Siwa, Egypt, Photo by Benjamin Orbach

The great pyramids of Giza, the pink facades of Petra, the blue minarets of Istanbul, and the storybook walled cities of Jerusalem and Damascus are some of the highlights that lure travelers to the Middle East.

If you make it to these postcard spots, you won’t go home disappointed.

But there is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Jerusalem called Rahmo, where they serve the best kubbe soup this side of an Iraqi or Kurdish grandmother’s kitchen.

And deep in the Western Desert, between the oasis of Siwa and Egypt’s border with Libya, there is a place where the stars shine brightly and rocket across the sky.

Whether you are traveling in pursuit of history, good food, nightlife, nature, spirituality, or the journey itself, here are six suggestions for lesser known stops across the Middle East that will make your trip truly one-of-a-kind.

Ancient Ruins

In Cairo, Egyptians boast of 7000 years of history. In Jerusalem, Israelis celebrated 3000 years of Jewish history. In Syria, both Damascus and Aleppo claim to be the oldest city inhabited on earth.

With great history come great ruins – the pyramids of Giza, the temples of Luxor and Karnak, the oval forum at Jerash, and Palmyra, Syria’s “bride of the desert.”

All of these ruins are fantastic, but to get off the tourist trail in your pursuit of history and magnificent ruins, visit St. Siman’s Basilica in northern Syria.

Dating from the 5th century, St. Siman’s is not as old as some of the region’s more notable sites, but its triple arched basilica is fantastic, a natural beauty actually – it hasn’t been restored.

St. Siman was a shepherd turned ultra pious priest. For 37 years, he stood atop a pillar and preached to the visiting faithful, who had heard of his righteousness from near and far and came in search of guidance and miracles.

While all that remains of the once 15 meter-tall pillar is a stone nub centered in the courtyard between the ruins of the four basilicas, the place is worth a visit.

The columns of St. Siman’s triple arched façade are crowned with elephant ear stone leaves that seem to blow in the wind.

The lack of tourists, the desert breeze, and the landscape views combine to make St. Siman’s serene. The site is an easy half-day trip from Aleppo, 60km away.

St. Simian carving detail, Photo by Benjamin Orbach

Savory Food

The home of slowly roasted meat on a spit, cauldrons of freshly fried falafel, and bowls of humus and sweet olive oil, the Middle East is a foodie’s paradise.

Add to the mix mansaf, a communal lamb dish that you roll in your hand with rice and eat standing in a circle or maqlubeh, an upside down Palestinian rice dish with chicken, cauliflower, almonds, and spices, and you find yourself making Solomon-like decisions about what to have for dinner.

A lesser known contender to these delicacies is kubbe soup.

In the great tradition of savory ethnic dumplings that you’ve come to know and love (wontons, ravioli, and kreplach to name a few), kubbe are Iraqi-Kurdish pastries filled with shredded meat and spices, served in a choice of three different kinds of broth: tart vegetable, sweet tomato, and beet

They probably have great kubbe soup in Iraq, but I don’t think it is worth the trip.

Instead, go to one of Rahmo’s two locations in Jerusalem.

Rahmo serves Jerusalem’s best kubbe soup and is an institution almost as old as Israel itself. The original Rahmo is around the corner from the Iraqi market in Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem’s bustling open-air market in the center of town.

The restaurant is cafeteria style and its clientele are working class; the restaurant cut its teeth feeding workers their meal for the day. While it may be of the people, Rahmo’s food is fit for a king.

Ignore the smell of the kerosene burners and enjoy the kubbe soup, a full meal that borders on a holy experience. The new Rahmo is near Zion Square, on Yoel Solomon street, in the center of the city.

Istanbul, Golden Horn, Photo by Benjamin Orbach

Nightlife

Conventional wisdom across the Middle East dictates that if you are looking for a party, you should go to Beirut or Dubai. Both are home to beautiful people who spend lots of money in clubs that will make your ears bleed until well past dawn.

On the other hand, I’m not sure anyone has ever gone to Amman to party. While Jordan sets the region’s standard for hospitality, the country is generally known for its quiet on the nightlife front. Some, who love the country less than I, have even called Jordan “boring.”

Make no mistake, if you are traveling to the Middle East for nightlife, Amman should not be your first choice. Still, if you’ve come to Jordan for Petra and Jerash, and you find yourself in Amman on a Thursday night, Nih is where you want to be.

Nih is where Amman’s wealthy Jordanian and Palestinian yuppies come to party. Behind a gigantic wooden door and down a flight of steps, there is a secret loungy world where beautiful people dance on tables and eat and drink to their hearts’ content.

Located around the corner from the Howard Johnson’s in Shmesani, be sure to arrive early (before 10) or you probably won’t get in. Prices for food and drink are reasonable, certainly better than what you would pay in Dubai.

