Travelling

One of my favorite parts of living in the United Arab Emirates for six months was its central geographic location. This made travelling throughout the region relatively easy.

As you can see in the map, the UAE is a small country in close proximity to many other countries. Of course, there are many places that you should probably avoid, but many places that offer unique travel experiences.

With the close proximity of the region, you can take weekend trips to other countries just like we would here in the United States to other cities or states. Depending on which semester you study abroad, there are many lengthy holiday breaks. The two major Muslim holidays warrant a 10 day  break. Unfortunately, while I was abroad there were no major holidays, but we did have a week-long Spring Break. During those 6 months, I traveled to Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and to Turkey. 

Kuwait

Souk Mubarakiya

In all honesty, there is not a whole lot going on in Kuwait. There are a few museums, remnants of the Iraqi invasion in 1990, and one good souq. My interest in visiting the country was to see my family that lives there, many of them who I have never met before. 

Baker in the souq (he gave us free bread!!)

I definitely enjoyed visiting my family the most out of all the things that we did in Kuwait.

Qatar
Visiting Doha, the capital of Qatar (and honestly the only place to go in Qatar) was another interesting experience. Qatar is the richest country in the world, and I also found it to be one of the most conservative countries that I have visited. The central souq (Souq Waqif) was one of the main attractions and a popular hangout for the locals. This was different than in the UAE, where the souqs are largely tourist attractions.

Doha is also home to the Museum of Islamic Art, which was designed by the same architect who designed the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The design of the building is supposed to resemble a woman wearing a niqab (the black face covering which only shows the eyes).







The museum was absolutely gorgeous and had an amazing terrace in the back that overlooked the Doha skyline. The exhibitions in the museum were equally as appealing as the physical structure. The exhibitions included art, Persian tapestries, and pages from some of the first copies of the Quran.




Oman

Oman was one of my favorite countries in the Arabian Gulf because of its differences with the rest of the region. Dubai, Kuwait City, and Doha have more similarities than differences, which made the travelling a bit mundane in some ways. However, Oman's geographic landscape features rocky mountains, a stark contrast to the flat deserts of the UAE.

We spend the day on a dhow cruise in Musandam, swimming, dancing, eating, and soaking up the sun!

Turkey

I saved the  best for last: TURKEY! Turkey is by far my favorite country that I have visited. The rich culture, the deep history, and the beautiful landscapes (not to mention the beautiful people) captured my heart.

Turkey is about a 3 hour plane ride from the UAE, so we saved this trip for our spring break. Other groups chose to travel to Kenya, India, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and other countries in the region.

We spent the first 4 days in Istanbul, staying in a hostel in the old city a few minutes away from the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia.

Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque

There is so much to do in Istanbul that I could have spent a month there and barely scratch the surface. The city itself was beautiful, featuring cobblestone roads in many of the older parts of the city. The buildings were colorful, the people were happy, and the food was delicious.

Ihlara Valley

After 4 nights, we took a bus from Istanbul to Cappadoia, which is in Central Turkey. The scenery of the Turkish countryside was worth sitting in a cramped seat for 10 hours. We stayed in a cave hotel and woke up at 5 AM on our first day there for a hot air balloon ride over the fairy chimneys, both of which are main tourists draws for Cappadocia. The next day, we took a hike in Ihlara Valley, stopping in the famous rock cut churches along the way.

Through my travels, I have experienced many different cultures, languages, religions, and ways of life. These experiences are once in a lifetime opportunities and allow for a deeper understanding of the world in which we live. I think that everyone should take the opportunity to travel if they can, and I would like to urge travelers to avoid the popular travel destinations. I have learned so much more about the world, different cultures, and about myself through travelling to places that many people have never even heard of. I'm sure Western Europe is great, but travelling to less popular places offer unique experiences that are unparalleled. 

Now, go travel!!