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The Complete Guide to: The Gulf states

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Ode to Damascus: The Syrian capital reveals its secrets

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:00:01 GMT

We arrived in Damascus in the light of the crescent moon. It seemed appropriate enough. This, after all, is the city Muhammad refused to visit, because he preferred to save paradise for paradise, the city that was conquered by Muslim armies AD635, and that remained under Islamic rule of various kinds until 1918. Even now, with a government fiercely committed to the ideal of the secular state, Syria is largely a Muslim country – but one, you quickly find, in which Muslims, Christians and Jews share the richest of histories.

Atlantis, The Palm: A nice little place I know

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:00:12 GMT

What credit crunch? For a glimpse of just what $1.5bn of hotel looks like, first cross the 300m-long bridge that links mainland Dubai to the extraordinary exercise in land reclamation that is the Palm Jumeirah. To your right and left, the Shoreline Apartments rise in perfect symmetry; behind them the Palm's 17 "fronds" peel off: sandbanks stuffed with villas, awaiting Russian oligarchs or English Premier League footballers. And there, at the end of the Palm's Trunk, slap-bang in the centre of a colossal breakwater called the Crescent, stands Atlantis. You just can't miss it.

Family travel: 'Where's best for baby-friendly winter sun?'

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Q My husband and I are looking for a winter sun destination for us and our two-month-old baby in early December. We are desperate for a beachside activity-based holiday, with watersports, tennis and golf (if possible). However, I am struggling to find a crèche that will take a baby that young. Surely there are other young mums like myself out there who are keen to line up a postnatal activity break? Can you suggest some hot, baby-friendly beach and activity destinations? L Cameron, via email

Iraq's new venture: Holidays in the Garden of Eden

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:00:01 GMT

It is a country that has become synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian killings, abductions and refugees – the savage legacy of one of the most emotive and controversial wars of recent times.

At this Oman hideaway you can feel cut off

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:00:01 GMT

Oman: it's the big buzz. This sultanate on the Arabian Peninsula is the current travel hot spot, yet few people really know much about it. A trip to Six Senses Hideaway, Zighy Bay - the latest in a new generation of high-end hotels crowning Oman's pristine northern coast - while blissful, won't do much to enlighten you either.

Take a trip to Damascus – you'll be converted

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:00:01 GMT

My heart sank as the official at Damascus airport asked to see my passport a second time. I had a correct visa; I had remembered not to say I was a journalist - what could he have spotted? He counted the pages to make sure none were missing, then, handing it back, his face broke into a wide smile. "Welcome to Syria!"

Head for heights in Dubai

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 23:00:01 GMT

For his 1979 travel book Arabia: Through the Looking Glass, Jonathan Raban stopped off in Dubai as the petro-dollar boom kicked in. Thirty years ago, no-one in Dubai could have foreseen the seven-star hotels, the extravagant shopping trips of Colleen McLoughlin and her fellow Wags, or George Clooney dropping into town. But its arrogance and aspiration was already evident to Raban.

The Complete Guide To: The Sinai

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Oman: Name that dune

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:01 GMT

The convoy of 4x4s was clearly silhouetted against the setting sun as it trailed along a ridge. We watched it as it suddenly disappeared over the top. We had stumbled by chance on the Friday session of "dune-bashing", a weekly treat for the hundreds of thrill-seeking Omanis who gather beside a lonely sand dune in the Omani capital's Bausher district to watch a group of daredevils hurl their vehicle down the near-vertical drop.

Why Lebanon has rise to Arabian heights

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Risk-averse skiers; surely an oxymoron? But no, they must exist - it's the only explanation for the fact that on our skiing trip, in high season, we enjoyed tons of snow; brilliant sunshine; wonderful, inexpensive meals; and slopes almost entirely to ourselves.