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mre · Senior Member

Assignment #11: Middle East Travel Blogs

jessicalol · Veteran Member

mre wrote:

Middle East Travel Blogs

Source: http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/

Background: The internet has revolutionized the world in ways that we are just beginning to notice. Take for instance this website concerning travel blogs from around the world. In the past, people were limited to slide project shows or long hours around a photo album to hear stories from world travelers. Now, anyone can visit this site to learn about the journeys of ordinary people around the world and, in this case, the Middle East.

Assignment: Imagine yourself a foreign desk reporter (or a photojournalist) for a major United States newspaper or magazine. Your supervisor has sent you on a project to travel to three countries in the Middle East. Before you go, however, you want to learn as much as you can from the people who have been there before you. Using the site above, retell three stories (by reading their accounts and describing their pictures) of travels to your choice of three Middle Eastern countries. Each story should be a paragraph (at least five sentences) long.

Example: [Blog link] One of the countries I chose was Saudi Arabia. According to the blog author, it was an interesting country to visit for my work. She told stories from a nurse in her dormitory concerning public executions that used to be held near our building and she has witnessed people collecting locusts in paper bags to be eaten later.

Evaluation: You will receive 30 points for each paragraph written on each country visited. You will receive 5 points for asking a question or making a comment to another student and 5 point for responding to another students post.

-- Edited by mre at 14:51, 2008-10-01

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks."

one guy went thea and he hitched a ride to tukey and he really enjoyed everything there even though he had a bit of a struggle.

Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 15-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government.

A women visited the infumus cedars of Lebanon. These are the same cedars that King Solomon built his temple with in the Bible.

In 1970, QABOOS bin Said Al Said ousted his father and has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world and has preserved a long-standing political and military relationship with the UK.

A couple spent a relaxing day swimming. They say the sea water was warm and wonderful to swim in, the only beach they visited in Egypt was Alexandria and it was so crowded they had not attempted a swim.

jveloso8 · Member

Assignment: Imagine yourself a foreign desk reporter (or a photojournalist) for a major United States newspaper or magazine. Your supervisor has sent you on a project to travel to three countries in the Middle East. Before you go, however, you want to learn as much as you can from the people who have been there before you. Using the site above, retell three stories (by reading their accounts and describing their pictures) of travels to your choice of three Middle Eastern countries. Each story should be a paragraph (at least five sentences) long.

Iran
In the morning, the bazaar faction won the day, so they visited the bazaar in Kermanshah, there we found Kurdish sparkling clothes galore as well as sweets and cakes. It was great seeing everyone with the bright hats and scarves that they had found in the bazaar all waiting on the pavement for the bus to start. Iranian bazaars are fantastic, proper working places, the large ones are cities within cities. We drove to Sanandaj, the capital of Iranian Kurdistan, where we had lunch. Unfortunately we had no time to see more of it, as I would have liked.

Israel
This is the lowest I have ever been. Consider, when you are swimming in the ocean, you are, at most, a few feet below sea level. Well the of the Dead Sea is 1,378 feet below sea level.I mean, really really bad. You bob in it like a cork, which is fun for about 15 minutes. Then the salt begins to burn your eyes, burn your nose, and mildly sting your skin. You get out thinking 'That was fun, and I feel great, but I don't ever feel the need to do it again."

Azerbaijan
A pedestrian promenade runs all along Bakus Caspian coast close to the city centre. Its a great place for a stroll and its very clean and safe. It takes about an hour to stroll and its very clean and safe. It takes about an hour to stroll along its length and theres lots to see and usually something going on.

acevedo123 · Member

1. Fifteen days ago there was a man named Pablo in Barhal. He said that the 13 & 14 of September the people from Syria celebrate the feast of the Cruz. The party was held in memory of the emperist Santa Helena whom discovered the scene of the cross on jerusilum.this was news that extend across Christianity.
2. 24 days ago russ went to Syria. He said that the journey took a little under 5 hours. We feared not being able to drink even water because of Ramadan, but we neednt have worried. The conductor still brought sweets and refreshments around until we got to Hama. There we had a short break but our favorite kebab man was closed because of the religious restrictions. A couple of hours later we were being dropped off somewhere in Aleppo and were negotiating a good price for a taxi to take us to our hotel.
3.David on tour was in Syria 12 days ago and he talks about the waterwheels. He said that the waterwheels are around 20 meters in Diameter and made of wood and make the groaning sound all the time - he also attached a video so that you know what he's talking about if it works!! There are around 8 in total and they were used to take than water up from the river to the fields for irrigation.

