Quick! When you think about traveling to the Middle East, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Traveling through Arabian deserts on camelback? Climbing the pyramids in Egypt? Andre Agassi and Roger Federer playing tennis some 1,053 feet in the air on the helipad of one of the tallest hotels in the world? Okay that last one might be a stretch, but here’s the...
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When you started learning Arabic, you probably didn’t think much about the long-term benefits of learning the language. Most likely, you were just happy that you’re able to ask where the bathroom is in Beirut or ask for directions to your business conference in Cairo. However, the benefits of being bilingual go far deeper than that, and today we’re going to discuss how you can...
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Finding people playing card games in the Arab world these days is as ubiquitous as finding falafel stands; in other words, they’re everywhere. Arabs adopted their love of playing cards from the Chinese who are believed to have invented them around the Tang Dynasty in the 9th century A.D. when the daughter of Emperor Yizong of Tang, Princess Tongchang, was seen playing the "leaf game" in 868...
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Every culture around the world has its own form of music that is enjoyed by all ages of that culture and the Arab culture is no different. As in other cultures, Arabic music unifies the people living the Arabic speaking countries of the Middle East and has been used throughout history for special occasions and sometimes simply for the enjoyment that it brings to its...
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Located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the city of Dubai has grown into one of the most glamorous cities in the world, competing with such fashion capitals as New York, Paris, and Milan in recent years. Supermodels and ordinary citizens alike can be seen walking the streets of the Dubai in their haute couture clothing and designer shoes and accessories. However, among all the...
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Lebanese culture is the by-product of the ethnic and religious diversity of its population left behind by those who have both conquered and lived here for thousands of years - the Romans, Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Turks and most recently, the French, from which Beirut earned the nickname “the Paris of the Middle East” before returning back to the Arabs. All of this cultural history has...
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Late in 2019, Saudi Arabia announced new visas that will be available from 49 countries around the world while also giving the go-ahead to implement new dress code regulations, and especially those for women, throughout the kingdom. So, if you’re planning on doing business in the KSA in the future, what should you wear? Well, don’t worry because we’ve got you covered from head to...
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Kuwait as a country is dichotomy. It is a small emirate that sits in one of the one of the driest and most inhospitable deserts in the world, yet its coastline on Kuwait Bay has one of the deepest harbors in the Persian Gulf. In Kuwait City, you’ll find both Western liberalism and Islamic culture and high rise building and luxurious hotels next to stunning...
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Many foreigners who arrive in Bahrain are amazed at how well-dressed Bahrainis can be even just going to the supermarket where men can be found in their crisp, freshly ironed, white dishdashas and gutras, and women are equally immaculately dressed in their abayas which are beautifully embroidered in beautiful patterns around the neckline, along their sleeves, and their heads and faces generally uncovered. Being an Islamic nation, Bahrain culture...
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Oman is a wonderful country and as a tourist in the country, your journeys will lead you across its gorgeous deserts and through its bustling city streets. All the while you’ll be met by the wonderful Omani people, the women in their embroidered abayas and the men in their long white dishdashas smiling kindly as you drive by and indeed, you’ll find traditional Omani dress...
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