St. Simian ruins, Syria, Photo by Benjamin Orbach

Nature

Bedouin plodding through the desert under the hot mid-day sun, they lead their pack-heavy camels by a leather strap. No other image is more associated with the Middle East, than that of the desert. And nothing irritates the people of the region more than the preconception that everyone here rides a camel.

Surrounding the region’s deserts, there are crowded cities and small villages built on top of the remnants of great civilizations. And there are green spots and nature reserves, too, especially in the countries of the Levant – Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and even Jordan.

For nature lovers who prefer green to brown, and who are looking to get off the beaten path, head to the Golan Heights.

Prior to the 1967 war, the Golan was part of Syria; today, it is part of Israel. It takes less than five minutes in the Golan Heights to recognize the land’s beauty and value. The mountains are green, full of water, and overlook Israel’s largest water supply, the Sea of Galilee.

The strategic plateau is as close as 40KM away from Syria’s capital, Damascus. Though disputed land, the Golan is entirely safe and home to some wonderful hikes, the best is the very green upper trail of Nahal Yehudia, a national Israeli park.

Lined with waterfalls and swimming holes, there is a place where you are forced to jump (or descend a ladder bolted into a giant boulder if you are so inclined) into the cool water below. Visit in the spring and catch the yellow, red, pink, and black wild flowers.

View of Istanbul from Yoros Castle, Photo by Benjamin Orbach

Spirituality

Choosing a spiritual place off of the tourist trail in a part of the world full of God is tough. The history of the Islamic Empire resonates throughout the region in mosques that are in many cases each country’s finest work of art.

Within a few hundred feet in Jerusalem, you will find the remains of the Jewish Temples, the site of Christ’s resurrection, and the place where Mohammad ascended to heaven in his dream.

Yet for many travelers, the most ornate or historic place of worship does not necessarily equate to a spiritual experience.

In my Middle Eastern meanderings, I’ve always found the desert to be a spiritual place. It is a place that produces dreams, hope, and feelings of supreme humility in the face of overwhelming nature. No desert is prettier than the pink and red Wadi Ram of Jordan.

Trekking off the beaten path though, a lesser known, and more traditionally colored spot can be found in the western reaches of Egypt, in the desert surrounding the Oasis of Siwa.

At Siwa there is a great sand sea—with crests 20 to 30 meters tall—that blows across the desert plains. Cruising up and down its waves in a four wheeled drive vehicle is fun.

Drinking tea at sunset is picturesque. But the real attraction is after hours, in the darkness of night, when the stars shine, suspend time, and inspire belief in a higher power, whether that be God, science, or both.

Siwa is two buses and 11 or 12 hours from Cairo, depending upon how many times the bus overheats along the way.

The Journey

While some travel for the destination, others hit the road for the journey itself. Tiziano Terzani wrote a wistful, make you want to grab your backpack and go book called A Fortune Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East, that is really about appreciating the full process of traveling.

Terzani eschews flights and instead travels by train and by ship, making sure not to miss anything about the way there. But there are no India-like train trips in the Middle East.

And with neighborly relations between many of the region’s countries complicated at best, it isn’t easy to find a desert caravan styled journey that allows you to appreciate the path along the way.

Still, in the spirit of traveling to a place and knowing how you got there in every sense, there is a wonderful day trip along the Golden Horn in Istanbul.

The Golden Horn, in the heart of Istanbul, is where the Bosphorus meets the Sea of Marmara. Along the Old City’s docks, facing a minaret-studded landscape of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Suleymaniye Mosque, vendors hawk knickknacks and snacks and commuters stream on to ferries that will take them home.

Hop a ferry to Anadolu Kavagi and sit on the deck. For an hour and a half, the ferry makes stops between Europe and Asia. The landscape changes between former crusader forts to shattered docks to the homes of the clearly well-off. Along the way, it is all Istanbul.

At the end of the line, hike to top of the hill and the site of the old Yoros Castle. There are stunning views of Istanbul to the west and the Black Sea to the east. Before returning to the Golden Horn, make sure to stop at one of the fresh fish restaurants along the wharf.

Community Connection!

Matador is representing in the Middle East.

Emily Hansen, is currentlyteaching English in Istanbul – “It’s my New York, but better,” she writes.

Matador member DWB is the guy to talk to about Syria, writing:

Forget everything you’ve ever read in the news about Syria. While Syria’s international standing goes up and down (more down than up recently), the people to meet and places to see here never cease to amaze and impress me.

Then there’s Jason Rezaian, who wrote one of the most popular articles published at Matador Trips:

7 Reasons to travel to Iran Now

Basata Huts at Sunrise, Photo by Benjamin Orbach

Basata, simplicity in Arabic, is about 20 kilometers north of Nuweiba in Sinai, the peninsula
south of Israel and Jordan, east of Suez, and across the Red Sea from Saudi Arabia.

In the last ten years or so, I’ve traveled to Sinai seven times. Each time, it was to escape, whether from Jerusalem’s bus bombs, Ramadan fatigue in Amman, or just the honking of Cairo’s relentless traffic.