-- Edited by acevedo123 at 17:31, 2008-10-01

iliana · Newbie

One of the countries i chose was Jordan,acorrding to the blog author Jordan is a very beautiful place. the days seem to fly by, but go slowly at the same time.During the day time its usually in the 70's -90's supposed to nights it starts to get cooler like 60's and 50's.There is a national holiday witch contains a week off,its to celebrate the end of Ramadan.This is the time when most people travel or go sightseeing,but a lot of places are closed or crowded.A famous dish that was eaten is called mansaf,its made with rice, boiled eggs, meatballs, potatoes, pine nuts, cranberries, and chicken.There are other foods then just that such as pizza.Well for lunch Arabs drink yogurt blended with salt and water.The language that was spoken was Arab but mostly English.also they enjoy watching sports such as football.Jordan is really beautiful,its mostly clear skies an hardly rains.Also there are many things to do such as sightseeing,shopping at the City Mall,hanging out with friends cracking jokes and more.

Another country I chose was Israel. Sightseeing in Jerusalem is very beautiful.In Jerusalem the begginning of Shabbat would mean that everything would be shut down as the orthodox Jews would go to temple, the Western Wall or someone's home for dinner. In Tel Aviv, this meant the beginning of the weekend that translated into going out to bars. After eating we headed out to seaside bar attached to a hotel.We played games an hung out for a while telling jokes.Tel Aviv was very fun.At night, when the temperature subsides,the humidity in Tel Aviv is quite bearable and is actually pleasant.Somehow, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have different climates during the summer .Jerusalem is more dry,cooler and can get cold at night where as Tel Aviv is very hot and humid and would rarely get cold.The local coffee in Tel Aviv is so good that Starbucks decided it couldnt compete and closed up shop in Israel.After breakfast at the cafe we then had met up in Eilat for the Red Sea Jazz fest and planned on taking a road trip when I would arrive in Tel Aviv. We left for Caesarea as our first stop. Caesarea rivaled Alexandria in terms of relevancy of Roman seaports, but had been forgotten over the last few centuries, only to be rediscovered and restored.The amphitheater was nicely refurbished and is supposed to be one of the biggest music venues in Israel, though from my vantage point it seemed like it could only fit about a few thousand people.We drove on to a Druze village Daliyat al-Karmel. We recommended that we go into town and sample a Druze specialty - sour goat cheese called Labane mixed with olive oil and tahina (sesame sauce) and eaten with a pita. Humus was also brought out and they were both devoured. The cheese or humus combined with pita bread would become a staple of my diet in the Middle East. One very cool scene that I hope will be depicted with the pictures was when we saw teenagers jumping from the city walls twenty feet into the water below. It seemed very fun! Also the gardens of Haifa was a very beautiful sight.My last few days were spent walking around the city and beaches. In all Tel Aviv an Jerusalem was a very fortuitous place.

fahimmulti · Veteran Member

Afghanistan: according to the traveler, he said it was a landlocked country, a bit crowded, and busy rebuilding. but it was a very calm and peacful in nature sort of country where the countryside was very calm and admirable. the city was a overcrowded and hard to travel but other things were fairly alright. and one more thing, the security was not well at the time and still isnt.

Saudi Arabia: according to the traveler, this country had a lot of deserts and empty, useless sights where humans did not live but it had it. this country had and had a sacred site called mecca, which is a shrine for the muslims and that attracts millions of people every year. the place was incredibly packed. the country was pretty much rich and built but the countryside was still poor and living in poverty.

