The Middle East provides a crucial link between the East and West: historically, bedouins assured the transmission of trade goods through necessary long desert traverses; Islamic artists and architects influenced and were influenced by cultures on both sides (from Italy and Spain to China, India and Southeast Asia); and the three great Abrahamic religions call these lands their home. We spent many months traveling through the Arabian Peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean — weeks in Cairo absorbing its unrivaled legacy of Islamic architecture through the ages, a trip to the top of Moses’ Mt Sinai, days wandering through the markets of Yemen and Syria, and an incredible journey through the deep red sands of the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. These experiences have shaped how we look at the world and helped us appreciate the warm culture of the Middle East. Travel here will be an eye-opener, even to the seasoned traveler.

TRAVEL. DRAW CONNECTIONS.

Islamic Cairo

When one thinks of Cairo, pyramids, pharaohs, and hieroglyphics may be the first images that come to mind, but for modern Egyptians, the lives of the ancient Egyptians are a distant memory. Instead, daily life in Cairo is centered around the history and monuments of the Islamic empires that controlled Cairo through history. In this sense, Islamic Cairo is unique: it is the only place in the world where you can see architectural remains of nearly every great Islamic Empire. Read more

Download a FREE PREVIEW (4 of 27 pages)

Price $9.99 (Format: PDF; available for immediate download)

The Christian Icons of St. Catherine’s Monastery

One of the most striking characteristics of a Christian icon is its steady gaze, which engages the faithful and invites them to pray through them to reach God. St. Catherine’s Monastery, located in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, holds one of the greatest collections of Christian icons, including icons dating from the 6th century – the oldest icons in the world.  Read more

Download a FREE PREVIEW (3 of 12 pages)

Price $4.99 (Format: PDF; available for immediate download)

The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem: A Historical and Architectural Understanding

The Holy Sepulchre, the most famous church in Christendom (although perhaps on par with St. Peter’s in Rome) encloses the sites of both the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. The site of the church was originally selected by Helena, the pious (and politically supportive) mother of the 4th C Roman Emperor, Constantine. The church has since undergone several evolutions since Helena’s visit and now, in addition to the current church, visitors can see the remains of three earlier edifices.  Read more

Download a FREE PREVIEW (2 of 8 pages)

Price $4.99 (Format: PDF; available for immediate download)

Ancient Mediterranean Mosaics: Connecting the Dots

Mosaic art began as a long-lasting (not to mention an easy-to-clean) floor covering in Mediterranean cultures. The first evidence we have of the use of mosaics is in the 10th century BCE in Mesopotamia (Turkey), but the art form was quickly passed to the Greeks who created gorgeous, highly realistic mosaics (in an attempt to imitate paintings). Some of the world’s greatest ancient mosaics can be viewed in Egypt (Mount Sinai), Jordan (King’s Highway), Syria (Damascus), Turkey (Istanbul) and Italy. This travel guide reviews the stylistic development of mosaics in the Mediterranean over a 1000-year period (400 BCE to 1453 CE) and gives detailed review key mosaics sites throughout the Mediterranean.  Read more

Download a FREE PREVIEW (4 of 24 pages)

Middle East & Istanbul ONLY: Price $9.99 – 24 pages.

Buy the COMPLETE SET (Middle East, Istanbul & Italy) for $11.99 – 57 pages.

Format: PDF; available for immediate download

The Temple Mount (Haram Es-Sharif): Its Structures and Significance

Called the Haram Es-Sharif by the Arabs and the Temple Mount by the Jews, this is probably one of the greatest historical-religious sights in the world. This is also site of two earlier structures: the original Temple of Solomon and the greatly expanded Second Temple constructed by King Herod the Great. It is our goal with this document to offer greater insight into the hallowed position this location holds for followers of the three great Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Read more

Download a FREE PREVIEW (3 of 12 pages)

Price $4.99 (Format: PDF; available for immediate download)

Historical East-West Trade Connections

The Middle East provided a crucial link in the trade between the East and West, as bedouins assured the transmission of trade goods through necessary long desert traverses. Although fundamentally economic in orientation, this worldwide trade network spawned vast cultural, artistic and religious exchanges. Use this ApproachGuide to discover these exchanges, which served as the underlying (and often overlooked) inspiration for many of the world’s greatest cultural landmarks.  Read more

Download a FREE PREVIEW (2 of 7 pages)

Price $4.99 (Format: PDF; available for immediate download)

Buy this guide on amazon.com. View it on your kindle, kindle for mac, kindle for windows, or kindle for iPhone.

Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
-Rumi, Persian Sufi poet

Note that free previews reveal only a small, yet representative, portion of the content available in the complete Approach Guides document. All images and photos in these Approach Guides and on www.approachguides.com were taken on location by David and Jennifer Raezer.

Click here to see our Suggested Reading List for the Middle East

All Approach Guides are offered as PDF files that can be downloaded and printed immediately after purchase.

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. We are confident that our guides deliver an exceptional value to travelers. If you are not satisfied or find that the guide does not meet your expectations, we will refund your purchase, no questions asked.

Italy – China – India – Middle East – Southeast Asia – Turkey – Americas