any piece of property in this building. The average square meter for office space costs about $43,000 while the residences cost about $37,500. That is unbelievably expensive for an apartment. However, if you have the money, then it's probably worth it because of the luxurious amenities offered in this building. Modern day and advanced technological products are offered inside the building.

This masterpiece truly reflects the wealth of the country. However, I'm still confused as to why they had to build it. There are nine hundred apartments in this tower, 825 of which were empty at the time of it's initiation. I don't know exactly what the number is at now, however I sure do hope that they get filled up quick. That's only because it'll save them the embarrassment, not only from other Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, but it's oil rich neighbors such as Kuwait and Qatar.

It's like a competition to see who wants to build the tallest building in the world. Dubai has held the record for a few years, however a few months ago, Saudi Arabia just approved to build a building which is taller than Dubai's. I don't understand what fun they find in building these super tall buildings, however this scenario right here was described in Islam as one of the signs of the Day of Judgment. Those in the desert will compete to build the tallest structures in the world.

Dream City

2011-12-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

Dubai is like a dream city. Everywhere you go you'll find nice cars and nice houses. A materialistic city. Something that's definitely looked down upon in Islam. But like I said, it's a dream city. Luxurious buildings everywhere you go, penthouse complexes, and mansions. The retail area over there is also very luxurious. Anyways, who cares?

The cost of living in Dubai is also very high compared to those of neighboring cities in the Middle East. However the workers living there tend not to care because of the extremely high amounts of salaries given. In fact, it might be the highest average salaries in the world; or Abu Dhabi might have that title, or the two cities might be on par with each other. And don't forget that Dubai is a tax free country, so the gross amount earned is identical to your net amount, which isn't bad at all.

Many parks are set up through out the cities for the families to go and spend time there. The culture in Dubai is quite different than what you see in the other cities of the emirate. The other cities tend to revolve more around an Arab and Bedouin theme, however since Dubai is a very diverse city, you'll find all sorts of different cultures there. However, Islam is somewhat represented throughout the cities' architecture.

And the cars over there, oh man. Dubai is filled with luxurious and exotic cars. The normal BMW seven series is more common than a Nissan in Japan. Over there, you'll find everything ranging from Bentley's, to Maserati's, to Rolls Royce's, to Maybach's, to Lamborghini's and Ferrari's. In fact, those cars have become so common over there that they even tend to take it a step further. Dubai is known for having full chrome Lamborghini's and gold plates Bentley's. Yes, it can get that bad over there. However, if you love cars, then a good place to go to to find exotic cars is Dubai.

Dubai

2011-12-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

Dubai is the most famous city in the United Arab Emirates; at least I think so. And if it is not, then it's the most famous to me. Dubai is the city known for the extensive amounts of skyscrapers in the Middle East. The world's only 7 star hotel is located here, the largest man made island in the world is here, the tallest completed building in the world is here, and much more things are located here. Many other famous landmarks here include Dubai Mall, Atlantis The Palms, and Dubai Media City.

What makes Dubai have the right to construct many many skyscrapers? I'm very certain it's not the population. So the people there aren't very demanding. Then what is it? Well, it's the same answer that applies to almost every other "oil" rich countries. Well, there you have it; oil. 2008 was when the oil boom was at its peak because of the high prices of oil. The skyline throughout this time period was dominated by several cranes. Construction was all this city saw.

You may ask yourself why I always talk about economy and money when it comes to Dubai and the other cities. Well, you just answered your own question. It's only those cities, buddy. Because that's all you can talk about when it comes to those cities; that and the policy towards women, which deserves to be cleared up a lot. However, when it comes to culture and other stuff like that, there are plenty of other cities in the Middle East who deserve to be talked about instead of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I'm sorry, but the natives of these cities are a minority, so the "Arab" culture you're going to look for in these cities is fabricated. The natives are going to try and over do it because they don't want that large expatriate population to be the face of their country; but that's another post.

My focus on Dubai will be nothing more than the mere "achievements" that they have fulfilled such as holding many international records. I wonder why though they think that a skyscraper dominated nation is what defines it as being rich. Look at Switzerland; an extremely wealthy nation, however you don't see large buildings scraping the sky everywhere you go. I have formulated my own answer for this question. And that answer is...Dubai has nothing to offer to make it famous. No past in which they could rely on to formulate an image for them. So what they need to do is formulate an image out of the resources of the present day. And I guess the only answer they found was to make many useless projects that people will seem to find an interest in. I mean, Dubai has enough skyscrapers to sustain a population the size of Turkey, however their own population is somewhere between two and three million. So it's like an empty city over there. Their largest mall is the largest mall in the world by total space, however how many people actually go there.

I know Dubai is meant to be a touristic city, however I think their approaching that goal the wrong way. They should definitely try to become a more modest nation in terms of expressing their wealth.

Abu Dhabi

2011-12-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

This city alone generates more than half of the total gross domestic product of the entire United Arab Emirates. A very good city for starting up a business, considering it;s stable economy. I have always wondered what it would be like to live there, considering most of the people over there live a dream; and international dream. Abu Dhabi is a very rich city in terms of per capita income; around $63,000, which is well above all of the other emirates in the country.

The city planning is superb, with a very organized and modern infrastructure. The contemporary touch to the city is like the other oil rich cities of the Middle East. The thing about Abu Dhabi that isn't necessarily found in it's neighboring cities is the extensive amount of skyscrapers. This city has a modest amount, considering the fact that it's the nation's capital and the wealthiest.

Abu Dhabi has a very diverse culture due to the large expatriate population. However the local communities are predominately Arab. The education system in the city is very developed as well. There are a series of private schools and universities.

Nothing really differs between this city and the other emirates within the country. I have recognized these places as the most flashy in the world, due to the fact that their intentions to impress the world aren't really failing. However, I wish they were failing because this is supposed to be an Islamic state and materialism is looked down upon in Islam.

United Arab Emirates

2011-12-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

The United Arab Emirates is probably the most advanced country within the Middle East. Like, you already know the whole fact that many projects are being constructed throughout the country. However that seems to be unimportant for the time being because of the other posts that I plan to write.

I honestly don't understand what the United Arab Emirates is trying to do; whether it's to maintain an Arab touch to it, or maybe prove that it can be better than most European cities or what it is exactly. Their goal seems to be ambiguous, but the fact that it is a Muslim dominated country makes me feel content. But like Kuwait, it has a very large expatriate population due to the whole discovery of oil and whatnot with also a very low unemployment rate. It has the world's sixth largest oil reserves and much of the economy depends on the exports of natural resources. Nowadays the economy is taking a turn towards sectors such as tourism, finance, and even residence. This is good because it'll alter the economy to be less dependent on natural resources which soon might run out.

