His upbringing, however, was also that of the scion of a Middle Eastern autocracy: Gamal and his older brother, Alaa, were raised in tightly guarded, luxurious residences in Heliopolis, a neighborhood favored by top officials and military officers, and were driven around Cairo in limousines.

NEWYORKER: The Contenders

Instead, check into the creaky old Palmyra Hotel where luminaries including Jean Cocteau and General de Gaulle once slept, and explore the spectacular ruins of ancient Heliopolis - the "Sun City" - whose Temples of Bacchus and Jupiter hold their own among the Mediterranean's finest.

BBC: Lebanon in a week: The ultimate road-trip guide