by Matthew Allison | Nov 5, 2013 | Middle East
Exploring Kuwait: A Gulf War Memory and a Unique Stopover November 2013: Kuwait wasn’t originally at the top of my Middle Eastern travel list, but when planning a long 20-something-day journey through the Middle East and West Africa, I saw an opportunity. The main...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 2, 2013 | Middle East
Return to Yemen: My Obsession with Socotra The Missed Opportunity (2007) In 2007, I made my first journey to Yemen—but for some strange reason, I didn’t go to Socotra Island. At the time, it just didn’t call to me the way it later would. It wasn’t until around 2010...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 10, 2010 | Asia, Middle East
Exploring Lebanon Through the Eyes of Locals November 2010: As part of a longer two-week journey that included Libya—where I explored Roman ruins under Muammar Gaddafi’s rule—and Sudan, where I camped among the Nubian pyramids, I spent three unforgettable days in...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 30, 2007 | Middle East
Yemen: Venturing into Old Arabia Discovering a Forgotten Land – November 2007 Yemen rarely made headlines for positive reasons. Whenever it appeared in the news, it was typically due to suicide bombings or ongoing conflicts. Even during its prolonged civil war, few in...
by Matthew Allison | Nov 22, 2006 | Asia, Middle East
Iran 2006: Seeking Truth Beyond the Headlines November 2006: In 2006, not long after my visit to North Korea, I set my sights on Iran—a country branded as part of the “Axis of Evil” by President George W. Bush and often demonized by Western media. But I...
by Matthew Allison | Mar 31, 2005 | Middle East
Damascus, Palmyra and Bosra A Glimpse of Syria Before It Changed Forever March 2005: As part of a larger Middle East journey, my friend and I spent three days in Syria, determined to see as much as possible in our limited time. Even then, we sensed that visiting as...