The climate of the United Arab Emirates is almost the same exact thing as Kuwait. In fact, it's very similar to the rest of the Middle Eastern countries. I like to classify the United Arab Emirates as the father of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman and like a younger brother to Saudi Arabia. I say this because all of these countries listed tend to have very similar qualities involving their country itself, however some of the qualities tend to be amplified in some countries more than others.

The United Arab Emirates is by far among the most luxurious countries in the Middle East and it has a very promising future.

Kuwait City

2011-12-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

Kuwait city is home to around seventy five percent of the total population of the country. It's also the country's political, economic, and social center. It's home to about two million six hundred thousand people. Now, when you're talking about Kuwait as a country, only around thirty four percent of them are Kuwaiti nationals, or Kuwaiti natives. The rest of the population is composed up of mostly other Arabs, South Asian natives such as Indians, Pakistanis, and Iranian people. So in the end, the country has a very high expatriate population and the Kuwaiti natives themselves are a minority. So what the government does is issue a series of laws that grant the natives extra luxurious and protection due to the fact that they're a minority.

Kuwait city is a very beautiful city. I love the fact that it has a small population and that it tends to be among many factors leading to a higher quality of life than most cities in the region. Kuwait city also tends to have an extensive amount of luxurious cars. This reflects the outcome for obtaining ten percent of the entire world's oil reserves. Kuwait City's infrastructure also tends to be very modern and advanced. Many luxurious homes are also found in the city.

The climate in Kuwait City tends to be very humid. The high during the summer can reach up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit, which is unbelievably hot. In fact, I advise not to visit Kuwait during the summer because of the atrocious heat. However, February and March tend to be much better with regards to climate, with an average temperature around sixty degrees.

Among the many famous landmarks of Kuwait City include the Kuwait City towers. It's basically a complex of towers that house restaurants. It seems to be a very high end destination.

The fact that Kuwait has a very high temperature during the summer indicates that extensive amounts of water parks around the city. They seem to be very fancy and modern, but like already known, that's only because of the wealth.

A lovely city indeed, Kuwait City is among the best cities in the Middle East; very clean, modern, and organized. However, the fact that the majority of the population is Arab, the term "organization" probably wouldn't (or shouldn't) be used that much in the country. But when comparing it to other cities in the region, Kuwait City is without a doubt organized and clean.

Kuwait

2011-12-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

Kuwait is the smaller verson of Saudi Arabia, however some aspects that are present in both countries seemed to be amplified in Kuwait. Aspects such as the standard of living seem to be much higher in kuwait than they are in Saudi Arabia. This is probably because of the smaller population, higher "gdp" per capita, and a more stable economy. The economy was built on the legs of the oil industry like Saudi Arabia, however both countries are trying to direct their economy away from the oil wells and focus more on other sectors; tourism, industry, and possbily manufacturing.

I really want to visit kuwait. This is mainly because it seems like the cleanest of the Middle Eastern (and the gulf) countries. Kuwait is ranked among the highest in the human development index. Also, the Kuwaiti Dinar is the most powerful currency in the world; one kuwaiti dinar is equivalent to about 2.68 euros. There's also an enormous amount of expiatriate employees in the country, mostly from the south Asian nations and also quite a bit from neighboring Arab countries. My great uncle has been living there for about 35 years now and I'm wondering if he'll ever return back to Egypt.

Apart from the powerful economy, Kuwait is also a Muslim dominated country; with roughly 85 percent of the population Muslims. There ware also many many mosques in Kuwait, those of which are very nice and modern. Of course. I mean, why wouldn't they be spending their money on the Muslim aspects of the country.

Mecca, Saudi Arabia

2011-11-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

The famous Mecca of Saudi Arabia. The most loved place in the entire world by Muslims. Why? Because of the Kaa'bah. It is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be brought down on him. And like mentioned, it is considered the holiest city in Islam.

The city's economy depends mostly on the annual pilgrimage of Muslims there. The pilgrimage known has Hajj. In fact right now at this very moment, people are performing Hajj! So tourism basically shapes this city's economy. There are many luxurious hotels throughout the city that are mainly there to house the annual pilgrims to come to Mecca. In fact, they're building a new complex called Abraj Al Bait, which translates to The Towers of the Home. Abraj Al Bait is a very large housing project consisting of seven new additional skyscrapers, with the tallest one being the hotel tower at 601 meters, which also happens to be the tallest building in the country. This complex is being built right in front of Masjid Al-Haram.

Like mentioned, right now is when the two million Muslims go to Mecca and perform their religious duties. It's a very prominent time in a Muslims life to be apart of this ritual. I soon hope to find myself among one of these two million Muslims who go there.

Riyadh

2011-11-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Like mentioned, Riyadh is the capital of the country of Saudi Arabia. I respect this place as a prosperous city center, but nothing more. I actually think that due to their oil wealth, they can enhance the skyline of the city; maybe to make it match something like Dubai or Doha, Qatar. But in this particular topic the Saudi's did it right; just a few skyscrapers necessary for the status of the country. Dubai just went strong on building buildings, and I'm still confused as to why they need that many buildings considering half of them remain empty, however that's a different topic.

Most of the skyscrapers in Riyadh are held in the center of the city, particularly King Fahd Road. This road is considered that very prosperous part of town with many modern facilities and stuff like that. It also houses three of the large skyscrapers of the city; Kingdom Center, Al Faisaliyah Center, and Al Anoud Tower. You might also tend to find very nice and luxurious cars in this region, however this is Saudi Arabia, so you'll find it in any region.

Riyadh has over 4000 mosques. Not an overwhelming number, considering the population, however it's still decent. Most people in the city are Muslims, and when the time for prayer goes off, you need to go to the Mosque. They also have these patrol officers that drive around and sort of direct you towards the Mosque. If you refuse, I heard they'll toss you in their car and take you to the Mosque. Now, if you're not a Muslim, that's a different case. What they will do is just give you some pamphlets or brochures contain some basic facts about Islam. I really like this process because they're spreading the word of Islam, however they're doing it in a very peaceful and polite way. And they also want to strengthen the current religiousness of the already Muslims.

Saudi Arabian cuisine tends to be very popular among the Arab world. One very prominent dish they serve is Kabsah. What this dish usually includes is yellow rice, cooked to perfection, with some goat meat, or lamb meat in reasonable chunks just tossed around the mountain of rice. Sometimes they substitute that meat with delicious chicken, but that usually depends on the person. Sometimes they even add in some raisins, but that's something I prefer to be absent when I eat it.

