A Personal Narrative on My Journey
through the Middle East

Musicians play as the sun sets behind one of the minarets of a mosque in Sharjah, one of 7 soverign Sheikhdoms in the United Arab Emirates.

In the previous Khamsat I gave an overview of my time in Jordan in Syria last November. This feature covers where the journey continued for me on to the Gulf States.

Having had an extraordinary adventure in Jordan and Syria, my journey brought me back to Amman, Jordan’s Queen Alia Airport to prepare for going on to the Emirates for the WAHO Conference. Coming from Damascus I arrived at the airport at 8:30 am and my flight out to Abu Dhabi did not leave until 9:30 in the evening so I was excited at the prospect of having a whole day in the Amman area all to myself for my own little adventure. I had envisioned boarding a bus to see historic and ancient Petra to the south with time to return for my evening flight. However the adventure was far different than I could have imagined. When I proceeded to the Transit desk to get my passport papers in order for going on to Abu Dhabi (something that had to be taken care of right away before being allowed to leave the airport because of limited entry visas) I was in for a surprise. They asked me for copies of the group visa papers for my entry to Abu Dhabi. I had previously been told by the service handing the paperwork for the WAHO conference that I would not have to apply separately in advance for a passport stamp to Abu Dhabi before coming to the Middle East because it would be a part of a group visa waiting for me at Abu Dhabi. I had previously informed them of my prior travel plans and had only a confirmation fax from them of what I had sent them but not a visa document. Unfortunately I discovered that the Transit office in Amman could not allow me to go on until they got some kind of visa confirmation from Abu Dhabi that I was cleared for visit to that country. So I called the number on my fax of the service in Abu Dhabi handling the paperwork for the WAHO conference only to get a message that the number had been disconnected!

Suddenly my free day was turning into a form of airport incarceration. Without some form of authorization from Abu Dhabi I could not go on. I made a number of unproductive phone calls. The Transit office people were polite but were unable to assist me. The hours passed as I wandered the airport counting floor and ceiling tiles, feeling like someone without any country that would accept me. Fortunately I had the phone number from Tim Parlove of Mr. Hamdan Al Falahi of Abu Dhabi who I met briefly in Damascus. So I called his residence only to find that he was not there but was given his car phone. I managed to reach him by phone but he was about 100 km from Abu Dhabi. He gave me the name and number of a man to ask for at the WAHO host hotel in Abu Dhabi and I am most grateful for that because it was that call that finally got me into the Emirates. The service handling all this for WAHO had moved its offices to the host hotel and when I got them on the phone they had apologized because they had faxed my authorization to my home in Quincy, Michigan in November while I was sleeping in the Tai tents of Jezirah inaccessible and unknowing. They had forgotten that I would be in Syria not Quincy (otherwise they might have faxed the documents sooner).

Later when I arrived in Abu Dhabi some of the Al Khamsa people who were there had already heard stories via e-mail that I was held up somewhere in the Middle East, rumors no doubt becoming more embellished and humorous by the hour. So finally I boarded the plane for Abu Dhabi that evening knowing exactly how many floor and ceiling tiles there were in the airport but not how many stones in the ancient ruins of Petra which gave me all the more reason to return to Jordan to complete my adventure in the future.

The reason for telling this story is not to complain, because everyone along the way was very understanding and helpful, but to underscore the importance of making sure all of your paperwork is complete and in order before you reach that point in which some official has to dutifully ask you to present it.

Touchdown, 4:00 am Tuesday morning and I am warmly greeted at the airport by a special host who has a booth set up for all WAHO arrivals. He escorted me to an awaiting Mercedes taxi, with air-conditioning on duty before dawn. As the Mercedes sped along the boulevard towards my hotel I notice extraordinary landscaping along the median, sprinklers running and a string of colorful lights following the highway for miles into the metropolis. I had inquired about the lights and was told that preparations are being made for the return of His Highness Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi who had recovered successfully from medical treatment in the States. Shaikh Zayed I was to find out was a much admired leader in his nation and the celebration of his return was with much fanfare.

Like a giant redwood I crashed into my comfortable bed at the hotel and tried to pack 8 hours of sleep into two before arising to attend Tuesday morning’s schedule for the WAHO Conference.

When I awoke and looked out the window of my hotel room the view was spectacularly white with distant bright blue water as we were now on the edge of the Persian Gulf. Perhaps I was so tired this time that I did not hear the minarets singing at dawn as before in Jordan but here everything seemed modern, whiter and hotter. Much of the architecture was new or brand new. The pace and style of the city had a dramatically westernized feel but all architecture and signage were classically eastern even if modern. The contrasts distinguishing the gulf from the north were to become more apparent throughout the week but the common denominators are still Islam, extraordinary generosity, and love of the Arabian horse.

Held under the patronage of His Highness, the president of Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and hosted by the Emirates Arabian Horse Society, the WAHO week was a luxurious gathering on the grandest scale with attendance from all parts of the globe. This was my first time at a WAHO conference and while I was unable to attend the entire event because of arriving 2 days late from my previous journey in Syria and Jordan, I was able to enjoy most of the week’s events.

The Inter-Continental Hotel was the host location for the WAHO Conference meetings. Over 530 WAHO members arrived from more than 50 countries and beginning Sunday evening guests arrived checking in and visiting with each other. Members of the Emirates Arabian Horse Society had arranged to see that all attendees needs were met in the true generous spirit of the Middle East. Attendees were taken to the Dhows (ancient Arabian Gulf sailing boats) on Sunday evening for a cruise along the shores of Abu Dhabi ending at Al Raha Beach where a splendid dinner was served.

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