From Petra’s rose-colored stones to the sunrises over Masada, this itinerary cut through the cradle of civilization. After wandering Jordan’s deserts, we crossed to Lebanon’s ancient ports, interviewed a Palestinian rapper in Ramallah, and danced at a wedding in Nazareth. We raced horses by the pyramids in Giza and dove Cleopatra’s submerged palace off Alexandria’s coast — blending history, politics, and poetry into a single itinerary.