Beautiful Places to visit in Arab Countries

Writer: Johnny Abi Younis

Photographer: Amr

Most Beautiful Places to visit in Arab Countries

How often do you think that Arab countries aren’t good enough? Have you ever wanted to run away because foreign countries are better? This article will show you 10 beautiful places that have been around you yet you never heard of them.

Sheikh Zayed mosque – Abu Dhabi(United Arab Emirates)

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is a marvel of contemporary Islamic architecture. It is different than its predecessors because of his vast size(it’s built to accommodate 40000 worshippers), the water pools on the outside reflects its pure white exterior, and the marble columns with the Swarovski crystal chandeliers and the beautiful Persian rugs have enriched the mosque’s interior.

Erbil Citadel – Iraq

Above the city, on a mound raised about 30 meters, Erbil Citadel lies, the oldest occupied settlement in the world and the old center of Erbil, the Iraqi city. A fort-like structure is formed by the houses on the exterior while on the interior narrow alleys, archways and intricate brickwork. The citadel was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2014.

Jeita Grotto – Lebanon

It’s a system of two separate but interconnected limestone caves that are located in Nahr Al-Kalb Valley, and also cover a length of nearly 9 kilometers. In the upper grotto which can be accessed on leg, and the lower grotto that can be traveled on rawboat, you can find stupefying natural creations such as stalagmites and stalactites, columns and curtains. The multicolored rocks and glittering water make it hard to have such an experience in other places.

Khor Al-Udeid – Qatar

The place is also known as the Inland Sea for English speakers. This Middle-Eastern unique landscape features an awesome juxtaposition of the sea and the desert in the southeast Qatari coast of the Persian Gulf. By day the water of the sea pull up between the sand valleys to make an inland sea. At sunset the scene becomes more glorious when thousands of colors reflect on the surface of the water and sand while the water pulls back to its place.

Luxor – Egypt

The beautiful ruins, mosques and temples come together to make the beautiful Egyptian city of Luxor, also called the world’s greatest outdoor museum. The Valley of Kings contains over 50 tombs including the tomb of the famous Tutankhamun, while the Karnak Temple features these iconic rows of sandstone columns give the visitor a glimpse of Egypt’s rich past.

Hegra – Saudi Arabia

The Saudi-Arabian site used to be one of the largest Nabataean Kingdom cities, second to Petra in Jordan. Built in the first century AD it consisted of a residential area and a necropolis. 131 colossal tombs remain cut into the rock faces. Hegra was believed to be cursed so it got abandoned by locals and avoided by travelers.

Petra – Jordan

Accessed via a canyon called Al-Siq, this archaeological site contains tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliff, from where comes its other nickname the “Rose City”. It was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom around year 300 B.C.. The city was named as one of the Wonders of the World by the New7Wonders Foundation. Although much of it has been destroyed, the temples, tombs and streets left are astonishing.