You Don't Know ME - DROWSTER

You Don't Know ME
The West has a very narrow-minded image of the Middle East. As travel is avoided, the only way Westerners get to know the region is through movies or the media. Both portray the region as barbaric, violent and ruthless. On the contrary, the Middle East is rich in history, landscapes and humanity. We tend to forget that it is where many inventions were created: algebra, the wheel, time, astronomy, maps, the alphabet, writing, hospitals, sailboats and coffee. The foundations of our civilized lives began in the Middle East.
The You don't know Middle East (ME) initiative has one sole purpose: change Westerners' visual references of the region.
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Pigeons flying around the Place de l'Étoile's clock tower whilst fiancés pose for pictures, Lebanon
A local bedouin playing oud in Petra, Jordan
Mount-Lebanon covered by snow, Lebanon
A security guard taking a break at the Temple of Bacchus, Lebanon
A swamp on the border of Lebanon and Syria
A house in the Wadi Qelt oasis, Palestine
Foreign workers gathering on the beach to play football, Oman
A Jerusalemite heading to the Western Wall, Israel
Locals walking in the streets of Abyaneh, known as the pink village of Iran
Shemshak, a resort town near Tehran, the capital of Iran
A glimpse of light shines through a thunderstorm on a mosque in Deir el Qamar, Lebanon
A calm street in Kashan, Iran
Policemen on horses guard Petra, Jordan
Sand dunes and a clear blue sky in the Dasht-e Kavir desert near Fahraj, Iran
A native walks the streets of Jerusalem early in the morning, Israel
Tourists climbing up a sand dune in Wadi Rum, Jordan
The shape of the Shrine of Hilal ibn Ali reflects in the water after a rainfall, Iran
Roses covering the wall of the Kahlid Shoman café in Amman, Jordan
Mothers watching their children swim in Muscat, Oman
Muslims answering the call to prayer at King Abdullah I Mosque, Jordan
View of the Treasury in Petra, Jordan
Wood ceilings abound in the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Oman
Early morning on Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, Iran
A local walking on the beachfront before the heat hits, Oman
The grandiose Sultan Qaboos Mosque in Muscat, Oman
The surreal waters of Wadi Ash Shab, Oman
Sun setting behind the Dabbagh Saleh Mosque, Iraq
Daylight penetrates the Downtown Erbil mall, Iraq
A carriage horse runs accross Naqsh-e Jahan, Iran
Guards at the entrance of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Oman
Carpet merchants in Isfahan, Iran
The courtyard of the Shangri-La Resort in Muscat, Oman
Sunset on the Pigeon Rocks in Lebanon's capital, Beirut
Alleys in the desert village of Fahraj, Iran
Early morning walk in Zivdar, Iran
A family picnic in Shanadar Park, Iraq
View of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Turkey
The Olimpos cove in Turkey
Sun setting on Jerash, Jordan
A pink mosque in Trabzon, Turkey
Neighbours chatting in Capadocia, Turkey
Fishermen patiently waiting on the Mediterranean, Lebanon
The town of Göreme built on a slope in Turkey
A snowstorm hits the coastal city of Trabzon, Turkey
Cityscape of Amman, Jordan
The village of Dlebta on Mount-Lebanon
Locals visiting the Temple of Hercules in Amman, Jordan
A bedouin staring into the distance in Wadi Rum, Jordan
Çirali beach in Turkey
A calm street in Jabal Al Lweibdeh, Jordan
A child playing football on the Hashemite Plaza, Jordan
A café in Wadi Rum desert, Jordan
A local preparing coal for his shisha in Tripoli, Lebanon
A view of Zaytoun neighbourhood in Tripoli, Lebanon
Playing football in-between prayers at the Taynal mosque in Tripoli, Lebanon
Old souks in Batroun, Lebanon
A bedouin watches the sun set on a sand dune in Wadi Rum, Jordan
Golden hour in Tripoli, Lebanon

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