No, it's perfectly safe

I'm always asked if it's safe to travel to these countries so I show this image taken in the eastern desert of Syria. I have always felt safe traveling in all these countries,the people always are very friendly. Yes, you occasionally run into an official that's having a bad day and there has been a couple times when things have gotten interesting, usually because I'm photographing some place off limits, but your certainly as safe or safer anyplace here than you would be in any large American city. Even traveling with lots of expensive camera and other equipment we have had no problem with theft. As one man on a camel who stopped to talk with in the Roman Ruins in Syria explained, no one would think of taking anything as that would dishonor his family and he would possibly have his hand cut off. He went on to say to steal would be worse than killing you- not reassuring. When he found out I was from America he stated that not many Americans come there and asked if we were afraid to travel there. He then stated over and over how safe we were there, while we talked, more camel drivers stopped to talk as dawn broke. As they deal with tourists most spoke some English and all were hoping more Americans would come. This is a common theme, most want to see more Americans tourists as opposed to some of the tourists they now see.

One thing you notice is that hospitality is very important, you are always being invited in for tea which then turns into a meal as more and more food appears. It's very common to be invited into a home for a meal which soon turns into a large gathering of family and friends all bringing more food. In a small town in eastern Syria I stopped in a store on the way back to camp to get some food as I had missed dinner while photographing, when the owner found out I was an American he called his family down and soon the store was filled as more friends were introduced and more food and tea offered. When I left town the next day several stopped by the truck to say goodbye as I was now their friend from Arizona.