Either way, Riyadh tends to be classified as a prosperous and modern city, and a regional economic power.

Animosity of Saudis

2011-11-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Why did my parents leave Saudi Arabia? I'm very sure it wasn't because of the pay since our quality of life over there was much better than it could have been any where else in the world. Then why? I consulted my dad about this topic before and his only answer to me was "They weren't good people". Now, my father was the manager in the electronic equipment section at a hospital, with a ton of Saudis working under him. You would think these people would show him the respect deserved. I haven't really had the chance to visit Saudi Arabia while I'm more aware of things, however, residing there is out of the question; considering what I've heard about them.

Stuck up, stubborn, rich, Arabs is what defines Saudis, apparently. I haven't really seen too many of these people in real life, and when I do, it's here in America. I also don't understand why other Arabs from other countries hate the Saudis. Is it because they're jealous of them? No, because if jealousy and animosity is shown towards the Saudis, then they're doing what they hate about the Saudis. Okay, if it's not jealousy, then what is it? And the answer is (from what I've heard) that many Saudis let their personal wealth and their international rankings get to their head. Apparently they think they're too good to be associated with the rest of the Middle East; with a few exceptions of course, such as other oil rich countries. Now, do I believe this? My answer is yes, because it caused a dramatic shift in my life.

The group of people that the Saudis hate the most is Egyptians. That's unfortunate, yet surprising, because many Egyptians are expatriate employees there. Now, I never understood why Saudi's hate Egyptians so much. In fact, it's not just the Saudis, but the Kuwaitis and the others. My own personal answer to this question is that Saudis are jealous of Egyptians. Let me explain myself. Saudis are aware of the fact that they're prosperous now because of the disgusting amounts of oil they have, however when that oil runs out, they will be worth less than the sand they stand on. And Egypt's economy is supposed to be ranked among the top in the world because of the vast amount of potential it holds; however due to the corruption that struck the country, that won't happen for a while. Now, Saudi's know this as well, yet they seem to live the moment. They're not oblivious to the fact that soon Egypt's economy will surpass them as the best economy in the Middle East, sometime in the future, however they seem to temporarily cloud that fact only because of the prosperous times they are in.

This still brings up the question again of why do many Egyptians live there. And my only logical explanation to that is they just do not care what Saudis think. Egyptians are just naturally more talented than any Saudi, so why would they let other people's downgrading of them actually affect them. It shouldn't even make a dent in them. So hearing this, I asked my dad why didn't he just remain stubborn with regards to the fact that many Saudi's show animosity towards him. And his answer was, if that was the only problem facing me, I would have stayed. However, he didn't want my brother and I to be raised in a very materialistic country, and grow up to be spoiled brats. And he also thought that we had a better educational future in America, and I respect that.

Saudi Arabia

2011-10-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is when I reluctantly switch the direction of my blog towards other countries of the Middle East and away from Egypt. And I've decided to start with Saudi Arabia because I lived there for about two years.

Saudi Arabia is one of the richest countries in the Middle East. It has the world's largest oil reserves, so that must explain a lot. It currently has a very stable economy, however, a few years down the road when all their oil is gone, they're going to be in a very tough situation. Let's hope by then their economy will be built on other sectors such as tourism and industry and away from oil and natural gas.

I lived in Saudi Arabia for about two years and I don't remember a single thing. This is sort of unfortunate because my parents constantly tell me that I've been to Mecca and made Um-rah. And to a Muslim, this is a very big thing. However, I thank God for allowing me to live there, even if I don't consciously remember anything, I have memories locked away in my subconscious.

I lived in the capital of the country, Riyadh. Currently, Riyadh is a very rich city in the Middle East that has an enormous role in the economy of the country. Nowadays, Riyadh also has many of the wealthy Saudis with their "Arab Money" and fancy multi-million dollar cars. A large number of millionaires live in Saudi Arabia; and the average standard of life in the country truly reflects the countries' wealth.

Other Countries...

2011-10-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Other Middle Eastern countries that entered the uprisings either had different reasons to enter, or the outcome still is yet to be announced. For instance, there were a series of protests that occurred in Bahrain. And when I first heard that I was confused. The reason why I was confused was because Bahrain is filled with people who were able to obtain a relatively high standard of life compared to other countries in the region. And the ruler of the country wasn't necessarily corrupt. So I researched this particular topic and later found out that the reason of the uprising was because of the unequal rights granted to Shia Muslims. So I didn't really expect this particular "revolution" to get that out of hand.

Syria has it pretty rough. I don't know too much about them except for the fact that it's still ongoing. But basically the reasons for the revolution is the same as most of the other countries; Bashar al-Assad (current president of Syria) needs to step down. Also they want the Baath political parties to exist, and for more flexible laws regarding freedom of speech and assembly. I sure hope that Syrians succeed in removing this man only because I want them to be apart of the "successful" countries under the uprisings.

Yemen's reason for starting a revolution were somewhat similar to that of Egypt's. Reasons such as high unemployment, economic conditions, and corruption. In fact, both uprisings of Egypt and Yemen were happening at the same time. The only difference between them is that Egypt was able to fulfill their goal faster and Yemen's case is still ongoing. They plan on reforming the constitution, dissolution of parliament, and the resignation of Ali Abdullah Salah, the president of Yemen. After nearly 270 days of protests, I sure hope that the Yemenis are able to accomplish their goals as well only because I feel their pain.

Jordan didn't really have much problems with their leader as much as they did with the condition of the country. Factors such as inflation, low salaries, unemployment, and regressive taxes led to the Muslim Brotherhood lead many Jordanians into the streets sometime in January. King Abdullah II didn't want any problems in his country like he saw what was going on in other countries. So he quickly made a huge reform in the cabinet and promised to improve the infrastructure of the country, even though the country still struggles somewhat economically.

Now, places such as Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia didn't really suffer from revolutions and the situations that come after it. This is because the list previously stated includes oil rich countries, stable countries, and countries suffering from other other problems. Don't get me wrong, some protests occurred, however they were shot down really quick for reasons irrelevant.

Middle East Uprising

2011-10-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

It was a simultaneous effect that occurred throughout the Middle East beginning in early January of 2011. Of course Tunisia was the initiating country. The country that began it all. They were the first ones to actually stand up against their corrupt government; and for that I tip my hat. And it's not like they weren't successful, no, they were able to kick their president out. And that is what threw everyone off. The western world was in a state of awe, while the Middle East was in a state of happiness; even though most of the happy people weren't Tunisian...

