Arabian Peninsula

Climate

The climate is extremely arid, few places receiving more than 178 mm (7 in) of rain a year and no permanent streams exist. Summer temperatures reach as high as 54.4 C (130 F) in some areas.

Historical sites

The city's main attraction is its proximity to several historic sites: Choga Zambil (Elamite ruins and well-preserved ziggerat), Haft Tappe (ruins) and Shush 70 mi/115 km north of Abadan. Once Iran's largest port, Khorramshahr was almost destroyed during the Iran-Iraq War and is being rebuilt. The port, which lies near the Iraqi border on the Karun waterway, dates from ancient times (Alexander the Great founded a city nearby).

Dining

Breakfast

Cafés often offer croissants for breakfast. Breakfast is often a quick meal consisting of bread and dairy products with tea and sometimes with jam. The most used is labneh and cream (kishta, made of cow's milk; or qaimar, made of domestic buffalo milk). Labneh is served with olives, dried mint and drizzled with olive oil. Pastries such as manaqeesh, sfiha, fatayer and kahi are sometimes eaten for breakfast. Flat bread witholive oil and za'tar is also popular. Most Arab families also consume hummus and falafel with pita bread.

Traditionally, breakfast used to be a much heavier meal, especially for the working class, and included dishes such as lentil soup (shorbat 'adas), or heavy sweets such as knafa. Foul, which is fava beans cooked with garbanzo beans (chick peas), garlic, lemon and olive oil is a popular working class breakfast as well.

Lunch

Lunch is considered the main meal of the day and is traditionally eaten after the noon prayer. It is the meal for which the family comes together and, when entertaining, it is the meal of choice to invite guests to. Rarely do meals have different courses; however,salads and maza are served as side dishes to the main meal. The latter usually consists of a portion of meat, poultry or fish, a portion of rice, lentil, bread or bagel and a portion of cooked vegetables in addition to the fresh ones with the maza and salad. The vegetables and meat are usually cooked together in a sauce (often tomato, although others are also popular) to make maraq, which is served on rice. Most households add bread, whether other grains were available or not. Drinks are not necessarily served with the food; however, there is a very wide variety of drinks such as shineena (or laban), Karakaden, Naque'e Al Zabib, Irq soos, Tamr Hindi as well as fruit juices. During the 20th century, carbonated beverages and fruit based drinks, sold by supermarkets, have also become very popular.

[edit]Dinner

Dinner is traditionally the lightest meal, although in modern times and due to changing