In America, we’re sort of subtly nudged toward the impression that the United States is really the only place worth checking out. If you are interested in traveling abroad, the media does its level best to paint the rest of the world like its one, big war zone. It seems like simply saying the words “Middle East” out loud would draw apprehensive stares from passerby. If you listen to CNN tell it, you might wonder why on Earth anyone would ever want to travel to Jordan or Egypt or the United Arab Emirates. Well, the truth is simple. Not only is the danger of traveling to the Middle East overblown, but it’s home to millennia of world history and culture, plus incredible swaths of nature and some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful architecture to be found from any period in human development. If you’ve never considered a little trip to the Middle East, you’ve been keeping yourself closed off from one of the planet’s most gorgeous locations.
1. The Dead Sea Has Been Beloved Since Antiquity
Don’t let the name fool you, the Dead Sea is a stunning stretch of land. The salt lake borders Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. It’s banks are 423 feet below sea level, which makes it the lowest (non-submerged) point of land on Earth. The Dead Sea is so beautiful that it’s captured the hearts of several important historical figures. In fact, Cleopatra ordered several resorts built along the Dead Sea’s shores.
