r/AskMiddleEast

I am British and for the past few years i have from time to time. Traveled to various different Middle Eastern and North African countries. It is interesting to see all the differences, but also some of the similarities. Though these are certainly, rather distinct geographic and cultural areas.

With there also obviously, being many differences, between the countries in these regions too. I think that people forget that Europe. Has been connected to these sort of places since ancient times. Indeed North African countries for example, most likely have more of a history of interacting with Europe.

Than with the nations south of the Sahara desert. Indeed you can see a lot of shared Roman heritage in North Africa and also in parts of the Middle East. I have seen some splendid Roman architecture in some of those countries. There are also obvious similarities in the cuisine of all of the Mediterranean countries.

From my point of view some of these countries are more different than others. Turkey which is sometimes counted as Europe, can in places feel very European. I have never been to Syria, but the coastal areas of Jordan, could easily pass for Greece. Whereas some of these other countries can feel very different.

I suppose that typically the further away a country is the more different it will be. I very much enjoy travelling and will soon be going to Tunisia. I also intend go for a city break to Dubai next year. However whenever i visit any of these places the duration of my stay is seldom longer than a few weeks.

While the whole time i am being taken around to see tourist attractions. I don't think anyone can really understand a place if you have only been there for a few weeks. Nor see their point of view....So as for all you guys down there to the South.

What is your opinion of Europe and how do you see us?

Hello everyone!
Genuine question: what books/articles would you recommend for students - political scientists, who previously had little experience with the region and almost zero knowledge? I’ mostly curious about politics and society in Middle East and North Africa. But if you have in mind any literature about socio-cultural processes, that would be great as well.
Thank you 🙏

I have a Palestinian friend, and we’ve been close for years. We love each other and have always had a good friendship. However, there are quite a few things about her and her family that have made me question certain things.

Of course, I know that not every Palestinian is suffering or being attacked every day, but I also find it strange that a Palestinian person could be buying from brands that are being boycotted and living a very comfortable life with that fact while, on the other hand, there are people dying. I also know that half of the world hasn’t participated in the boycott, but I felt somewhat uncomfortable because I was boycotting while she wasn’t

Her family is also extremely wealthy and owns land. She told me that they live in Qalqilya, even though she had previously told me that they live in Nablus. What bothered me about the boycott issue is that it’s not just about food. She buys expensive designer clothes and bags, talks about them all the time and how she wants more, and takes pride in them while people are dying.

She has also told me several times that we wouldn’t be able to meet because it’s difficult to leave Palestine. But her sister was able to leave quite normally and went to Paris for her honeymoon. She also told me that her uncle is not allowed to enter Palestine and is currently in Jordan.

I don’t really know why I’m bringing all of this up, but honestly, at one point I found myself thinking, “Is it possible that they are collaborators or traitors?” And honestly, I would feel uncomfortable if that turned out to be the case. I know this is a serious assumption, and I don’t want to accuse anyone without knowing the truth. I’m just trying to understand whether these things actually make sense or whether I’m overthinking them.

general question: is germany popular in middle east? what you like about germay? are german girls in general popular in middle east.

nice to meet you all. greets from germany

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-influence-chatgpt/

The Battle of the Horns of Hattin was a significant battle that broke the field army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Following the death of King Baldwin IV, Guy of Lusignan was crowned king. Guy was highly unpopular and was considered to have poor leadership skills. This would prove to be a deadly combination in an already strained situation for the Crusaders.

When Saladin attacked Tiberias, Guy abandoned his stable position at Sepphoris and marched his army to relieve the city. The march was a gruesome ordeal for the Crusader army. Without access to water and under the harsh sun, the Crusaders became dehydrated, demoralized, and weak.

Saladin did not rush into battle. Instead, he waited for the Crusaders to exhaust themselves, constantly harassing them with hit-and-run tactics. The Crusaders eventually halted near the Horns of Hattin, which provided a good terrain advantage but lacked the water they desperately needed.

Under constant harassment from Saladin's mounted archers, the Crusaders attempted to break through but failed, as the main bulk of the army remained trapped. Here, they would make their last stand as the remaining Crusader forces lost cohesion and surrendered. Guy was captured along with several other high-ranking nobles.

The significance of this loss was catastrophic for the Crusaders. With the main army destroyed, the Crusader states and their cities were left vulnerable. Jerusalem would eventually fall to Saladin as panic spread across the Crusader states, prompting the Third Crusade. The relic known as the True Cross was also captured by Saladin, depriving the Crusaders of an object of immense religious and psychological value.

The Battle of Hattin is a lesson in the importance of logistics and the availability of resources to an army. The defeat can largely be attributed to poor decision-making on the part of the Crusader leadership. For Saladin, it was a decisive victory and his greatest military triumph, opening the path to the conquest of Jerusalem.

What is the rationale behind this practice historically and in modern times? Any scientific or cultural benefits that most outsiders are not aware of?

I wanted to have a different title for this thread but I did not want to break the first rule so I have to word it a bit differently but I find it very weird that whether you are in Saudi or the UAE or Qatar everywhere you will see the dictators face and some even have the dictators face in there own homes there are many people who blame the West for all of there own problems but you will not see this level of shirk in the west and I say shirk because it seems those in the gulf seem to worship there leaders. Especially the UAE.

If you have a great leader you should always respect that leader but bending over backwards and agreeing to everything that person does is just creepy, I know there are many who can't oppose the regimes but I am mainly talking about the guys you see on Twitter with the profile pictures of MBS, MBZ or the emir of Qatar saying things like 'May your face always shine' and these kinds of weird kinky things.

In the end no matter how great that leader is his families golden car collection and mansions in Europe doesn't come from his wealth but from your money from oil sales in a country which you share with him.

apologies if this comes across as insulting or ignorant but it’s something that has left me curious for quite some time

i have many middle eastern friends (actually living in mena, not migrants) and most of them don’t own pets but if they do it is always a pale white cat. rarely any other colour

it has always interested me because cats come in so many diverse and unique colours. where are all the darker cats? are they extinct? hiding? left out to die?

i tried to search up “قطة” in google images and again it was all pure white albino cats with the occasional orange or slightly tannish cat. it became even worse when i looked up “قطة کیوت” at which point it became impossible to see even one darker cat. not even an orange one showed up

meanwhile “cat” and “cute cat” in google images brought way more diverse and colourful photos

i asked one of my friends and he told me most people in mena think darker-complexioned animals are ugly, dirty or possessed by jinn

strangely, it appears that most arabs compulsive obsession with whiteness extends not just to human beings, but even towards animals