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MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
Middle East & North Africa
From Istanbul and the Nile to Morocco’s medinas and Jordan’s Petra, first learn the customs around prayer times, dress and Ramadan.
City guides
Start with a city
Every city guide has a timeline, stories of local figures, must-see sights, festivals and local etiquette.
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İstanbul
Istanbul
2 places
A thousand-year imperial capital spanning two continents: Byzantium, the Ottomans and the Bosphorus
القاهرة Cairo
Cairo
3 places
'The Victorious City': Islamic Cairo, Khan el-Khalili and the pyramids of Giza
الأقصر Luxor · 古称底比斯
Luxor
1 places
Thebes, 'City of a Hundred Gates': Karnak and the Valley of the Kings
أسوان Aswan
Aswan
2 places
Ancient Egypt's southern gateway: Nubia, Philae and Abu Simbel
مراكش Marrakech
Marrakesh
3 places
The 'Red City': the night market of Jemaa el-Fnaa and the old city at the foot of the Atlas
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فاس Fès
Fez
1 places
A thousand-year-old university and a labyrinthine medina: al-Qarawiyyin and the tanneries
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أبوظبي Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
3 places
'Father of the Gazelle': from pearling village to capital of the UAE
البتراء Petra · Wadi Musa
Petra (Wadi Musa)
2 places
The rose-red Nabataean city, and the Valley of the Moon to the south
Arabic coffee
Pale coffee with cardamom, served with dates — the Gulf's gesture of hospitality.
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Jordanian mansaf
Lamb cooked in a sauce of fermented dried yoghurt — Jordan's national dish and way of welcoming guests.
Moroccan tagine
A North African stew slow-cooked in a pointed clay pot — the dish is named after the pot.
Koshari
Rice, macaroni, lentils and chickpeas topped with tomato sauce and fried onions — Egypt's national dish.
Turkish coffee
Unfiltered coffee — and when you finish, the grounds in the cup can 'tell your fortune'.