To me, the appeal of Sinai is, well, its simplicity. Basata and my previous haunts of Tarabin
and Ras al Shaytan are small stretches of beach that border the turquoise colored Red Sea.

Rather than the five-star hotels and grand buffets of Sharm al Sheikh and Taba, these beaches are home to bamboo-thatched huts, handmade colorful Bedouin rugs, and those thin mattresses that are meant to be slept on under the stars.

Where the Desert Meets the Sea

Each of these desert-meets-the-sea paradises offers something unique.

At Soft Beach in Tarabin, it’s pancakes topped with slices of melon and banana, chocolate nutella, and coconut shavings.

Egyptians, Israelis, and assorted internationals travel to Ras al Shaytan to play music together.

And in simple Basata, the beach’s uniqueness lies in its vegetarian, eco-friendly state of affairs.

Basata boasts a small bakery that churns out fresh bread, pastries, and pizza. The camp offers a vegetarian communal dinner ­ alternating each night between a red vegetable sauce over rice and the fried catch of the day.

Aside from the veggie food, Basata runs an impressive recycling operation. Guests sort their glass bottles and metal, and there is a separate can for table scraps and other unwanted leftovers that make up the stuff of doggy bags for the local cats.

Ras al Shaytan, Photo by Benjamin Orbach

Peace and Violence

In 2004, al-Qaeda terrorists bombed Ras al Shaytan’s peaceful huts. Sadly, there were major terrorist attacks in Sinai each of the last three years.

The Taba Hilton, located along the border with Israel, was bombed at the same time in 2004. Militants attacked Sharm al Sheikh in 2005, and Dahab ­ another Sinai beach ­ in 2006.

All told, close to 150 people were killed in these attacks with hundreds more wounded.

Still, on Friday night at the border, Israelis speaking Hebrew, Russian, and Arabic fill the terminal, many headed for the Taba Hilton’s casino for the night, similar to a Tijuana night out.

Sinai is a place to get away, not just for Israelis looking to gamble, but for middle class Cairenes too; Basata was full of young Egyptians away for the weekend. Europeans fly down for long weekends, especially to the resorts of Sharm al Sheikh.

Amid these travelers, the mostly poor, local Bedouin population lives off of the tourism industry, but also by commerce and smuggling.

Sinai doesn’t have urban areas with the trappings of government buildings and courthouses, town squares, or central parks.

Despite an increasing number of security stations and checkpoints that are charged with protecting tourists, Sinai remains a potential target for those who want to commit an attack.

So, if that is the case, why risk a trip to Sinai?

Well, it is a wonderful place. While terror attacks are attention-grabbing events that make the news; they aren’t a common killer.

For 2006, the U.S. Transportation Research Board projected that 43,300 people died in traffic
accidents on U.S. roads! Driving your car is more dangerous than visiting
paradise.

Basata Beach, Photo by Benjamin Orbach

Anti-American Fish

Trips to Sinai aren’t about stress and terror, but rather swimming and snorkeling in the Red Sea and then retreating to covered bamboo shelters to read, nap, and play backgammon.

A couple of visits ago, while snorkeling amid the greenish yellow coral, I came across a school of inch-long orangish red fish.

There were thousands of them, and they swam so close together that they appeared to be a giant Chinese New Year’s banner being pulled through the water.

On my last trip, I swam with some long, pencil thin, sky-blue fish that hovered close to the surface and pretended to be baby sharks.

Also worth mentioning was the little black fish with a silver dot that stalked me and bit my calf. It was the closest I came to anti-Americanism the whole weekend.

Red Sea Snorkeling, Photo by Benjamin Orbach

Stillness and Beauty

More noteworthy than anti-American fish, are Basata’s stillness and beauty.

Evenings here are clear, and as the sun retires and the fading light bounces off of the aqua sea, the Saudi hills turn reddish brown.

After dark, the night grows congested with constellations. Shooting stars tail across the field to the sounds of dried bamboo roofing rustling against the wind.

Tonight, lying in my hut, the stars are only a first act, as a giant orange half-moon just rose over the Saudi coastal lights. It sits low on the horizon, almost bobbing on top of the sea, before rising into the brightening night sky.

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If you are going, Basata takes reservations and the English speaking staff can be reached at www.basata.com.

If you are looking to love the nature but to sleep indoors, the Movenpick in Sharm al Sheikh is quality place and a good launching point for trips to Ras Mohammed, the fantastic Egyptian national park that is home to world-class diving and 2 million year old fossil reefs.

On the border with Israel, there is the Taba Heights complex and The Taba Hilton; both are higher end places with diving centers and casinos.

Community Connection!

Matador members who know and love the Middle East include Muttabal, an expert on Lebanon, Abha, who knows local corners of Dubai, and dwb, who writes:

“I’m currently living in Syria working on a project about contemporary Syrian society. But mostly I just try to find excuses to travel around the Middle East taking pictures.”

Matador is a community of engaged travelers who care about social justice. Join us today.