Middle East | Ramblings

Iran in pictures

April 18, 2020July 22, 2021 pdg 0 Comments Chakchak, Esfahan, Iran, Kandovan, Kerman, Persepolis, Qazvin, Qom, Shiraz, Yazd, Zoroastrianism

Former US President George W Bush called it part of “the Axis of Evil”. I call it one of the most fascinating and welcoming places I’ve been.

Middle East Photos

Turkey in pictures

April 12, 2020July 11, 2021 pdg 0 Comments Ani, Diyarbakir, Dogubayazit, Erzurum, Hasankeyf, Istanbul, Kars, Mt Ararat, Turkey, Yusufeli

A snow-bound palace, a ruined city, welcoming locals, a shipwreck and a fabled mountain — those are just a few of the things I photographed in Turkey in 2004.

Middle East Photos

Remembering Syria: Photos before and after the war

April 11, 2020July 4, 2021 pdg 0 Comments Aleppo, Aramaic, Arwad Island, Damascus, Deir az-Zor, Hama, Krak des Chevalliers, Maaloula, Palmyra, Syria

In 1995 I spent three unforgettable weeks in Syria. Now, after almost 10 years of civil war, many of the places I visited are no more.

Middle East

Please don’t press that button, Mr Trump

June 25, 2019September 20, 2020 pdg 2 Comments Donald Trump, Esfahan, Iran, Qom, Revolutionary Guard, Shiraz, Tehran, Yazd

Why I’m hoping against hope the US won’t go to war with Iran.

Middle East

Best Mideast stopover: Dubai or Oman?

June 20, 2018September 19, 2020 pdg 0 Comments Dubai, Muscat, Mutrah, Oman, United Arab Emirates

Your long-haul flight is touching down in Dubai and you want a stopover – but do you stay in the United Arab Emirates or head to nearby Oman? Here’s my verdict.

Middle East

Inside the Axis of Not-So-Evil

May 9, 2018September 19, 2020 pdg 0 Comments Iran, Tehran

Former US president George Bush dubbed it part of the Axis of Evil. Instead I found kindness, warmth and generosity, along with a young generation itching for freedom and a vast gulf between rulers and the ruled.