The countries included here are part of the Orientalist definition of the Middle East that is to say not the “Greater Middle East” which includes a broader area such as Sudan, Morocco, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. Cyprus is not included as it is historically and culturally European, although it is sometimes included in definitions of the “middle east”.
Due to wartime conditions and military tensions, most governments are advising against travel to Syria and Yemen and I have found very little in the way of use travel resources to share. It is widely advised to avoid travel here at this time. (Updated Dec. 20, 2020).