Writer Gilly Pickup discovers that Tunisia and its largest city, Tunis, are welcoming tourists again after an horrific terrorist attack.

MARRAKECH — You’ll never truly experience this place known as the Red City until you get lost in its labyrinth of narrow streets. There’s no “right turn” in Marrakech. The best way to feel its pulse is by leaving your map behind and following your feet.

JERASH, JORDAN - When I visited Jordan, I had no idea I would find myself walking down the Cardo Maximus, a colonnaded street in Gerasa, a once bustling Roman city and an important part of the Roman Decapolis.

MAROUN AL-RAS, LEBANON - I’m sitting in a van making funnies with security consultants, scholars and a diplomat as we bump up and down dirt roads en route to an Iran-funded family fun park. But it’s no joke.

ZAVAREH, IRAN - Whenever I think of taking a vacation, my thoughts drift back to Zavareh, a charming place located in Iran’s northeast Isfahan province bordering the central desert area.

CAIRO - I never dreamt I would travel to Egypt with my 90-year-old father. In fact, it came about quite suddenly — dad informed me a cousin was getting married in Cairo and he did not wish to travel alone.

SALALAH, OMAN - Although I would never be so bold as to compare myself to Jan Morris and her classic 1950s Sultan in Oman travel account — it introduced the Western reader to this part of the world — I still felt I was breaking new ground on my voyage to Oman.

MARRAKECH - The “Pearl of the Desert” has so many things to discover, it’s impossible to see it all in just 48 hours. But that’s all I’ve got, so here goes — the adventure begins with a sunrise hot air balloon ride for a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding desert and the ancient imperial city. It’s a breathtaking sight.

WADI RUM, JORDAN - Lying under a cloudless night sky, I gaze in wonder at the stars and satellites twinkling on an ebony canvas and follow shooting stars streaking across the sky and watch them drop into the desert.

AMMAN, JORDAN – Our morning wakeup call came unexpectedly at 4:30 a.m. when we were stirred by the amplified voice of a Muslim holy man calling worshippers to first prayer at a local mosque.