If you are not a fan of the adhan (call to prayer), you may have a terrible time in the Middle East.
Fortunately, I was always intrigued by the beauty of the call whenever I happened past a mosque in New York. Now that I spent 7 weeks hearing the adhan five times per day, I really miss it. Thank Allah, I bought a pink alarm clock in Istanbul that blasts an ear-deafening version just for me. No greater kitsch than religious kitsch.

Umayyad Mosque, Syria

I am not sure how my clock would go over in other countries. My journey north was marked not only by steadily improving weather and food, but gradual liberalism when it comes to religion. I don't think they sell mosque clocks in Egypt. I'd be interested in hearing otherwise.

In general, shops should be closed on Fridays, the holy day for Muslims. By coincidence, I was rarely in a city on a Friday where I noticed this to be the case. By the time I got to Hama, Syria—my fourth Friday—I had forgotten about it and was confused by all the shuttered businesses.

The level of conservatism among the people does not seem to be directly affected by separation of church and state. Jordan is secular and quite conservative. Lebanon's government is driven by religion, with parity between Christians and Muslims in parliament, but is relatively quite liberal. Turkey is all over the place, most likely because its size makes generalizations more difficult—separation of church and state, liberal areas, conservative areas, Turkey has it all combined.

I preferred to stay covered up as much as possible, no matter which country I was in—it never hurts to avoid offending locals. With the sun so strong in the Middle East anyway, it's the best way to protect your skin! True, unless you have Arabic or Subcontinent origins, no one will ever assume you are Muslim. They will not have the same expectations of you. You should be respectful of others' sensibilities and dress very conservatively in holy areas, but I don't believe women should feel the need to cover their heads outside of a mosque. Locals already know you're a tourist right off, so they won't be bothered by your flowing hair. Men should be aware that shorts may be frowned up in more conservative climates if they are significantly shorter than knee-length.

There is a limit to how much conservative dress can do for staving off men, unfortunately. In countries like Egypt, where the majority of women tend to be fully covered (except, apparently, in Cairo nightclubs), men are so used to modesty that it attracts them. Roll with it, as there's nothing you can do.

Cairo mosque

Visiting mosques is a rewarding experience, and I loved seeing the differences throughout the region. One surprising fact was that the tourism industry—the ONLY true industry in Egypt—had so pervaded Egypt that mosques in Cairo charge a hefty fee to enter. "Hefty" being about $2, sure, but that's more than the cost of my hostel bed. In Damascus, I experienced an Iranian mosque, full of weeping women and glitzy decor. In Urfa, one mosque is pleasantly located on a lake, where the local people come to relax by waterside restaurants, feed carp, and take walks through the surrounding park.

It doesn't appear like urban Middle Easterners are controlled by Islam significantly more than urban Westerners are monitored by Christianity. Not everyone rushes to answer the call to prayer, and people are certainly partaking in their fair share of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. The most obvious sign of faith I noticed in cities was that Allah was thanked for EVERYTHING. The standard response to, "How are you?" is to add, "All praise to Allah," after a simple, "I'm fine." The weather is good today, Alhamdulilah, I am over my cold, Alhamdulilah, Petra is beautiful, Alhamdulilah. Insha' Allah, or "God Willing," is a phrase that also seemed tossed around more casually than I would expect. I'll see you tomorrow, Insha'Allah, the bus is coming, Insha'Allah, she will call me later, Insha'Allah. And in Turkey, bereket, which means "blessing," seems to be the name of every fifth restaurant.

I am not an expert on religion by any means and wouldn't say I learned much about Islam from this trip apart from personal views culled from people I met. But I do know that I miss the adhan. I always knew when it was noon or 4:30pm without a watch.

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