Middle East

Y is for Yemen

“YE 97 Ponte di Shahara” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by Luca Bruno Photographer There is only one rule when driving in Yemen–basic rule #1–whoever is in front has the right-of-way. Rear-view and side-view mirrors are optional. Most Western men just can’t give up the driving habits of home, choosing instead to be driven crazy by the behavior of everyContinue reading “Y is for Yemen”

U is for United Arab Emirates

“Homeward bound” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by gordontour We moved to the United Arab Emirates in 1996. Abu Dhabi was my second Foreign Service assignment in the Middle East, and my third living experience in the region. When Ramadan came around our first year in Abu Dhabi, I thought I knew what it was all about, having lived moreContinue reading “U is for United Arab Emirates”

Q is for Qatar

“Doha, Qatar” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by . Shell The summer of 1987, before I arrived in Doha in October of that year, the governments of Qatar and Bahrain adopted threatening postures towards one another, the result of a dispute about the Hawar islands off the coast of Qatar. Both countries claimed the islands, which can be seen from theContinue reading “Q is for Qatar”

O is for Oman

“Al Dhalam Souq IV” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by andryn2006 Oman sparkles. In the three years, from 1996 to 1999, that we lived in Abu Dhabi, we drove to Oman several times. And every time, we felt a difference when we crossed the border. The streets looked as though they had just been swept for our arrival. The rocksContinue reading “O is for Oman”

I is for Iran

“Music Room” (CC BY 2.0) by D-Stanley I loved it and I hated it on the same day every day for 882 days. It was Iran, and my love-hate relationship began on April 2, 1975, at the start of what I referred to as the world’s most elaborate April Fool’s gag. Two years before, I hadn’t thought suchContinue reading “I is for Iran”

D is for Doha

“Doha skyline” (CC BY 2.0) by Francisco Anzola When I got off the plane late one October evening in 1987 in Doha, my first thought was Who left the oven door open? The heat assaulted me at the top of the stairs set up on the tarmac to facilitate passengers getting off the plane. I had never feltContinue reading “D is for Doha”

C is for Cairo

“The Great Pyramid & Sphinx, Cairo, Egypt” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Aero Pixels I didn’t want to go to Cairo. I had just arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in August of 1996 to take up my responsibilities as management officer of the US Embassy there. I was eager to get started. But instead, I was sentContinue reading “C is for Cairo”