One of my first encounters with the particularities of Egyptian culture … A driver met us at the airport. When he brought his car from the…

As far as I can tell, very few people use maps in Egypt. Point to the Ace Club in Ma’adi on a map, and you’ll get a blank stare from your cab…

Crossing the street in Cairo is an act of pure faith. An estimated 3 million cars clog the streets, and there are no traffic laws to speak of. …

"No, I can't take you there," Yusra, my Iraqi translator told me. "It's not acceptable." I wanted to go to one of the coffeeshops in Amman's…

When I was traveling in Jordan, I didn't always tell people where I was really from. But when I did, it inevitably seemed like they had relatives…

An observation about doing radio interviews in Egypt: They’re constantly interrupted by the call to prayer . . . and the delivery of tea. Thereâ…

Cairo is such a bittersweet city. When the call to prayer echoes through the city five times a day, it's like a siren's song. You have to stop…

Some 750,000 Iraqis have taken refuge in Jordan. Marketplace's Alisa Roth spent time with one family that's happy to be safe, living in Amman, but unsure of what lies in store for them. (First in a series)

Egypt's capital is severely overcrowded and its economy seriously lags other Middle East urban centers. Diane Singerman, co-editor of "Cairo Cosmopolitan," talks with Scott Jagow about the ancient city's struggle with growth and modernity.

How much is the Iraq war costing? The U.S. government predicted $60 billion in 2003. But the authors of a new book say it's now $3 trillion. Host Scott Jagow asked Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard Professor Linda Bilmes about their calculation.