Latest fromMiddle East
![NZ triplets killed in Doha fire named](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
NZ triplets killed in Doha fire named
The grandparents of NZ triplets killed in a fire at a daycare centre in a Doha mall are travelling to Qatar to support their grief-stricken mother and father.
![Masada, Israel](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Masada, Israel
This dramatic fortress, perched high above Israel's Negev Desert, was built by King Herod on the site of a former Bronze Age camp.
![Israel: Highs and lows in the Negev Desert](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Israel: Highs and lows in the Negev Desert
Masada is worth the while it takes to get there, and the stamina you need to stay there, says Simon Calder.
![Oman: An oasis of charm](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Oman: An oasis of charm
In Oman, Jim Eagles finds the picturesque fishing village of Quriyat refreshingly different.
![Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, UAE](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, UAE
This unusual avian hospital is the biggest of its kinds in the world. Wealthy Arabs from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar bring their prized hunting birds here to have their broken wings fixed... or simply to be fussed over.
![Abu Dhabi: Friends in high places](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Abu Dhabi: Friends in high places
Jim Eagles visits a falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi for an insight into this most majestic of birds.
![Oman's desert secrets](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Oman's desert secrets
Unlike some desert landscapes, Oman's interior is extremely mountainous - sand and gravel deserts are broken up by rugged, striated, folded mountains in which nestle oases or wadis (river beds).
![Oman: Desert citadel's ingenious defences](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Oman: Desert citadel's ingenious defences
Invaders hoping to capture Oman's Nizwa fort in centuries past would have had some medieval defence methods to deal with.
![Nizwa, Oman](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Nizwa, Oman
The inland Omani town of Nizwa is separated from the Gulf of Oman and the city of Muscat by the Jebel Akhdar mountains. It is home to the largest fort on the Arabian Peninsula and is still a great place to buy traditional Omani wares.
![Israel: Shalom and Shabbat](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Israel: Shalom and Shabbat
Thank God it's Friday takes on a different meaning in Israel, says Damien Grant.
![A nation divided: Inside the Urewera Four trial](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
A nation divided: Inside the Urewera Four trial
Tame Iti and his colleagues weren't the only ones on trial for the past five weeks. The terrorism claims in the still-unresolved Urewera case have revealed deep divisions over Maori and Pakeha
![Misfat Al Abriyyin, Oman](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=819)
Misfat Al Abriyyin, Oman
This mountain village has an abundance of greenery despite its hostile desert surroundings thanks to the village falaj - a centuries-old irrigation system, bringing water from the mountains to make the arid landscape flourish.