Nowhere else on earth boasts a richer cultural history than the Middle East. Sure, Africa may be the cradle of humanity, but the middle east is where it blossomed. It was the birthplace of many great religions. As the centre of ancient trading routes like the Silk Road, it linked Africa, Europe and Asia, spreading and fermenting new ideas. The Middle East was humanity's great crossroads, where vibrant cultures met, fought and evolved.

It's a shame then, that it can be such a troublesome region to independently travel through. Bureaucratic and language barriers make solo exploration of the Middle East daunting for many people. For this reason, organised tours come highly recommended. While it's understandable that many travellers recoil at the though of such pre-packaged tours alongside dozens of other westerners, they can be the best way to make the most of your travel time. Such tours are stereotypically seen as little more than a pub-crawl with short stops at historic locations before everyone is herded back on the bus to head to continue the well-trooden trail. Thankfully, this isn't the case with experienced adventure tour companies like Kumuka and Intrepid. Their tours focus on authentic encounters with a country's landscape and culture. Most importantly – all the complex details such as visas, border crossings and accommodation are taken care of for you. This leaves you free to simply soak up the experience.

I was Kumuka's guest on their Istanbul to Cairo tour. The three-week overland adventure spans three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa), five vibrant Middle Eastern countries (Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt) and five warm seas (Mediterranean, Marmara, Black, Red and Dead,). That’s a bundle of Middle Eastern experience crammed into a short space of time. Unfortunately, with the ongoing volatility in the Middle East it’s easy to have misconceptions about the region and its people. But you shouldn’t let fear and a distorted western media perspective of the Middle East put you off. Sure, you’ll be stopped at military checkpoints where soldiers point heavy machine guns at you from behind sandbagged watchtowers and armoured personnel carriers flank you from the roadside. But, once you accept these necessary security measures, you’ll find that Middle Eastern people are some of the friendliest, most genuine and generous you’ll ever encounter. They adore visitors are are so proud of their culture and country that they will often act as impromptu tour guides if you take the time to get to know them.

HISTORY'S MARKETPLACE – Aleppo, Syria
There is no better place to immerse yourself in the culture of this ancient region than Syria’s second largest city, Aleppo. Along with Syria’s capital of Damascus, Aleppo shares the honour of being the oldest constantly inhabited city in the world – with evidence dating back as far as 5000 BC. We were lucky too arrange a guided tour of Aleppo with Ahmed Modallal – a small and unassuming old man with a glint in his eye that comes from his passion and knowledge of his beloved city. As he led us through the chaotic streets of this city of three million proud Syrians, boasting a curious mix of Islamic Mosques and French colonial architecture, he was constantly stopped by locals who recognized him from his resemblance to his 90-year-old father – Syria’s famous traditional folk musician.

After disentangling himself from his admirers, Ahmed led us down the dark and crowded passageways of Aleppo’s famous souq (covered market). It is one of the longest markets of its type in the world, with sections that date back to the 13th century. Many of the larger buildings fringing the souq used to be Khans – places of refuge for merchants trekking the Spice Road between India, China and Europe. These khans were a crucial part of the trade network – allowing the hundreds of camel caravans weighed down with exotic cargo to rest in safety before continuing their dangerous journeys to far away markets. The rich atmosphere of this old-world bazaar captivated us. It seemed to swallow us and then enticed us deeper and deeper into its belly with exotic sights and smells at every turn. Dodging donkeys ridden by children down the tight cobbled alleyways, we found everything from handmade jewellery and Arab headdresses, through to spices, traditional sweets and entire camel carcasses hanging from hooks. Surly Syrian matrons shrouded head to toe in black elbowed us out of their way as we wandered spellbound through mile after mile of this colourful market drenched in eastern mystery. Apart from the odd pair of fake Calvin Klein underwear or not-so-authentic Rolex watch destroying the illusion, we could have sworn we’d stepped back in time.

