The Middle East is a region of diverse cultures, contentious politics and fractured viewpoints. You wouldn’t know it from the evening news. Two-minute clips of men firing Kalashnikovs in the air and suicide bombings in Iraq dominate the headlines. Taking those reports at face value can deter even the most intrepid of travelers from experiencing the region. But even with mass populist uprisings sweeping many Middle Eastern countries, the region still offers one of the …