Egypt: according to the traveler, he saw a good amount of pyramids on his way through the city, the country had a lot of artifacts found throughout time and was a place of tourism. but unfortunatly this country has a lot of deserts that are extremely hot to live in it is useless, and it space-consuming, the majority of the country is a desert. but overall egypt had been a fantastic experience for the young travele r.

to jveloso8

why did you include azerbaijan?, that is not in the middle east, that's central asia .

to acevedo123

is it me or do i only see one middle eastern country which is syria?

jaddyyma · Member

JORDAN.
http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Jordan/

I know that they are ruled by a king, and the language used is mostly Arabic.
Nationality: Jordanian
Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religons: Muslim,Grekk Orthdox,Roman Catholics,and Prtoestants.
By the looks of things JORDAN is really religous,and beautiful.
_______

OMAN.
http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Oman/

Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.
their is a clear border beteween us and SAUDi ARABiA,
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE

______
YEMAN
http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Yemen/

North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen.

jaddyyma · Member

jessicalol wrote:

mre wrote:

Middle East Travel Blogs

Source: http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/

Background: The internet has revolutionized the world in ways that we are just beginning to notice. Take for instance this website concerning travel blogs from around the world. In the past, people were limited to slide project shows or long hours around a photo album to hear stories from world travelers. Now, anyone can visit this site to learn about the journeys of ordinary people around the world and, in this case, the Middle East.

Assignment: Imagine yourself a foreign desk reporter (or a photojournalist) for a major United States newspaper or magazine. Your supervisor has sent you on a project to travel to three countries in the Middle East. Before you go, however, you want to learn as much as you can from the people who have been there before you. Using the site above, retell three stories (by reading their accounts and describing their pictures) of travels to your choice of three Middle Eastern countries. Each story should be a paragraph (at least five sentences) long.

Example: [Blog link] One of the countries I chose was Saudi Arabia. According to the blog author, it was an interesting country to visit for my work. She told stories from a nurse in her dormitory concerning public executions that used to be held near our building and she has witnessed people collecting locusts in paper bags to be eaten later.

Evaluation: You will receive 30 points for each paragraph written on each country visited. You will receive 5 points for asking a question or making a comment to another student and 5 point for responding to another students post.

-- Edited by mre at 14:51, 2008-10-01
Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks."

one guy went thea and he hitched a ride to tukey and he really enjoyed everything there even though he had a bit of a struggle.

Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 and the end of the devastating 15-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater say in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government.

A women visited the infumus cedars of Lebanon. These are the same cedars that King Solomon built his temple with in the Bible.

In 1970, QABOOS bin Said Al Said ousted his father and has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world and has preserved a long-standing political and military relationship with the UK.

A couple spent a relaxing day swimming. They say the sea water was warm and wonderful to swim in, the only beach they visited in Egypt was Alexandria and it was so crowded they had not attempted a swim.

Jessica, i really get a picture in my mind with your descriotion of turkey!
good job. smile

IndiaRussell09 · Member

Iraq: During World War I, Iraq was occupied by Great Britain. It was also declared league of nations under briish control.Still having control following seizing of Kawaitt by Iraq the UK demanded that Iraq despose of ther weapons of mass distructon.

Syria: Similar to Iraq during WWI Syria was also under European control. It wasnt until 1946 that they gained their independence.
The weather there is extremen Another traveler bloggeds experiece of going to a bus station and finding that there were no buses.

mre · Senior Member

Grades Updated 10-6-08

elwilliams · Member

Iran: According to the blogger, Iran actually had a lot of very nice sites, and the people were very friendly. He talks about how the people are so friendly they'd approach them and ask if they were having a good time in Iran and asked what they thought of their country. Almost all the women they saw wore all black, and was surprising considering how hot it was. The blogger also mentioned that they are actually more women in college than men, but there aren't that many women workers.

Isreal: The blogger states that the city of Jerusalem is a beautiful place. The city holds so much history. They have so many historical places to visit. Some of these places include: Tower of David, Gate to the Old City, and Bahai Temple. Another thing he mentioned was that religion there is a huge deal. There are so many churches and spiritual places to see.

