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Lost Mesopotamia…….anew experience….
The Middle East is quite simply extraordinary, one of the world's most fascinating & rewarding travel destinations. It was here that some of the most significant civilisations of antiquity rose & fell and where the three great monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity & Islam - were born & peacefully co-existed. Left behind is an astonishing open-air museum of ancient cities & historic buildings, the stones of which still resonate with the sounds of the faithful. Iraq is now one of the most dangerous countries on earth, but few countries can boast such a rich history. When the country gets back on its feet, it will be one of the great travel destinations of the Middle East, again. Come……experience Babylon with us………
The Middle East is home to some of the world's most significant cities - Jerusalem, Cairo, Damascus, Teheran, Baghdad & Istanbul. The ruins of the once similarly epic cities of history - Petra, Persepolis, Ephesus, Palmyra, Baalbek, Leptis Magna and the bounty of ancient Egypt, also mark the passage of centuries in a region where the ancient world lives and breathes.
The landscapes of the region are equally spellbinding, from the unrivalled seas of sand dunes & palm-fringed lakes in Libya’s Sahara desert to the stunning mountains of the north and the underwater world of the Red Sea.
Above all else, however, your most enduring memory of the Middle East is likely to be its people. Their gracious welcome, many kindnesses and boundless hospitality speak of an altogether more civilised age.
From the gravitas of the Sahara to the blue tiles of Esfahan, this is a region for discerning travellers, for those looking for the story behind the headline, and where the bridges between ancient and modern civilisations are everywhere evident. If you believe what the media tells you and decide not to visit, you'd be missing out on the journey of a lifetime.
Long ago in the fertile valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the great civilisations of the age were born. Modern Iraq was ancient Mesopotamia, from the Greek meaning 'between two rivers', and it was here that human beings first began to cultivate their land, where writing was invented and where the Assyrians, Sumerians and Babylonians all made Iraq the centre of the ancient world.
With the arrival of Islam, Iraq again took centre stage. Islam's most enduring schism - between Sunnis and Shiites - was first played out on Iraqi soil. Baghdad also became one of Islam's greatest capitals, home to the Abbasid caliphs whose reign has become a byword for Islam's golden age of learning and sophistication.
The country remains rich with the resonance of a glorious history, but recent history has dealt less kindly with Iraq. Under Saddam Hussein, widespread political repression and conflicts with Iran, Kuwait and the West earned Iraq international infamy and also drew the attention of international human-rights organisations and Western armies in equal measure. Indeed in recent years, few countries have experienced such external interference as Iraq has, culminating in the 2003 American-led invasion of the country.
Iraq has now dominated international news headlines for more than a decade for all the wrong reasons, just as Vietnam did three decades before it. The country's future is uncertain, with Iraqis struggling to eke out an existence and build the institutions of a democratic Iraq against the backdrop of political and religious tension, and amid the numbing constancy of terrorist attacks.
There are hopes that Iraq may have started on the path to stability. After all, civilisation as we know it once emerged from this region. Slowly, over the last several years, regional and national elections have been held, foreign troops have started to depart and the healing process looks to be underway. More optimistic Iraqi refugees have returned as security improves and foreign companies have begun to bid for the first post-war oil contracts.
Iraq is rebuilding slowly. Most of the country's political, social, physical and economic infrastructures were, by and large, destroyed during the war in 2003. However, national elections in December 2005 have brought increased stability to the country. In June 2009, after largely successful provincial elections earlier in the year, American and British troops withdrew from the streets of Iraqi towns and cities, though a limited number still remain in bases.
A unique experience is just the beginning……. Take the plunge now and yep… Mesopotamia is waiting. A warm welcome, historical secrets & an artistic paradise awaits you and The Journeys was ready to take you on well, a journey (or journeys) of discovery.
Come……be inspired & discover the World with us
Out of reckoning for now……till whenever. We will keep you updated………..
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