Traveller's Guide to the Middle East

228 Pages·1988·49.679 MB·English

by  Pat Lancaster

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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
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3 1833 01914 9506
915.6 T69 1988
T
RAVELLER*S GUIDE TO THE
MIDDLE EAST
TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO THE MIDDLE EAST
A travel companion to
Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey,
United Arab Emirates, Yemen Arab Republic,
People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen,
Egypt and Iran.
Fourth Edition
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2017
https://archive.org/details/travellersguidetOOIanc
TRAVELLER'S GUIDE
TO THE
MIDDIE EAST
Editor
Pat Lancaster
an cc publication
Allen County Public Library
Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Publisher Afif Ben Yedder
Editor Pat Lancaster
Cover Design Alison Perry
Published by IC Publications Ltd
London Office P.O. Box 261
69 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5BN
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Cables Machrak London WC2
Telex 8811757
US edition Hunter Publishing Inc
published by 300 Raritan Center Parkway
Edison, N.J. 08818
Typeset by RSB Typesetters
Bagshot Road
Worplesdon, Surrey
Printed by Page Bros (Norwich) Ltd.
Cover Photograph Ministry of Information, Qatar.
© 1988 IC Publications Ltd
ISBN 0905268 53 9
ISSN 0140-1319
ISBN (USA) 1-55650-036-X
Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval
system, without written permission from the publishers.
7
Travel in the Arab World
Travel in the Arab W«Hd
The countries of the Arab world offer vast scope and astonishing diversity to
both tourist and business traveller. A country’s potential for tourism depends
on its climate, beaches, and other attractions such as historic sites, birdlife,
flora and fauna. The realisation of this potential however, depends on the
provision of certain physical facilities and a number of less tangible factors.
Accommodation, catering, entertainment and transport facilities are among
the most important of the physical facilities. Less tangible considerations
such as government policy towards tourism, internal politics, the quality of
service offered to tourists and the overall attitude of the indigenous
population, should not be underestimated.
Regrettably, there are countries in the region, Lebanon is a prime
example, where the government is unable to offer security to either tourist or
business visitor. Bearing in mind the still uncertain fate of the foreigners and
Lebanese nationals, taken hostage in the country, would-be visitors to
Lebanon are strongly advised to take every precaution to ensure their
personal safety - with the most effective precaution, postponing a proposed
visit, usually the favourite option.
In terms of the numbers of visitors involved, the tourist trades of the Arab
countries are at very different levels of development. At one extreme are
Egypt, Jordan and Syria which for years have attracted visitors seeking both
business and pleasure. At the other end of the scale are countries such as the
two Yemens and Oman, which attract few visitors from either category.
The three main markets from which the Arab countries draw international
tourists are Europe, North America and the Arab world itself. About half of
Egypt’s tourists are from Europe and North America and are either on
business trips or tours of the country’s historic sites. The majority of visitors
to Syria and Jordan are Arabs engaged in family and business tourism.
Moslem pilgrims, many of them from Arab countries, predominate amongst
Saudi Arabia’s tourists.
While business travel has long been acceptable in the Arab world,
attracting the tourist hordes is an alien concept to some of the more
conservative states. Even though Saudi Arabia deals with more than a
million religious pilgrims every year, the government authorities would be
unlikely to give the seal of approval to a foreign tour company wanting to sell
“bucket and spade” holidays in the kingdom. However, Saudi Arabia is not
by any means alone in this, most of the Gulf states employ a stringent vetting
procedure on people wishing to enter their country.
Meanwhile, mindful of the precious foreign earnings tourism brings in,
others have gone all out to attract more and more visitors. Turkey is one of
the most recent to enter the arena and, thanks to vigorous marketing
strategy, is recording the profits of a bumper year.
8
Contents
Travel in the Arab World 8
Introduction and Acknowledgements 1-0
Temperature and Rainfall 11
Middle East Currency'Table 12
Religion knd Culture —"13
Doing Business inthe Arab World 24
Bahrain 30
Cyprus 39
Egypt 50
Iran 73
Iraq 89
Jordan 100
Kuwait 112
Lebanon 121
Oman 132
Qatar 141
Saudi Arabia 149
Syria 163
Turkey 177
United Arab Emirates 192
Yemen Arab Republic 204
Yemen, People’s Democratic Republic 215
9
Introduction and Acknowledgements
This fourth edition of the Traveller’s Guide to the Middle East has been
completely revised and updated, following the total sell-out of the third
edition. It is designed to help and inform tourists visiting the region for both
business and pleasure. And, with the obvious exception of the Middle East’s
most noteable “hot spots” it is an area where much pleasure can still be had.
For the most part, a region of beauty and tranquillity.
Despite the discovery of oil and the enormous amount of development that
followed, there remains a peculiar timeless quality in many parts of the
Middle East. In Qatar, home of the world’s largest natural gas field, it is not
unusual to see a Mercedes limousine pull off the multi-lane highway, in order
that its owner may kneel at the roadside for the sunset prayer. In Saudi
Arabia, wealthy businessmen and bankers regularly leave the comfort of
their air conditioned villas to spend the weeekend in a tent in the desert,
returning - if only for a short time - to the life led for centuries by their
forefathers. And, watching the slow progress of a felucca on the Nile, one
could be in almost any century.
For those who can find the money and the time I hope this guide will be an
encouragement to explore some of the countries of the Middle East.
My thanks go to the many people who assisted in the compiling of this
book especially to Mr Sami Badr of the Saudi Press Agency, Ms Leila
Fannous of the Qatar Embassy in London and Dr Issa Kawari and his staff at
the Ministry of Information in Doha. Mr. Walid al Khobaizi at the Kuwait
Embassy in London and Sheikh Nasser Al Jaber Al Sabah and his staff at the
Ministry of Information in Kuwait.
My acknowledgements go also to the many people who have assisted and
helped in the production of this book, including Rhona Wells and Alison
Perry and to Barbara Bannister, Graham Benton and Anna Horsfall for their
practical assistance.
I would like to particularly thank the late Fred and Isobella Rhodes for
their early encouragement and invaluable overall contribution.
Pat Lancaster