Saudi Arabia: The blogger pretty much talks about her visit to Riyadhi Gardens. She talks about the flowers, the trees, and the koy ponds. She also mentions the archietecture and the Kingdom Tower. She also talks about the people she met, and the conversations she had with them.

patriciaaaaxo · Veteran Member

Afghanistan has had many difficulities with other places around the world. The most remembered was when our mother-country the U.S. was attacked by them which is known as September 11th , year of 2001. In 2004, most of the tragic problems stopped due to a new democratic president Hamid Karzai. This place is very dusty with dirt roads and houses made out of bricks. The mean wear little hats on their heads. The old men sit on wodden-made chairs and have long white beards.

Cyprus was once a British colony but gained independence in 1960. In 1974, a sponsor from Greek was attempted to seize the government and meeting was met by a Turkish military intervention. Then cause to control one-third of the island. In 1983 it was declared " The Turkish republic of Nothern Cyprus. In this area it is beautiful with seas and boats. Buildings and city-like places , a true sight to be seen.

Yemen got independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1918. Yemenis from south to north cause twenty years of hostility. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to establish limits of their border. At Yemen they have a large rock with a house made at the tip-top of it. Women have to be fully covered, as a dress code. Yemen has dirt roads and woman where big barrels on their heads and walk their ways home.

Written By: The Best Journalist ever Patricia Sequeira <3

edalton76 · Veteran Member

Lebanon:
                One woman talks about her trip to Beirut, and its comparison to the city of Paris, France. However in recent years she mentions that with the heavy presence of the military in the area it has affected the downtown. She even goes so far as to call it a ghost town, with its many checkpoints and closed shops. Additionally she mentions that many of the resident Beirutis rarely notice the heavily equipped soldiers that patrol the streets of the city, but the tourists do not. While talking to a Lebanese woman in the downtown area she comes to find out that the shops were closed for a long time and were probably not going to open again anytime soon. Much of this she attributes to the civil war with Israel in 2006.
Kuwait:
                This man is talking about how his life in Kuwait has been so far. He mentions both high and low points for each [i.e., no snow, but unbearable summers]. In many cases he talks about how the positives outweigh the negatives. That is except in the case of traffic where it is very dangerous to drive around the big cities. He mentions that people are constantly speeding and are very arrogant and ignorant to the other drivers around them.
Georgia:
                In one of the travel blogs posted, a man talks about not being able to see any Russian tanks in the country of Georgia. He had planned to head out to the city of Gori but many of the people he talked to said it was a dangerous place and he could not find anyone willing to take him there. Then he decided that he would visit the city of Tbilisi. However when he walked around he found it strange that there were very few restaurants and bars but an abundant amount of tiny casinos filled with slot machines. After hearing about the problems with the Russians he decides that he does not feel bad for the Georgians.

-- Edited by edalton76 at 15:13, 2008-10-31

-- Edited by edalton76 at 15:13, 2008-10-31

abrun · Member

Afghanistan: Have had many difficulties with other places around the world. The most remembered was when our mother country the U.S. was attacked by them which is known as September 11th, year of 2001. In 2004, most of the tragic problems stopped due to a new democratic president Hamid Karzai. This place is very dusty with dirt roads and houses made out of bricks. The mean wear little hats on their heads. The old men sit on wooden-made chairs and have long white beards. Iran: According to the blogger, Iran actually had a lot of very nice sites, and the people were very friendly. He talks about how the people are so friendly they'd approach them and ask if they were having a good time in Iran and asked what they thought of their country. Almost all the women they saw wore all black, and was surprising considering how hot it was. The blogger also mentioned that they are actually more women in college than men, but there aren't that many women workers.

Iraq: During World War I, Iraq was occupied by Great Britain. It was also declared League of Nations under British control. Still having control following seizing of Kuwait by Iraq the UK demanded that Iraq dispose of their weapons of mass destruction.

LENA2009 · Newbie

When i read about the Lebanon i found it v ery interested. After all the wars and dissagreaments now lebenese and muslins are in peace. They take their political issues very serious and they aretrying to make their country better every day. Turkey its like turning back on time. Turkey people used to be ruled by one ruled named Mustafa Kemal. With time new party was ruling turkey. My third choice is Qatar, i choose this country because it shows how brave the people are. It foght for it independence and now its an free country. With significant with oil and natural gas revenues.