The Middle East is one of the most misunderstood parts of the world. The region is often reduced to headlines—conflict, politics, and surface-level narratives. But everyday life, identity, and perspective are far more complex than that. Connect the Cultures offers clear explanations and local perspectives on Middle Eastern cultures and conflict —through firsthand stories, opinions and interviews shaped by nearly two decades of on-the-ground regional experience.
With the situation in the Middle East evolving and much of the region currently in conflict, there has never been a more important time to gain a better and more nuanced understanding of this complex and pivotal part of the world.
My name is Sabina Lohr. I’m a writer and researcher who has been traveling through the Middle East and immersing myself in its various cultures for almost two decades. During my intermittent time on the ground, I’ve experienced the situation in the Middle East evolving significantly.
I first visited the region as a solo female traveler on a short trip to Israel in 2008. During that trip, I totally fell in love with the country. I also became intrigued with learning more about the Israeli and Palestinian conflict firsthand. Then I returned to the region on another much longer solo trip in late 2009, this time to Egypt and Oman as well as back to Israel. During that journey, I easily saw that there are many profound differences between each country and culture.
I decided I wanted to dig in deeper and learn more about Middle East cultures. I also wanted to get to know some of its lesser-traveled locations. So I spent a year and a half living by myself in three different locations: Tiberias, Israel; Dahab, Egypt and Sharjah, U.A.E. I also did a lot of traveling through the Middle East.
During that period of time, as well as during the months I spend in the region each year that I return, I’ve gotten to know the local people. I never spend time with other travelers or expats. Instead I spend time with the people who are native to the region. Doing this has given me the ability to make many friends across many different countries, cultures and religions. In 2024 I decided I wanted to add to my lived experience in the Middle East by learning even more from a different angle. I also wanted to focus more on the Israel/Palestine conflict. So I began working on my Master’s degree in Global Diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa.
People often think of the Middle East as one big homogeneous blob, but that is far from the truth. Everyone in the world is defined in part by their culture. Our personal views, experiences and lives in our own countries strongly influence everything that we hear, see, read and believe about people in other countries.
The people I know in the Middle East are all very aware that the rest of the world tends to see them in an inaccurate and negative light. That is unfortunate, but it’s also understandable because the Middle East is so very different from other regions. The Mid East is vast. It is comprised of over a dozen countries which are home to hundreds of millions of people from innumerable cultures. Their beliefs, values and lifestyles are often very different from the rest of the world. Those differences cause a lot of misunderstandings, fear and hate. That is in part because most of the outside world doesn’t really know much of anything about its people.
I have learned quite a bit in my years of traveling through the Middle East and immersing myself in many of its various cultures. While it is impossible for anyone to understand everything this region holds, it is possible for me to shed light on what I know. One thing I know is that there is a massive disconnect between this region and the rest of the world.
That is why I created Connect the Cultures, back in 2016. Shortly thereafter had set it aside to focus on other priorities. Now in 2024 I’ve brought it back. Here I write about the people of the region as someone who understands them better than most people. I write as someone who can shine more accurate light on their part of the world. Here I also write my own travel stories based on my own lived experience in the Middle East. I show what it’s like to travel through and live as an outsider on the inside of this region. To explore the posts on Connect the Cultures, start here.
I naturally tend to see situations from more than one vantage point. As such, I’m able to offer a balanced perspective in what I write here. At least I try to. A balanced perspective, I believe, is so important in our increasingly unbalanced world. One reason for the current imbalance in our world is because the media gives us so much biased information. Here you’ll find unbiased information and true real life Middle East short stories.
Connect the Cultures is for anyone who wants to better understand the Middle East and its people. Some of what you will read here is what you might expect, most of it is not, and all of it is real.