If you think the Middle East is all desert and conflict, think again. There are dozens of places for adventurers to go on beautiful treks in the region, from Turkey's Lycian Way to Iraq's Mount Halgurd . In certain places, sure, you'll need to beware of international borders and land mines from wars long past , but if you do your homework ahead of time, the Middle East is a rewarding place to conquer the outdoors.

Israel takes gold in the “chutzpah*" category after claiming that Jordan’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist is “Israeli” with faux Jordanian roots. The athlete was born in Abu Ghosh, Palestine, an Arab-majority town established long before the Israeli state - and one that bears his family's name. His family emigrated to Jordan soon after his birth in 1996. He is not Israeli, despite what the Jewish Telegraphic Agency , Y net News , and Haaretz write. Taekwondo champion Ahmad Abughaush earned a gold medal for his triumphant performance at the 2016 ...

When you think of the West Bank in the Palestinian Territories, skateboarding is not what initially springs to mind. Stories of violent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis, housing demolitions , child arrests and Israeli settlement expansion tend to dominate headlines from the occupied territory. But despite the pervasive presence of the Israeli occupation, daily life in Palestine continues and within this, a small group of skateboarders have begun to emerge in the West Bank. Nurturing this growth in skate culture is UK based charity Skatepal , who have recently built ...

At a glance, the American South and the Middle East are polar opposites. The two regions have different politics, religions, terrains, barbecue preferences - the list seems endless! Despite being over 6,000 miles apart, the southern United States and the Middle East actually have quite a lot in common. Like we say in the South, " a stranger's just a friend you haven't met yet ." Could it be that these two cultures are more compatible than clashing? Albawaba takes a look at 13 surprising similarities between the two!

Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi celebrates winning the silver medal in the Men's 1500m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016. Adrian DENNIS / AFP

Daesh (ISIS), Daesh and Daesh. That’s what Iraq is primarily in the news for nowadays as government and allied militia forces fight to take territory from the Islamic militant group, along with help from the US-led coalition and Iran. Possible independence of Iraqi Kurdistan and protests against the government of Haider al-Abadi make the news too, among other stories. What doesn’t appear in the headlines is what Iraq used to look like before war plagued the country. Enter the Old Iraqi Pictures Twitter account , with its handle @IraqiPic. “Our ...

Tunisia's bronze medallist Marwa Amri reacts on the podium at the end of the women's 58kg freestyle wrestling event at the Carioca Arena 2 in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, 2016, during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Jack GUEZ / AFP

Jordan's Hussein Iashaish fights France's Tony Victor James Yoka during the Men's Super Heavy (+91kg) Quarterfinal 1 match at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Riocentro - Pavilion 6 in Rio de Janeiro on August 16, 2016. Yuri CORTEZ / AFP

Sports are meant to be a reprieve from reality - a refuge from politics where sportsmanship and competition trump all else . Though much of the time sports can stay separate from world affairs, exceptional events have caused both to intersect frequently as international conflicts spill over into the arenas and stadiums of sporting events. Perhaps no one knows this intersection better than Israeli athletes, who regularly face opposition to their participation in international sports. The worst came in 1972, when members of the Israeli Olympic team was kidnapped and ...