Image via Raduasandei/Wikipedia

It’s not surprising that anyone who hasn’t visited the Middle East might be nervous at first to entertain the idea. After all, the news media is never too great in exposing the great things about the region, and instead often focuses on the less-than-appealing aspects of conflict within the disparate territories.

However, you definitely shouldn’t take everything at face value, and instead should do some independent research to see what local life is really like in some of these under-visited spots. You’ll often be surprised to learn how simple and peaceful daily life is in some of these regions, though you’d never know it from the hype and gossip that surrounds one of the most sociopolitically intense regions on earth.

Here’s a look at 5 of the safest travel destinations currently in the Middle East:

Petra, Jordan

Image via Leon petrosyan/Wikipedia

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Image via Simon Bierwald/Wikipedia

Tel Aviv and Northern Israel

Image via Gilad Avidan/Wikipedia

Cyprus

The Saint Hilarion Castle on the Kyrenia mountain range. Image by George M. Groutas/Flickr

The Nile, Egypt

Image via Raduasandei/Wikipedia