“Despite being depicted by the US administration and Western media as a terrorist training ground, Syria is an extremely safe country to travel in. You can walk around virtually anywhere, day or night without any problems. Syrians are friendly and hospitable and if someone invites you to their village or home you should accept their offer." It's hard to imagine Syria being described as an “extremely safe” country now, but that’s exactly the advice that a 2009 edition of the Lonely Planet Guide to Syria and Lebanon gives the Syria ...

Israeli statesman Shimon Peres (שמעון פרס‎) died today two weeks after suffering a massive stroke. He was 93. Remembered in the West as a “hawk” turned “dove” for his peace efforts later in his career, he leaves behind a complicated legacy for Arabs - from his support for illegal Israeli settlements to unapologetic bombardment of civilians in Lebanon and Gaza. At the time of his retirement in 2014, he was the world's oldest head of state. On a scale of one to “the Bulldozer,” Peres is likely to be remembered ...

"More Americans expected to self-medicate than for any other debate in history", wrote columnist and comedian Andy Borowitz in yesterday's New Yorker . His quip came referred to the first of three American presidential debates between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and TV personality and businessman Donald J. Trump. That debate, which pundits predicted to be raucous, was nearly overstaged by a sideshow of also-live tweets. Viewers in the Middle East could livestream the debate on Twitter . Held at 9 PM EST - that's 3 to 5 AM across ...

Middle Eastern women have become the world's biggest buyers of high fashion. Shocked? Just because they are wrapped in conservative hijab and abaya, doesn’t mean they’ve stifled their sartorial sensibility. So it makes perfect sense that in July, Condé Nast International crowned Saudi Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz as editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia, the latest territory in their stable of 21 region-specific fashion rag mags. Familiarize yourself with the lavish lifestyles of wealthy Arab women, particularly in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. With an annual social calendar ...

While the world mourns and scorns the death of Brangelina’s marriage , we at Al Bawaba were quick to play matchmakers by fishing out the most promising Arab bachelorettes that we see jostling for the prize -- that once so enviable Hollywood hunk (don't impress me –– much?) Brad Pitt. Brad’s close buddy George Clooney may have been “very sorry” to hear about the split of Hollywood’s golden couple, but we were quick to think: now that Pitt’s back on the market, surely George can convince him that Arab is ...

Algerian athlete Taoufik Makhloufi, double silver medallist at the 1500m and 800m at the Olympic Games-2016 Olympics in Rio, arrives on September 14, 2016 in Algiers. Ryad Kramdi / AFP

Politics in Jordan are always a little bit quiet - and on the bright side, it’s saved the country from much of the upheaval seen by its neighbors over the last five years. But there are plenty of developments to watch out for in this year’s election, from Islamists participating in elections for the first time in years, to women’s representation, to a new electoral system signed into law earlier this year. The new law abolished the one-person, one-vote system, replacing it with a multi-member list, which, if more complicated ...

Gary Johnson was not the only US presidential candidate to make a gaffe when he revealed he didn’t know what Aleppo–Syria’s pre-war largest city presently under siege–was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe last week. And he won’t be the last. Presidential candidates and presidents themselves have made hilarious, head-scratching and ridiculous foreign policy statements since the US was founded. From John McCain singing his desire to bomb Iran back in 2007 to Donald Trump claiming Daesh (ISIS) “honors” Obama last month, here are ten of the best foreign policy gaffes made ...

Many expats agree that the tipping point for acclimating to a new culture is three years. That's three years before you can navigate your way knowlegably around a new major city, command enough of the language to find what you need, and fully absorb the subtle nuances of social mores. But how do you know you've made the shift from visitor to near-native? It's when you don't quite fit back into the place you called home. A Facebook page named "You Know You’ve Been in The Middle East Too Long" ...

Last year, the Hajj celebrations in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia were marred by tragedy . A stampede killed over 2 thousand pilgrims and the collapse of a crane killed dozens more — bringing the Saudi government’s ability to cope with the influx of pilgrims (who number about 3.7 million annually) into question. For Hajj 2016, Saudi Arabia made unprecedented changes to its infrastructure and security in the region. Likely motivated by the fallout of the stampede and crane disasters last year as well as recent bombing attacks ...

Amman, Jordan — The sound of barbells hitting the ground, grunts, old school American hip hop, the latest in Egyptian pop hits and the call to prayer (for which the music stops) emanate from Man’s Fitness Corner . Located across from the Al Husseini mosque in the heart of downtown Amman, this all male gym is different from its West Amman counterparts i n a variety of ways. “People come from Jordan, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Germany, Norway, Bangladesh the Philippines, Pakistan; it’s international cause it’s in downtown, and most ...