From towering dunes to technicolor valleys, these natural treasures from throughout the Middle East are sure to leave you dazzled.
If you picture Middle East landscapes in your mind, you’ll probably see vast desert dunes and spitting camels. While the sandscapes of the Middle East are definitely worth exploring, the region also boasts technicolored salt dunes, giant caverns, and enormous bodies of water that will take your breath away. The natural wonders of the Middle East are as unique as they are awe-inspiring.
The stunningly white, calcified limestone travertines of Pamukkale spill down a steep cliff in the south-west region of Turkey creating warm pools of turquoise thermal water. This spectacular natural phenomenon draws visitors from around the globe, but don’t let the crowds deter you from visiting—taking a relaxing dip in these mineral formations is an experience you’ll likely never forget.
The massive, windswept Empty Quarter dunes are located in the world’s largest sand desert, Rub’ al-Khali. The sand ripples in a snake-like zig-zag as far as the eye can see without interruption from a tree or even a cloud in the sky. The dunes grow hundreds of feet above the desert base in an impossibly serene (and eerie) vision. When the sun sets on the sea of orange sand, the sky explodes with a sparkling view of the Milky Way that makes time standstill.
Two interconnected caverns make up the Jeita Grotto. Miraculously created one water drop at a time, the limestone caves are nearly six miles of tunnels, rivers, and chambers. Strolling through the cavern, you’ll see a variety of crystallized formations—stalagmites, columns, ponds, curtains, and the world’s largest known stalactite.
This valley of fragile mushroom-like pillars, coined “fairy chimneys,” have a long and rich history of hiding and housing persecuted Christians during the Roman era. The pillars (some 130 feet tall) seem to be geologically impossible. But there’s a sound reason behind their formation—the chimneys are the result of volcanic eruptions that spread ash across the central Anatolia in Turkey. The ash hardened into a hard, porous rock on top of a layer of softer basalt. Millions of years of erosion ate away the layers at different paces leaving behind the “magical” pillars we see today.
Green tends to be a rare color in the deserts of the Middle-East. One of the most attractive and vibrantly green wonders is located just south of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The Tinghir Oasis breathes life into a predominantly stone-colored city wedged between red rock mountain ranges by presenting diverse flora and fauna to the area. The scent of sunbaked dates, mineral-rich mud, and desert flowers wafting from the oasis creates a miraculous ambiance.
Rainbow Valley is found on Hormuz Island in Iran. The valley is a dream for geologists and nature lovers—the narrow path is layered with multi-hued rock and sand in shades of blue, yellow, purple, red, and orange. The entire island looks like it just celebrated Holi. It’s as if an artist used the earth as a giant canvas, but the island was actually formed from molten rock. The earth’s surface cooled unevenly creating its spectacularly photogenic mineral formations.
At the lowest elevation on earth, a body of saltwater 1,412 feet below sea level borders Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank. The Dead Sea, aptly named, has waters with a salinity of about 35% salt making it very difficult for plants and animals to survive the harsh environment. But these dense waters make swimming feel more like floating and has attracted visitors for thousands of years to reap health and wellness benefits from the sea’s unique minerals.
This remote destination is an oasis inside an extinct volcano. The desolate landscape is located deep in the Sahara desert, almost directly at its geographic center, is surrounded by a dramatic dark-black ash field. Once traversing into the oasis three freshwater lakes come into view. Waw An-Namus literally means “crater of the mosquitoes” because the small lakes are infested with swarms of mosquitoes.
Black and white sand beaches along a warm, sparkling blue coastline provide an off-the-beaten-path and quiet beach escape. Its semi-empty shorelines are reminiscent of famous Italian beaches while the surrounding towns transport you into a simpler time. Sitting on the multi-colored sand and watching the waves crash on Wadi Qandil’s sheer rocky cliffs is remarkable.
Also known as the Valley of the Moon, Wadi Rum is a maze of towering rock skyscrapers that display 4,000-year old rock drawings creating a vast wilderness untouched by man. The lunar landscape is seemingly devoid of life during the day, but as night falls, the screeching of desert foxes and scurrying rodents on the sand reminds you how miraculously alive the desert actually is.
