Search - Travel the World by Train - Near & Middle East on DVD

Where Europe Ain't Where You Thought It Was

J. Tracy | 05/31/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The real title of this DVD is Travel The World By Train: Near & Middle East. You'll visit Turkey, India, Iran, Israel and Syria, which aren't in Europe. Long train trips mean that you've got to eat, so you'll be exposed to new culinary experiences as you share your travels with the locals. The scenery is, as usual, fascinating. Invitations to prayer in Iran (on the train or at the station) or at the Wailing Wall might best be declined. No trains stopped for sacred cows in India, but you'll see plenty that you'll find educational."

S H A M E... and B A D!!!

Hassaan Abdeen | Amman, Jordan | 04/21/2001

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD could be one of the worst DVD's I ever bought! Since I live in the Middle East... You cannot take this DVD as documentary nor reality.Here are my reasons:1. It only covers areas in train and please advise that trains are only available in very limited and deserted areas. That is why it mostly transfers commodities not humans! Plus 90% of Middle East countries do not have nor use trains, simply because they do not have rail roads due to its frequent mountainous lands or isolated deserts!2. The Middle East is so rich with Tourism sites, old Castles and Buildings and the three holy Religions' Civilization and Culture. But none was covered in this DVD!3. This DVD covers 4 Middle East countries while the Middle East has more than 4 times this number of countries!4. This DVD covers 1 country of the Far East - India - poorly while the Far East is more than ten times as much! And India itself is much more rich with culture than what is shown!5. The facts mentioned/covered in this DVD are far away from the truth!6. The sceneries covered in this DVD are very old and covers nothing but the poor deserted sides of the countries!If you want to know about the Middle East or the Far East, this DVD is not what you need!"

P R E J U D I C E!

Mohammad Z. Kahhaleh | Jordan | 04/28/2001

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I think the title of my review says it all..! I see this DVD is made to insult audience intelligence by degrading Middle East countries.First, the train is rarely available and can be found in deserted poor areas of very few countries in the Middle East and is not available for transportation... which makes this DVD of weak value to cover up such a subject about the Middle East.Second, a poor deserted side of a city or country can never represent a whole city or country.Third, the Middle East region is very rich with agriculture, touristy sites, ancient monuments and a holy religious culture... but non-was mentioned in this DVD.Fourth, the Middle East has major commercial trading areas but non-was covered.Fifth, non of local people habits nor social activities were covered.Sixth, the capital cities were not covered except as a train station area!Seventh, there are so many beautiful natural sites either of hot yellow deserts, white snowy mountains, deep valleys, lakes or rivers... but non was mentioned nor covered!This DVD covers nothing but the poor life of poor non-educated people in deserted areas at the borders of Turkey, Syria, Iran and India.For any viewer who has visited this area, ever watched the news, read or saw a documentary would know that this DVD is of no value and a waste of both money and time!"

Good Coverage of Seldom Visited Rail Lines

J. Tracy | Tucson, AZ United States | 09/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I believe the low ratings given above on the basis of "prejudice" are way off the mark. This is a DVD about TRAINS, not a scenic travelog of the prettiest sights in the countries involved. If the trains are located in unsightly areas and patronized mostly by poor people, then the photographers had no choice but to portray them accordingly. It's not as if the producers had a choice between luxury trains and run-down railroads and chose only the latter. There are plenty of videos available showing the attractive and "touristy" sites in the Middle East; this one is intended for a different audience."