Egypt came in second with the whole uprising thing. However the Egyptian revolution got pretty nasty in the beginning. And I remember the day when the army stepped out onto the street, so many people said it was like deja vu again; with reference to the 1952 Egyptian revolution. However this one was much more intense, due to the fact that the army was attacking the citizens. And every Egyptian thought they weren't going to be successful like the Tunisians because they were fighting up against an army... However this fear quickly disappeared when the Egyptians received much support from neighboring Muslim countries and the Egyptians living abroad. And in the end, Egyptians were able to dismantle the government. This threw off the entire world and that's because many people knew of the strength of the Egyptian government. Strength and wealth...

The Egyptian revolution led to the amazing Libyan revolution. Gaddafi needed to be kicked out. I mean, a man who has been dictating the country for 40 years is entitled to step down, right? Well at least that's what the Libyans thought. And they implemented a vivid manifestation of their plan. However what was supposed to be another Middle Eastern revolution turned into a civil war... What? Yes, Libya was the only country in the Middle East involved in the uprisings to enter a severe civil war. The Libyans versus the army, and Gaddafi's thousands of children. And after a severe civil war that spanned out over several months one of Gaddafi's children was killed as well as...Gaddafi!! So as far as fulfilling goals, the Libyans took that crown. I'll tell you why. All of the countries involved in the uprisings hated their rules to the point where they (the people) wanted to personally slaughter them. However, in most countries, that goal was impossible to reach, so what is the next best thing? To remove the rulers. Now, Libya had that same goal (to kill the ruler) and they were able to fulfill it; and again for that I must tip my hat.

Successful

2011-10-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

The moment everybody was waiting for, the reluctant resignation of Hosni Mubarak. The day he stepped down, I was so happy I couldn't contain myself. My house was in a state of awe/happiness/what's next? Everybody knows that the day Mubarak stepped down everything was going to go back to normal because there are numerous steps that need to be taken before the country returning back to its normal state. However, there was nothing wrong about celebrating possibly the most important step of all; remove this man from office. And that's exactly what the people did. And if my house here in this country, thousands of miles away is roaring with happiness, I couldn't imagine what Egypt was like and I really wanted to know.

I asked my cousin again what he personally did when he fist heard that Mubarak had stepped down. He replied with my entire house jumped up and down and the entire neighborhood ran into the streets yelling out of excitement and cheering. He also told me his father started handing out large sums of money to him and his sisters (my other cousins). This was just a miniature form of a small celebration that took place.

I would have loved to have been in Tahrir Square the night of the announcement. I would have loved to have been apart of the excitement that was occurring over there. However, the excitement in my house was enough for me at the time but there's no denying that it was just a very small representation of what actually was going on back in Egypt.

Everybody Contributed

2011-10-23T14:42:00.001-07:00

I've always wondered how I would have reacted to the revolution if I was actually there in Egypt right when the turmoil was at its peak. I've also always wondered if I would have been down in the streets contributing to the action with the rest of the citizens. Would I have spent the night in tents in the middle of the street along with the rest of the people? All these unanswered questions seem to anger me because it's during the hardships when you're supposed to show your true patriotism towards your country. There's no doubt that I would have been contributing some other ways of course, such as attending lectures, going around for fundraisers, and other ways. However, I don't know how I would feel like if I went down one day to contribute to the protests and just never returned. I can't be selfish, I have other people to worry about and think about. However, all these doubts and thoughts are coming to me when I'm a few thousand miles away from the action. The condition may have been significantly different if I was to be in Egypt at the time. To be among millions of people with absent fear and ready to remove the corrupt government.

Little kids were out there, fighting, crying...contributing. Everyone knew their roles. There were the people who would spend the night out in the streets in Tahrir Square showing their support and then there were people who would remain at their homes for security reasons. Of course these people still had a hand in removing the government, however they did it a different way.

On January 28, the police force released thousands of criminals from the jails. There is a secret video that leaked showing one of the officers saying this same exact sentence to the prisoners before letting them loose," Alright men, I want you to go out and ruin the country." Word for word. I mean who has the nerve to even say that? And just as this corrupt officer said, the prisoners did. They would go to homes and break in and rob the homes of their valuable items. They would trash the streets (more than they were already trashed) and just add on to the chaos. Now, the citizens had their own way of responding to this nonsense. One way was that late at night, the youth and the healthy men would go down late at night in the streets bearing knives, rocks, and wooden sticks. They would hide around the cars parked along the sidewalks and wait for the criminals to show up. And when they would, the hidden men would jump out of no where and beat criminal up so hard so that he was inches away from death. They wouldn't kill him because they would then go and drop him off at the nearest police station; where he would get beaten some more.

These tactics and plans were among many factors that lead to the success of the revolution.

The Corruption and Egypt

2011-10-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

What do I think when it comes to the ongoing revolution in Egypt. And I'm not talking about the current state of the country; I'm mostly referring to initiating factors of the revolution itself. Many people thought that Hosni Mubarak just stole money from the country and that was it; now, that is true to a certain extant, however Mubarak and his gang surely performed much more actions than just stealing from the countries' wealth. However I will soon elaborate on the wealth robbing.

What kind of things did Mubarak and his gang do? I'll let you know that they operated like a criminal organization; performing acts such as bribery, murder, theft, and much more. Bribery? Yes. They would bribe known judges and high officials around the country because court cases that could potentially expose these men would reach them instantly. Also, they would rob the country of it's money. They stole so much money that was supposed to be invested back in the country. This money that was robbed was among the main reasons why there is such a high poverty rate in the country. I have also noticed that even today, Egypt bears a considerable amounts of wealth, however Mubarak's corruption and the government had trouble distributing that wealth evenly. Either you have some of the richest people in the world, or you will have the people who can't afford to buy bread. All of the people that receive good amounts of money have some sort of connection to Mubarak somehow. It may not be a direct connection, however they may be connected to someone connected to him. It's like a chain; one that eventually will lead to Mubarak. However you can always trace this chain back to the people somehow.

Murder. Mubarak and his gang operated the police force as if they were gangsters. They loved to kill for some reason or another. I realized that many people died because of the police force and that there was nobody to stop them because the only people who could, were the ones making them do it. Mubarak's corrupt government also had this thing for arresting the knowledgeable in Egypt. Not necessarily every smart person, but those who seemed to be a form of danger to him. I realized that Egypt has many knowledgeable people that operate at international levels, however most of them don't live in Egypt. This is because they either are afraid of being arrested if they went back, or that they just have a better opportunity elsewhere, however still representing Egypt.

The government was in the worst shape it had been. People finally realized that they didn't need to bear this burden anymore and soon they all formed this...

