Quick! When you think of traveling to the Middle East, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? I’m quite sure it’s not lush forests or oceans blue; rather the first thing you thought of was the desert, right? You’re not alone in that. When people think about going on vacation, they don’t think about deserts, but they imagine a cabin in the woods or a vacation home by the sea. However, the awesome beauty of the deserts of Middle East makes them worth a visit, too.

Nowhere else in the world can you find the siroccos creating the unique patterns of the dunes. Nor can you find Arabian desert plants and animals anywhere else like you can find in the deserts of Middle East. However, because they are rarely visited means more desert for you to explore without all of the problems that come with crowded tourist destinations.

Besides the flora and the fauna, some of the deserts in Middle East are rich in a unique history. Moses is said to have wandered around the desert with his people for 40 years. After John baptized him, Jesus went into the desert for 40 days. And who can forget the desert tales of 1001 Arabian nights or the fascinating desert stories of Lawrence of Arabia. Truly, visiting the deserts can be a unique and beautifully satisfying travel experience. Here are just a few you can visit:


The Sahara Desert



The largest desert in the world, and surely the world’s most well known desert. The Sahara covers a huge swath of North Africa. Its wind strength can reach that of a hurricane, creating massive sandstorms. The highest point is the 3,415 meters summit of Mount Koussi in Chad’s Tibesti Mountains. Its lowest point is Qattara Depression of Egypt at 133 meters below sea level.


The Sinai Desert



Located in Egypt, the Sinai Desert is the famous desert that hosted Moses and his people for 40 years after they crossed the Red Sea. As the desert is located in Asia and the rest of Egypt is located in North Africa, the Sinai Desert makes a natural land bridge between two continents.


The Libyan Desert


Also called the Western Desert, the Libyan Desert covers eastern Libya, western Egypt and parts of northwestern Sudan near the Nile River. Actually, part of the Sahara Desert, it is primarily sand or stony plains. It is the hottest of all Arabian desert climates with little or no rainfall for decades.



The Arabian Desert



Covering a large part of the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, the Arabian Desert consists of Rub al Khali. It is one of the largest continuous bodies of sand in the world. The features of the Arabian Desert vary from red dunes to quicksand. Here you can also find all sorts of animals like gazelles, oryx, sand cats, and spiny-tailed lizards.

We hope these Arabian desert facts change your mind about vast brown landscape sand you get a chance to visit these deserts for the breathtaking journeys that they really are.


If you would like to learn more about Arab dunes, Arab culture, or even just want to learn to speak Arabic before you go to make your journey even more pleasant, why not try our Arabic learning app? Researchers agree that Arabic learning apps are the best way to learn Arabic and Arabic dialects. There’s no better app available to help you learn than the Kaleela Arabic learning app. Download the Kaleela Arabic learning app to your iOS or Android mobile device and start to learn Arabic language skills today.

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