Washington and Lee University
It is commonly understood that travel enlightens us by first challenging our prejudices. A visit to the Arabian Gulf would easily prove the case.Windswept sand dunes, Bedouin desert encampments and camel caravans sauntering along ancient trade routes are traditional images of Arabia in the popular imagination. But the visitor quickly discovers that ultramodern skyscrapers and cell phones represent 21st-century Arabia equally well. While ancient customs are still revered and preserved, the Arabian Gulf reflects not only the contemporary world, but even at times a futuristic one.
Aboard the deluxe Island Sky, we’ll cruise the spectacular Arabian Gulf coast to explore the unique convergence of past, present and future in Dubai, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar. We’ll begin our journey in Dubai, the dazzling commercial center of the Middle East, with a tour of the Dubai Museum and the city’s fabled gold and spice souks. We’ll also visit Ski Dubai, the only indoor ski slope in the Middle East, and the remarkable Palm Jumeirah, the renowned land reclamation project in the shape of a palm frond. Next we’ll travel to the Wildlife Center in neighboring Sharjah, where native species such as Rueppell’s sand foxes, Egyptian fruit bats, and Arabian oryxes are protected in their natural habitats.We’ll also tour the University of Sharjah’s media center and the outstanding Sharjah Archaeology Museum before embarking the Island Sky.
And that’s just the first stop. Ahead of us, Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, where some remarkable women students at Zayed University will share with us their vision for their country’s future; Bahrain, the Middle East’s only island nation; Qatar, where we’ll visit a falcon market in the beautifully restored old souk, as well as the Museum of Islamic Art designed by architect I.M. Pei; Ras al Khaimah for a 4-wheel-drive excursion to view the emirate’s dramatic mountains and red sand dunes; and finally Oman, where we’ll board a traditional wooden dhow to explore the fjords, scenic inlets, and small villages of one of the Gulf States’ last wilderness areas before arriving in Oman’s capital, Muscat, the multifaceted Arabia’s jewel, with its enchanting refraction of old and new.
For the curious mind, this will be a journey of many wonders.
Download the complete itinerary and reservation form (.pdf)