Ahly vs. Zamalek

2011-10-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

The two largest soccer clubs in Egypt are the Ahly and the Zamalek club. And I honestly have to admit the fans of these two soccer clubs have to be among the most loyal fans in the world. They literally will die for this club. They will actually take a bullet for this club versus a bullet for their best friend. In fact, a very powerful friendship will easily be broken because of the fact that the two kids developed a love for the different clubs. My cousin showed me some fights that broke out during some matches between the two clubs that were brutal. It was like a gang war except that the fight wasn't gang related, it was soccer related.

To prove the loyalty of these fans; during the time of the revolution that just took place, numerous matches were supposed to be taken place. You would think that out of respect for their country they would cancel the matches, however they didn't and they played each other. As if what was going on wasn't bad enough, playing this match and starting a fight because of it just added on to the hassles of the country. Ahly is the red dominated photo and the other photo is the Zamalek team.

Fights in Egypt

2011-10-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

It's every man for himself when you are in Egypt. Many people start to form their own little groups just so they could be backed up. I have seen some fights all around Egypt that were really disturbing and left me scarred. I have always wondered why the police doesn't usually do anything. The answer is that they are usually among the spectators who are rooting for either side. Then of course if the situation becomes life threatening that's when they will make the smallest effort to attempt to stop the fight.

They don't mess around in Egypt when it comes to fighting. Even if it comes down to killing the person who cracked your younger brother's skull; they'll do it. Many of the low life youth over there do not operate without some sort of weapon, whether it maybe a pocket knife, a razor, and sometimes unlicensed gun. This form of protection ensures the individual that if anyone tries and makes a problem, they have their second guy (which is the weapon) around to back them up. And you'll find that they are extremely skilled with the use of their weapon. Within a split second you'll instantly find the pocket knife drawn and aimed at you and there's absolutely no other way out of it is to fight them. You'll suffer some serious injuries, but you deserve it for getting yourself caught in the mix. Actually, it's not always your fault. Sometimes people there just think fighting will solve anything. A few examples of initiating fight starters include cussing out someone, giving them a bad look, looking at someone's wife, car crashes (which are the worst), and much more.

Car crash fights can get serious. The reason I say that is because the drivers always think they are right. Even if they're both wrong, they will find a way to be proven right and if there's no way, then a fight is inevitable. Also, many shop owners always carry some sort of weapon with them. One of my friends this past summer was bearing a small sword that had the potential of slaughtering someone. He said he's had it for a very long time. Probably since the revolution. He says it can come into good use, although I don't think he's ever had to take it out.

One fight I witnessed this year involved two bus drivers. I don't know what really started this fight because I was in the lane opposite them, however I did see that there were swords waving in the air and blood was pouring from multiple people. They also were holding up the traffic so bad that in the lane where the fight was taking place, the traffic was backed up for a very long time. I was wondering what these people were thinking; what could be the hold up this time. Little did they know that there was a ferocious battle taking place a few hundred feet in front of them.

Driving in Cairo

2011-10-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, patience forms in the back seat of a car in Egypt. Any use of profane language will not get you anywhere except maybe a scuffle with the grumpy taxi driver in the car ahead of you. Honking there will never get you anywhere either. It's like a baby crying in a nursery hoping to get attention...how many kids are crying there? Many people have just formed a unique way of dealing with the horrendous traffic of Cairo, just go with the traffic; even if you move a fraction, so be it. It's much better than the hassles of what might come from behind your temper being expressed. And back to the continuous honking. I've heard somewhere (as a joke) that Egyptian drivers honk more than they drive. The more I experienced the deadly hours in the back seat of a car in Egypt, the more I think that it might actually be a fact. And after getting out of the car sweaty, angry, dizzy, etc. my ears start ringing from the lack of honking. I've gotten so used to the noise of the musical of horns that peace and quiet seems unnatural.

One thing I've noticed this year with the drivers in Egypt is that they are very skilled; despite the fact that there are many accidents. It takes a great deal of talent in order to drive within the roads that contain absolutely no rules. The drivers make up their own rules. It's like some sort of silent language that they all (even the women) use to communicate with. The lack of rules on the roads forces the drivers to do this. Seeing this spectacular thing this past summer made me have a great deal of respect for the drivers.

There's a downside to this unique driving language, though. The downside is that some people might not recognize or be familiar with this language; and they contribute to most of the accidents and fights. Fights? Yes, fights. I'll tell you where a fight might generate from. So, let's say there's a driver who speaks the unique driving language, and then there's the other driver who isn't really familiar with it. The two meet at an intersection and there's some sort of confusion on who is to go first. Now, the guy who speaks the language decides to let the other guy go. The other guy, however doesn't understand that and remains waiting. This forces the "native" speaker to go; and behind this guy is another line of cars. So the guy who doesn't know the language is sitting there thinking it's all good and little does he know that there's a line of cars (full of native speakers) behind him waiting to fight him because now he made them all wait.

People in Cairo usually drive for their lives...

Merghany Street

2011-10-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

Merghany street is a very long street inside Cairo. It's also notorious for housing some of the most expensive and exotic cars in Egypt. Egyptians have Friday off, so every Thursday at midnight, many people gather around with their expensive cars to host races, drifts, and other competitions. And like I said, this street is long and the effect of it being long, it's busy as well. Or it can get very busy. However, all the drifters and races on Thursday night don't care about that at all. My cousin told me that some of the people who go voluntarily take their cars and park them in such a way so that people can't pass through the street. This makes the other drivers re-think their routes every Thursday night.

So one Thursday night I really wanted to stick around and watch some of the drifts and races that occur their, however we had no car at the moment and my cousin said that it would be difficult to stick around. He also said that if you don't have a car, you can't stay. So that night we were on our way home from some other place and the bus we were in went on Merghany street to get to its destination. It was a little before midnight so the street was open, however some of the drifters and races were already their and their cars were parked. It was a very amusing scene. It seemed like it belonged in a movie or something. So it was extremely unfortunate that I couldn't see any racing or drifts, however I found this video online that took place on that street. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z2QH8xufS8&feature=related.My cousin told me that this video is a very good representation of an actual Thursday night on that street.

Now, the reason why I put this post was because I one night I asked my cousin where the nice cars were found in the country and specifically told me this street.

Mohandessin

2011-10-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

When a foreigner nowadays thinks "Egypt", he or she immediately thinks of corruption and revolution and absolutely no peace. Now, that may be right up to a certain point, however I would like to prove them wrong in this post.

One of the nights I traveled with my cousin, my brother, and two other kids to an affluent district inside Cairo called Mohandessin. This literally means "engineers" in Arabic. Mohandessin is one of the cleanest and richest areas I've ever seen in my entire life. I loved the few hours that we spent there. It was a very modern place and the contemporary touch to the buildings made me temporarily forget which country I was in. I realized I loved this place so much because it wasn't in a state of turmoil like the rest of the country.

