The Hajj

At least once in a Muslims lifetime they must make the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. This trip is one of the five pillars in the Islam lifestyle. This trip is called The Hajj. To fulfill the requirements of the Hajj, the trip must be taken in the last month of the Islamic year named Dhu al-Hajj.
The Hajj is commanded in the Qu'ran(Koran) - "And pilgrimage to the House is a duty unto God for mankind, for him who can find the way thither" (3:97). The Hajj was one of the last public worships to God that Muhammad performed before his death. Also in the Qu'ran it says that one is commanded to not perform the Hajj if it causes trouble for his or her family.
About two million Muslims complete there pilrimage each year. The Hajj is all about expressing your love and worship of God. It is possible that this is the most important thing a Muslim will ever do in his or her entire lifetime.

Rub al-Khali Desert

Today was my absolute favorite trip. I was able to go to the largest sand desert in the world. It covers the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. It is called the Rub al-Khali Desert. I had a blast here wear I spent the night with a tour group out in the open. We made a fire and cooked the few canned foods we brought along. I learned a lot like that it has a big enviromental problem, desertification. This is one of the worst problems a desert can have. It is wear the sand is going away but the green plants are beginning to grow in its place. I also learned that the massive desert is one of the most oil rich places on earth. This was my favorite and last stop of my trip I had a great time. By: Casey Mathews

Negev Desert

Today was one of my favorite days on my huge trip across the Middle East, because I went to the Negev desert. I was also hoping to go on a camel ride like I was wanting when I visited the Syrian desert. This time I was not disappointed. I was told to get on one of the camels that were laying down in the little bit of shade that there was. In about ten minutes we were off and heading into wherever it was we were going. It was a very good experience. I didn't know half the things the guides told us, like that it was located in southern Isreal. Also the word "negev" is from the Hebrew word of "dry". I thought that this was one of the most intersting facts I learned. It was also one of the many things I did learn though. It covers over half of Isreal which is about 13,000 km of the country. I also learned that the Negev is not a sandy desert, but a rocky land. I always thought that deserts had sand and nothing else but aparently I was wrong.....again. This was my trip to the Negev desert and it was a great one. By: Casey Mathews

Syrian Desert

Today I went to the Syrian Desert. I was hoping to go on a camel ride but all of the camels were being used at the time, so i took a tour in an off-road vehicle. It was actually very fun and I learned a lot of facts along the way. One of the many things that I learned was that the climate there is a mixture of desert and steppe. It was an amazing journey because I also learned that the desert is located in southwestern Asia. I never had thought of asia having a desert, I always thought it was full of forests of thick bamboo and open grasslands. I also learned that the desert earns less then five inches of rain per year. The desert is sometimes called the Syro-Arabian desert. One of the last things that I also learned was that it was located on the Arabian Peninsula wich is the huge chunk of land that sticks out into the ocean. This was a great trip and I am actually glad that I went on the ride rather than the camel ride. By: Casey Mathews

Mount. Ararat

Today I went to Mt. Ararat. It was an amazing experience and I had a great time. I learned lots of things while I was there like that its peak is 16,854 ft tall. That is less than 1/2 the hiehgt of Mt. Everest, but it is still a very tall mountain. I also learned that it is located in eastern Turkey and borders Iran, Armenia, and Nakchivan. Also, Mt. Ararat is volcaninc mountain wich at first frightened me at the thought that there was hot lava somewhere below my feet. ONe of hte last things that I learned was that it is believed by some that Noah's Ark landed on Mt. Ararat and might still have remains on the mountain. By: Casey Mathews

Edgar's Place To Go

The place I want to go is Isreal because of there Christian tradions, and were Jesus was born in that area. I want to see their giant beards, and old buildings. I want to know how many times they pray a day.

Casey's Place To Go

In Asia I would like to go to Beijing. It would be fun to see all of the places where they held the Olympic Games in 2008. Standing there and thinking that you are standing in the same place an Olympic athlete stood. The Egg's Nest would be a very cool stadium to visit. This was where the track and field events were held. This would be a great trip to go on sometime.