About Steve Royston

My name’s Steve Royston. I live in the Middle East, was born in the UK, and have personal and business ties to the USA, Ireland, Malaysia, France and more than one of the GCC countries. In my blog I reflect on politics, education, business, books I read, music I hear, movies I see. I look at most things through the prism of history. I feel privileged to live in a region where spoken and written history began.

The Middle East is a land of where civilisations, empires and great religions have mingled, mutated and succeeded each other, sometimes with violence, sometimes in peace. Sumerians, Hittites, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians, Parthians, Byzantines, Umayads, Abbassids, Fatimids, Mongols, Franks, Ottomans, Saudis, French and British – all have contributed to the cultural and physical gene pool. The gods of Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, Carthage and Mecca have fought for the hearts of the faithful, to be supplanted by the great religions of the Book – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Today, the Middle East is still at the heart of things. The key to prosperity and deprivation, to peace and conflict way beyond its boundaries. It’s a land of kindness, hospitality, resentment, envy, plenty, destitution, wisdom, foolishness and hope.

You could say that of many parts of the world. But this is where western civilisation  began. It’s beyond compare in many ways.

You can contact me privately at sr59steps@gmail.com