Like I mentioned, Mohandessin is a very modern place. All the shops are very new and clean and even the streets are very clean. And every single car parked along the side of the road was either a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz (2010-2011). This place proved one thing; it proved that Egypt really has a problem with distributing wealth. The middle class is slowly disappearing and you're either very rich or very poor. Just take a look one more time at the photo above; perfect representation of Cairo.

Mohandessin is also one of those twenty four hour places in the city. I realized this because it houses many high-end restaurants, five star hotels, bars, and one of the two red-light districts in Egypt (unfortunately). I only found this fact out when we left the area. One of the shops we went into that night was a clothing store and it was a very clean yet expensive place. Inside the store I saw a completely different side of Egyptians; for lack of a better term: cleaner Egyptians.

One of the two kids that went with us that night resided in Mohandessin. He was one of those well-off kids. That was mainly the reason why we went there that night; it was to drop him off and take a tour of the place a little bit. I bet living in Mohandessin really showed an elaborate side of luxurious city living and I really liked that a lot.

The Youth

2011-10-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed hanging around with my cousin. He's about 20 years old and he's studying civil engineering. This year he introduced me to a bunch of his street friends as well as college friends. And I really was looking forward to hanging out with these guys because I had on question in mind that needed answering; how are the youth of Egypt. I was really interested in seeing how they acted, their interests, their style of clothing, and all the other things that defines the youth.

In my stay with my cousin and hanging out around his friends I realized a lot of things about the youth of a different country. Being raised in America and adapting to American culture made me look at the other kids' actions differently. I was always analyzing what they would do. Even those other kids would notice that I do somethings differently from them, but they eventually realized that I was trying my best to be like them; even if it were to be temporary. The thing that differed the most between the kids and myself was the way we dressed. I was more into the athletic type of attire and they were more into the classic, casual western European style. That particular style really appealed to me and I adopted some of it and sort of apply it here in this country.

The other thing that seemed to differ greatly between myself and them was the type of music we listen to. The biggest and most obvious reason why our taste differed so much was because the two types of music were in different languages. And I have to admit, among the things that I took in from these kids, music was not among them. The reason is that Egyptian music just didn't appeal to me. I don't know what it was, whether it was the beats, the topic of the song (which is the same throughout every song;romance), or just the style. I could never really put a grasp on what it was, however, I came to the conclusion that music equals "no".

Topics of discussions differ between the youth of Egypt and the youth of America. The American youth tend to speak of the more materialistic aspect of life and they seem to enjoy that. Egyptian youth conversations are very down to earth and when they would make some sort of reference to the whole materialistic side, they'd criticize it and quickly get off the topic. Almost all the Egyptian youth want to get out of Egypt as soon as they can. I understood why this year. Egypt might not have the most opportunities for them so the kids don't want to take that chance. Some children though love Egypt and say that they'd die if they moved out of it. So it really differs among the people because to you have to take into consideration their aspects of life

Back to Cairo

2011-10-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's always a weird feeling the day I step foot back in Cairo again after leaving Alexandria. The reason is because I adapted to the Alexandrian culture and morals. Even the weather of the two cities differs significantly, with Cairo being much more humid and Alexandria having the Mediterranean type of air to it. Also, like I mentioned before the people in Alexandria differ greatly from their counterparts in Cairo. However, this peculiar feeling I seem to get disperses in a very short amount of time only because I love Cairo very much and I quickly adapt to it again. Also, this time when we returned to Cairo, my brother and I were supposed to go and spend some time with my cousins, who are about our age. So I was sort of looking forward to returning.

Cairo is a beautiful city indeed, however if you're not accustomed to the hassles of it, you'll quickly develop a hate for it. And there's no telling if I actually love the city, or if I love the cover of it. What I mean by that is I have never really never had any responsibilities inside the city and I only witness the touristic side of it. But there's no telling that I'm proud to be Cairene.

Erfan Pasha Street

2011-10-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

Erfan Pasha street is one of the oldest and known streets in Alexandria. It's parallel to Othman Jalal, however it's much longer than it. A crowded, noisy, and polluted section of the district, yet it's very respected. What I mean by that is...this street houses many different stores and shops, ranging from butchers and bread ovens to the contemporary western European clothing style stores with the modern lights along the perimeter of them. Even the apartment buildings along the side of the streets vary greatly in terms of style and modernness. You'll have the extremely old and haunted buildings (which is the majority of them) along the sidewalks and right next to them you'll have the newer and taller high-rises towering over the street.

Erfan Pasha is also one of those streets that runs 24-7. You go there anytime during the night and you'll always need to find something going down; whether it's a fight, a funeral, a discussion, anything, there's always something occurring. Also, there's a large amount of elder men that go to the numerous hookah shacks at night for their nightly meetings and tabla tournaments. I'm proud to say that my grandfather is one of those men who's always found at these cafes at night, just tearing up the tournaments and always getting first place.

Erfan Pasha also houses many mosques, with the minarets of each mosque towering into the sky, illuminating the street with various colors of green, blue, and white. And despite the large amount of noise that the inhabitants of the street emit, you'll still hear the numerous mosques call for the time of prayer. And regardless of what the shop owners might be in the middle of, they'll suspend their work for a short period of time just go pray and return to continue where they left off.

Erfan street is also a very convenient street in terms of the supplies it has. Around noon time every few days, my grandmother would require some groceries from outside. And all of these "exotic" groceries can be found inside Erfan Pasha street. For example, some days she'll need tomatoes, fish, and cheese. And instead of getting into a car and driving to the nearest supermarket, I can take a five minute walk to Erfan Pasha street and buy them off the souks and outdoor shops. And above all that, I get to witness this side of Egypt; for lack of a better term, the old school side. I also heard that one of my great aunts was the owner of a vegetable stand on Erfan Pasha street. And from what I heard from my family, she was a very mean woman, who ran her business like a criminal organization. She would form monopolies just to run her competitors out of business. And I realized that everyone on this street does the exact same thing as her; and they all are very grimy people. It's always fun getting groceries for my grandmother from this street, because I get to witness many interesting things.

