OMAN & THE EMIRATES 1990 A Survey of Oman's Mountain and Adventure Tourism potential was carried out by nomads at the request of Oman's Department of Tourism. nomads also contributed to the Guide book: Rock Climbing in Oman, Alec McDonald, Cordee.
2005. Geoff Hornby & co continue explorations and Geoff has supplied this Report on Oman, Other European climbers are also very active here including Precht and friends from Austria. Also, Anne Dale & Jerry Hadwin's long awaited guide to Adventure Trekking in Oman is now out. Contact: Jerry_Hadwin@email.msn.com and Geoff Hornby is working on a new climbing guide. There is also an Explorer Trekking Guide. The nearby Arab Emirates (adjacent to Oman's Musandam Peninsula) are also opening up for climbing with a lot of development by John Gregory and friends. See the 2004 Alpine Journal and the new CLIMB magazine, Feb 05 for further info. Around twenty new routes a year are being climbed in Oman. For details, contact geoffhornby@yahoo.co.uk
Jan 2007 Toby Foord-Kelcey is a regular in the Emirates and Oman. Check out his UAE and Oman website , also see UAE guide below.
Martin Zimmer writes "Oman has jaw-dropping amounts of rock, both up in Musandam by the Gulf and in the main part of the Hajar mountains closer to Muscat. A quite large number of multi-pitch trad routes have been done but are poorly documented. Geoff Hornby in the UK maintains a collection of paper topos that he can supply copies of for a small charity donation. The out of date McDonald 'Climbing in Oman' guide also has details for some of the older trad routes, notably the classic 1200m French Pillar of Jebel Misht, the 'Nose' of the region. The more recent sport climbing is better documented. I have put together a web page that summarises the scope with links to topos on the Foord-Kelcey website". See above. He adds,"In Musandum a number of us have started taking an interest in DWS routes. For some photos, see: http://uaeclimbing.blogspot.com Note that the distinction between Oman and UAE climbing is quite blurry. Both areas fairly accessible to each other and topography similar." Contact Marvin Zimmer uaeclimbing@gmail.com and see UAE guide below.
2008. Useful link for travel arrangements: the Muscat Dive & Adventure Centre and click here for route info. Also see the 2008 Alpine Journal for Paul Knott's article on Rock Vultures in Arabia and new climbs in the Misht area.
2010. The UAE Rock Climbing Guide by Toby Foord-Kelsey was published Dec 2009 with 184 pages of routes, bouldering, DWS and big wall. Looks excellent! Published by Red Armada, Canada, and distributed in UK by Cordee

PALESTINE 2004. Having been in Eastern Palestine (The West Bank) in 1999 & 2000 as guests of the Palestinian Authority Bethlehem 2000 Project, to write a guide to the new Nativity Trail, we returned in April 2004 to find much of the Nativity Trail either closed, innaccessible or about to be cut in numerous places by the nightmare of the Israeli 'Wall'. See Adventure Travel, July 2004 issue or JO Mag, Jordan, Aug 2004 issue for further info. Check out: stopthewall.org
Nov 2008. David Landis emailed to say "Spent four days this week walking a revised portion of the Nativity Trail with help of George Rishmawi and others involved in the project.  The route has been affected by increased settlement growth since your book was released and some of the routes are no longer possible because of altered geography (walls, roads, etc...) or risking confrontation in certain areas.  We hope to record a passable route on GPS which can be converted to Google Earth files and for individuals and groups to reference as they consider hiking in Palestine. I've been working for the past year with the development of the Jesus Trail, and am currently writing a guidebook for this trail and general hiking in the Galileewith Anna Dintaman who was also on the Nativity Trail hike.
Your book from 2001 on Walks in Palestine can still be found in bookstores here and people use it for small hikes and general reference for walking in the region.  We feel it is one of the best books in hiking in Israel and Palestine that we have been able to find." 
Dec 2008 BBC News correspondent Aleem Maqbool contacted us to say "Thanks for your help (your Palestine book is beside me as I write!). The plan is to walk [the Nativity Trail] and arrive in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. My route differs a little from the one in your book... am aiming for as close to a straight line as I can get... though anticipate certain obstacles!"
Jan 2009 If you want to know more about Gaza, check out Free Gaza and here's a message from the resultant 2009 Palestine Solidarity Campaign: "They stole my land, burnt my olive trees, destroyed my house, took my water, imprisoned my father, killed my mother, starved us all, humiliated us all. But I am to blame: I shot a rocket back. So they stole more of my land, burnt my olive trees, destroyed my house, took my water, bombed my country..."
Jan 2011 The new Visitor Centre opened in Bethlehem. See links on the Palestine page

SAUDI ARABIA Was opening up for tourism prior to Sept 11 2001 and is now making renewed efforts but don't hold your breath as long as 'terrorism' lasts! Lots of mountains and a few ex-pat climbers.

SUDAN 2008. Since our visit to the Kassala mountains on the Ethiopian border in the early 1980s, it seems no one returned until winter 2002 / 3 when two French climbers added a couple of new routes - sorry, no details.
Over in the west, there are still dreadful things happening in Darfur in 2008 where Jebel Marra is, which we trekked through looking for climbing areas in 1983. It seems the Arab Sudanese government is aiding an Arab tribe called the Jinjaweed to ethnically cleanse the black African villages of the area - over 2 million people are now destitute refugees in Chad. Similar ethnic cleansing has been happening in the Nuba Mountains for years - we were refused entry back in 1983 and as far as we know it's still closed, see latest update, Oct 2008, on our Sudan page. (See Leni Reifenstahl's book on the Nuba people. Also see Adventure Travel Mag, Oct 2005). For info on our trip, click on Sudan. Also see Hot Rock Bus.

SYRIA 2007 Check out Rock Climbing Atlas, Middle East for info on sport climbs near Damascus. Wynand Groenewegen says "There is some nice climbing in Syria. Of course you can't compare it with Wadi Rum or St Catherine as it is mainly bolted routes." For more info on skiing and climbing in Syria - and where to get a climbing guidebook, see Climbing in Syria.

TURKEY 2005 North East of Antalya and south east of Egirdir is a range of limestone mountains called Dedigol Daglan with a superb 600m SE Face climbed on by Dave Lucas on one of his Hot Rock trips. Info: davelucas@postmaster.co.uk The Turkish climber in the area is Ozturk Kayikci: ozzzturk@hotmail.com Geoff Hornby has also climbed here: geoffhornby@yahoo.co.uk It looks like a beautiful area with lots of scope for development.
The coast mountains west of Antalya have been visited recently by Geoff Hornby and Susie Sammut, climbing a few new routes up to 700m TD. There are also some Turkish routes here done by climbers from Antalya University.
2006 see Rock Climbing Atlas, Middle East for info on climbs in Turkey.
2007 See that years Alpine Journal for climbing info in Turkey by Geoff Hornby.

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