THE ROSE ROCK CITY – Petra, Jordan
The Middle East is awash with ancient ruins of past civilizations. We visited many remarkable archaeological sites, like Turkey’s roman city of Ephesus and Syria’s Crac des Chevaliers castle from where the crusading Knights of the Round Table sought to punish what they saw as the heathen Islamic nations of the east. But, after visiting several such world-famous ruins in a row it’s difficult not to become fairly blasé about yet another monolithic marble pillar or massive Roman amphitheatre. However, no matter how many archaeological sites you’ve trudged around previously in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, nothing will prepare you for Jordan’s number one attraction – the rose-rock city of Petra. Spread over more than 15km, this awe-inspiring place was carved out of towering red rock cliffs by the Nabataean people around 300BC. It controlled the spice and silk trade route through the region for hundreds of years until a severe earthquake in AD555 drove its people away. Today, its massive carved facades are in various stages of erosion, but still have the power and silent grandeur to leave any visitor speechless. Petra is such a well preserved and iconic ancient city that many of it’s more famous locations – such as the Treasury and the Lion Tomb – have appeared in movies like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Given the sheer scale of Petra and the number of tombs, sacrificial alters and temples it’s impossible to see everything in a single day. Several of the best locations require long treks up thousands of steps hewn into the rock. Thankfully Petra is also host to hundreds locals offering their various beasts of burden to save your aching limbs. Camels are by far the most romantic way of travelling – but be warned: many a bruised westerner will testify that they’re known as “ships of the desert” because of wearying rolling motion of the saddle. Donkeys are often a cheaper option than camels, and somewhat more comfortable. But the downtrodden little buggers will either make you feel terribly guilty for riding them, or will try and remove you from their back by squeezing under low rock overhangs.

BALLOONS AND FAIRY CHIMNEYS – Cappadocia, Turkey
For natural beauty, the bewildering array of rocky shapes in Turkey’s Cappadocia (Kapadokya) region is unsurpassed. Long ago several volcanoes covered the area in a deep layer of soft dust, which has eroded over the centuries to form a myriad of awesome pillars, haunting valleys and natural sculptures. The locals refer to these rock formations as “fairy chimneys” and since 800AD have taken full advantage of the powdery rock to carve out scores of homes, churches and monasteries inside these cool white sanctuaries. Much of the population, especially around Goreme, still live in these hand-dug caves, and for as little as US$4 per night you too can experience what’s it’s like to be a troglodyte.

By far the best way to explore the beautiful Cappadocia region is from the basket of a hot air balloon. It’s certainly not a cheap way to travel (at US$300 for around 2 hours), but this unique perspective of inaccessible valleys and stone pillars is impossible by any other means. Now, when you generally think of hot air ballooning you picture getting far above the ground and dangerous obstacles such as trees, power lines and hillsides. But this is not the case with the Kapadokya Balloons company run by Dutch husband and wife team, Lars and Kaili. They endeavour to get you as close to collision as possible – gliding literally centimetres away from ridges and skimming treetops that could easily tip the basket or tear the fragile fabric of the balloon itself. But there is no need to be alarmed – this is no devil-may-care joy ride. Lars is one of the top balloon pilots in the world and his supreme skills and delicate touch on the gas burners make your huge floating platform seem as light and manoeuvrable as a hovering dragonfly. He is a true Zen master of the breeze – judging the tiniest variations in airflow to sink into tight valleys and scrape between towering pillars.

In the early morning light we glided through valleys of exquisite sculptured rocks like a huge colourful ghost, scaring foxes from their rocky perches. Several times we got close enough to the upper branches of apricot trees to pluck their fruit, had it been in season. Lars refers to his style of ground skimming ballooning as an “airborne nature walk”. There is no question that this close-up aerial perspective of Cappadocia’s magical landscape is truly unique in the world and the highlight of any visit to Turkey.

HOPE AND DISPAIR - Lebanon
Possibly the most powerful experience you can have in the Middle East is a visit to Lebanon’s war-torn capital of Beirut. A bitter and bloody 17-year civil war between Muslims and Christians only truly ended in 1994 and the scars left on the city have not yet healed. Once know as the “Paris of the East” because of its French architecture and lavish lifestyle, it is now a city of stark and sobering contrasts. Bombed out high rises cratered with thousands of sniper rounds and rocket impacts stand beside shiny new American symbols of prosperity such as Dunkin’ Donuts and the Hard Rock Café. Wealthy Lebanese businessmen drive European luxury cars like Mercedes and BMWs past Palestinian refugees who survive below the poverty line. Privileged young people dance away the night in the city’s extravagant nightclubs, as exclusive and fashionable a s any found in London or San Francisco. There’s no doubt that Beirut can be a difficult place to properly digest. But it is an unforgettable microcosm of the Middle East as a whole – old and new, hope and despair, existing side by side.

Journey to the rural areas outside of Beirut and there is another shock in store. It’s impossible to miss the thousands of yellow flags sporting the symbol of a clenched fist holding a machine gun defiantly in the air. This is the heartland of the Hezbollah – the Iranian-backed “Party of God” who advocate suicide bombing as the only way to combat Israeli aggression. Outside the ancient Roman ruins of Baalbek in northern Lebanon (the country’s number one tourist destination) you can openly buy Hezbollah T-shirts from a smiling member of the organization for less than US$5. Your money almost certainly finances the purchase of weapons to fight the Israelis, who still make regular incursions into southern Lebanon to this day.

THANKS TO:
- Kumuka Worldwide (www.kumuka.com)
- Kapadoykya Balloons (www.kapadokyaballoons.com)