From the Roman street, to the Life street and the Intersections in Between

2011-09-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you could take a a photo from a birds' eye view of Maharah Bey, it would be the closest thing to an actual representation of Egypt. And let me be more specific; Maharam Bey is the district in which my grandparents' home is located. And like I've mentioned before, it is one of the oldest and continually inhabited areas of Alexandria. It's a very cultural place and even the people in it are extremely fond and glad to be from there. The Roman street is the street perpendicular to Othman Jalal, and on that street alone is two mosques, a mechanic, and several useless stores shops that the average Egyptian uses to make a living; even if it means that the standards of his life is poor, it's still better than nothing. Now, the intersection at which the Roman street and Othman Jalal cross is probably one of the most hyped up places in the district; and that's only because of the youth that inhabit it. Soccer games are held until two in the morning, fights during or after the game, and several car accidents that occur because of the terrible city planning; with a particular focus on that district alone.

Now, if walk along Othman Jalal, in the opposite direction of the Roman street, you'll run into a very rundown street called Al-Hayati (Life). And I honestly have to admit that I try to avoid this street as much as possible only because of the stories that I heard about it. Some stories say that it's a possessed street, some say that the greasiest people live there, and some take both of that and combine them together to produce one bizarre story. I only pass through that street if I have to use it as a shortcut to get to another place. Even the youth that hang out around there are all much more dangerous and bad. Just flat out bad. The intersection of Life Street and Othman Jalal is inhabited by a completely different crowd of kids (by now you know that Life street and Roman street are parallel and are connected by Othman Jalal which is perpendicular to both). The kids there are very corrupt and their daily lives is just filled with juvenile activities. Many of the young adults over there have been in numerous fights and there's not one of them that doesn't carry some sort of weapon. And I have to admit that some of the fights that I've heard about that occur over there are truly frightening.

This year made me think a lot about how I have so many friends that live on Othman Jalal and Roman Street, and how I have none on Life street. Even the kids who actually live on Othman Jalal claim that they don't even know anything about the kids over there other than that they love making problems. It's very hard to believe how two streets so very close are inhabited by people that are so different.

The Beach

2011-09-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

I love the Alexandrian beaches. However the thing I hate most about them is the fact that they are always crowded. And not all of them are necessarily clean; so in order to avoid that you have to go to the more expensive ones. But that didn't matter much when we would go with our friends. And before I would go inside the water and get slammed by the waves I would always just relax on the coast, constantly having some sort of ice cold drink in my hand. And I wouldn't go in the water until I would get fried by the sun. And when I would finally enter the water and cool off, I would always direct my attention towards the skyline of the city and the street. It was an amazing scene. This image right here is exactly what I witnessed one of the days I went to the beach. I was extremely surprised to see this picture online because I didn't take the picture. Now, this beach is called The Mandara Beach. It was a very nice beach and it was pretty clean.
Now, there was a time when my friends and I went night swimming. It was one of those days where they were playing soccer up until two in the morning. And after the match, they were all sitting down claiming that they needed to cool off and a dip in the sea would satisfy them. Now, keep in mind that I have never been night swimming in my life and I was really eager to try this out. So everyone sort of disappeared to go inside their home and so they would change and get ready for the "second half" of the night. After twenty minutes every one met back outside and they were all ready to go. It was around two thirty in the morning when we all took off; we were a party of 12. One of my friends inside the car I was in claimed that the beach we were going to was a nice one to swim in at night but we weren't going to make it there before four. I was confused; was this beach far away or what. Then my friend went on to explain that it was going to be the traffic. So, it's three in the morning along the coast of Alexandria and we were stuck in traffic for literally twenty minutes. I honestly thought it was like nine p.m. because you would never believe that it was four.

And after the long car ride, we got to the beach and almost everyone got inside. It was the most amazing time I've been swimming. The lights of the buildings across from us were lighting up the water so well that I forgot it was night time. We stayed at the beach until sun rise. And by the time we left and were on our way back home, the streets were empty. I was also really amazed by the amounts of nice cars that showed up during this time, it's maybe because there wasn't any traffic.

But all I could tell you was that I couldn't wait to get home because I was dead tired. But before we got there, we stopped somewhere and got some food because we were all hungry off of our minds. And after we ate, we finally got home.

Othman Jalal

2011-09-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

Othman Jalal is the name of the street that my grandparents live on. It's a very cultural street, with mosques at almost every intersection as well as the daily drink guy coming with ice cold drinks to distribute among the working men. I love Othman Jalal. It's on that street that I made many friends over the years and it's when I leave them that I know we really were friends because they always ask me when I will return. And my grandparents took the first apartment on the first floor, so the floors above us all include friends and family. So there will be days when I would never leave the building except for when I need to pray. And the good thing is I could pray at a different mosque for each prayer due to the fact that there were so many in such a small area.

Othman Jalal is a very old street. It's been around ever since the kingdom of Egypt. And our specific house there has been under our possession ever since the 1920s when my great-grandfather first purchased it. Despite the fact that's it an old street, it's still clean. And the buildings that tower the street seem very ancient and have this Mediterranean look to them, even thought we're not on the coast. There was one word that my brother and I decided on that described the area where we live; haunted. All the buildings seems like they are haunted because of the entrance to the buildings and the long windows. However, they are not starting to tear down those old buildings and are starting to put up new and more modern/luxurious ones in the area. Nonetheless anyone who lives on Othman Jalal, whether in the old buildings or the newer ones, they're still 100% Alexandrian and deserve that respect.

I'd usually spend my nights on this street either hanging around with my friends, playing soccer, or going to the beach for a little midnight run, however I'll explain about those experiences later. And it's honestly really cool just sitting listening to what these people have to say. And I say that because I'm considered a completely different person than them. I was raised in America and they were raised in Alexandria. So listening to them talk was always interesting because their stories that they had were ones that I would never hear anywhere else in the world. Stories that could only be conjured up in this country.

Alexandria

2011-09-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

I stayed a while in Alexandria, Egypt, and I honestly have to say that during my stay in Alexandria this summer, I developed a new love for the city. It is among the cleanest cities in Egypt and it's very simple, yet amazing. A long time ago during the reign of King Farouk, Alexandria was considered a European city due to the fact that Britain occupied the country at that time. King Farouk resided in Alexandria at the Montazah Palace, Montazah.Montazah is a district inside the city and it's considered the most affluent residential place in the entire area. So with Alexandira being the royal city at the time, Farouk made sure that it was going to be the cleanest city in the world. He stated numerous times that if you would walk or drive along the corniche of the city you wouldn't even find a tiny sand particle in the street. So ever since then, the city has been always considered clean and even up until now, it's still a very clean city. And even the buildings along the Mediterranean Sea have this Roman/Italian touch to them. And even the names of the streets are really Italian-esc. For example, there's a street that's near where we live called Share3 El Romani (The Roman Street). They really want to make Alexandria seem like a clean Mediterranean City and not a Middle Eastern City, like Cairo, and they're really successful at doing it.

