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Middle East: Traveling in the Middle East during the Gulf crisis
The Middle East is a fascinating travel destination with lots of ancient ruins and very hospitable people. However, many people shy away from this area as the political situation is sometimes not very inviting.
I ran into this problem when I traveled through Syria and Jordan during the Gulf crisis in 1990. Read about it in Chained to the wall of a poison gas factory.

• Lawrence of Arabia: "Seven Pillars of Wisdom"
  T.E. Lawrence was a British army colonel who used his charisma and determination to unite the Arab forces in the 1910s against the Turks. His book "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" is an account of this time among the Arabs, a very philosophical work. Not easy to read, but a book that should be read. A movie called "Lawrence of Arabia", starring Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence, recounts his life. Parts of this movie were shot in Wadi Rum.     Check Amazon for this book...
• Eric Hansen: "Motoring with Mohamed"
  Eric Hansen traveled all over the world, wrecked a yacht on a tiny island off the Yemeni coast and had to bury his diaries out of fear to have them confiscated. Years later he returns to Yemen in search of his diaries - this is the journey Hansen describes in his book. A warm account on how he falls in love with this country.     Check Amazon for this book...

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