Now, there's a catch to Alexandria, and that is the people that are originally from there. A true Alexandrian can instantly catch a foreginer (non-Alexandrian) and they won't necessarily do anything, however they'll make you feel uncomfortable. But when you start to know the people better, they'll literally become your best friend. For instance, the dialect of a Cairo born differs a little from that of an Alexandrian, so they'll be able to catch it right away.

And there was something about an Alexandrian and his/her relationship with that of a Cairene. For some reason there's some tension between them and I never really understood what it was. I have numerous friends that resided in Alexandria and I asked them if you would ever leave this city to move to Cairo, and all of their answers were no. They don't like Cairenes because they claim they're very self-centered and arrogant. And they also got really used to the life in Alexandria, so it wouldn't make sense to ever leave it.

Tahrir Square

2011-09-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

The time in Egypt this past summer felt extremely like it was my first time there. Part of the reason was because I hadn't visited it for three years and the other part was because it was just a different atmosphere all around due to the revolution. I honestly have to admit that I felt good to be there during that particular time because I didn't know what to expect. I realized that the people are very happy with what happened (hence the numerous paintings and posters of January 25th) yet they still felt uneasy because they were worried about what was going to happen next. The revolution wasn't necessarily over nor was the violence for that matter so it was considered to early to early to be glad. I asked my cousin numerous times what it felt like being in the middle of the action and he would reply that he never felt more brave and proud of his country than the times when he would charge at the police guards head on and knock them down. He would say that on his right side there was an old man charging along with him and on his left side a little boy no older than five years of age. After hearing this from him I really wanted to witness the feeling of the revolution and told him to take me to Tahrir Square because I knew people were still there.

So later that night my brother, my cousin, and I got ready and went to mid-town Cairo to witness Tahrir Square and I can't even begin to explain the feeling I got when I saw the tents and the thousands of people gathering around an influential speaker standing on a podium (keep in mind that we went there at night). The people seemed extremely eager and happy and each person's eyes were "gleaming" with determination. I honestly have to say that it was probably the most exciting feeling to actually be there in real life. And I felt safe inside the square due to the volunteer college students gathering around the circumference searching everybody as they entered making sure they weren't apart of some unnecessary organization looking for trouble, or even the being among the thousands of criminals released on January 28th.

My time in Tahrir Square was one of the best experiences of my life, even though my cousin classified the square that night as an "extremely dead and uncrowded state". When I heard this from him, I kept thinking of the days when two million people would gather inside this very small area, all with the same message; "Down with the form (of government).

City of a Thousand Minarets

2011-09-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

We had to get up early the day we went to visist my grandmother. I always dreaded these says. It's not because I had to visit her, but it's because I hate where she lives. I think it's safe to say she lives in the most rundown place in the country; Garbage City. However this year was much different because she lives with one of my aunts in a very nice district. So the trip wasn't so bad. Or at least I thought it was. The next day we had to go back to her old apartment (or whatever you can call it) to visit her other daughters (my other aunts). I thought we didn't have to go back there again, but my thoughts were wrong. There's several "mistakes" about that place. It's too hot. It's literaly at least 5 Celcius hotter than mid town Cairo. Also, the mosquitos live in that area and the smell just smells of a run down and corrupt district (Sincerely Hosni Mubarak). Honestly, the best part about the trip from my aunt's house to my grandma's house was the ride there. We got to witness the true scene of old Cairo. An amazing panoramic view of the ancient world: Cairo Cidatel (the castle and the castle walls), Muhammad Ali's Mosque, which is one of the most glamorous mosques in the world, and just the other thousands of Minartes just scraping the sky above it. And the residential homes (if you can even call it that) are probably the most run down apartments ever. Just look above that the photo, the portion on the left is exaclty what I was witnessing. And in front of the run down homes is what they like to call "The City of the Dead" which is probably the most interesting thing there. An unbelievable amount of land dedicated to just the dead bodies. It's too large to call it a cemetery so they decided to address that location as a city. Unbelievable. And as the car got on top of a hill, I thought that it would be pointless to look for anything "luxurious". I'd be wrong to even think about that. Yet again my thoughts were proven wrong by a beautiful Ferrari just drove down the line of cars going opposite of us. As I looked at this amazing car drive through the crowd and watch every car literaly make room for it as if it had room, I thought if I could just capture an image of this scene, it would be the highlight of my summer. The picture would include the run down apartments in the very back, with the City of the Dead right in front of it, with this black gleaming Ferrari at the tip. And to top the picture off would be the numerous amounts to minartes spiking into the sky. I kept saying in my mind, this is exactly what Egypt is. It was the perfect picture to describe the country. The disproportional social classes; either you're too poor to even find water, or you're rich enough to purchase 100 palaces. That is what you find in this country. And for everyone else who doesn't fall under this category, is just a common "Masry" or "Egyptian."

One of the Best Summers Ever

2011-09-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

After an eight hour flight from London, I realized how much I missed this country truly. I looked out the small window on the airplane and witness the cultural capital of the cultural capital of the entire world; Cairo, Middle East. I realized that the combined time of the summers of the previous three years will never amount to the minimal time that I will soon spend in this beautiful country. From my window I could see the Giza Pyramids, Gezira Island (which houses some of the most affluent districts of Cairo), and the booming towers along the Nile. And suddenly, the pilot spun the plan around so he could show the passengers within an ominous birds-eye view of the rest of the city. There we went to Nasr City (where I was initially born), and the other richer areas of that portion of the city. Luckily for the tourists on the plane the pilot didn't go to the slums, for I know they would have been shocked and possibly thought twice about the rest of their stay.

After a good five minutes of circling the city, the pilot finally landed the plane. My brother and I quickly got our bags from the container above and rushed to beat the pushing, shoving, and other unnecessary roughness that the other passengers inflict upon each other. And after the adventure of finally getting pushed and shoved, my brother and I walk down the tunnel leading in to the airport and there we see one of my aunts (who happens to work at the airport) standing there. My feelings were mixed of happiness, gladness, and others. I hadn't seen her in over three years and it just felt so good to see some one else outside of the family. After a series of hugs and kisses and this and that we start walking to the baggage claim section and retrieve our bags so we could leave. There we met more family members and hugs and kisses from them, and we found out that there were some still waiting outside. And due to the tight security from the revolution they weren't able to enter. Either way it didn't really matter because we got out bags quick and were on our way out sooner than later.

As I take the first step outside, I'm greeted by a powerful slap on the face. Not by a hand, however, but from the wonderful heatwaves of Cairo. As I recover from the powerful attack, I realize that I am truly home!