Ranking
Safest Cities in the Middle East 2026
Every Middle Eastern city we cover, from the Gulf capitals and Amman to Turkey's resort coast, Cairo, Luxor and the Red Sea resorts, Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Beirut. Istanbul is on our European cities ranking instead. Each score is built for visitors, and in this region the 2026 Iran war decides as much of the order as crime does.
Updated · Scores update with each page
The ranking
Dubai
On crime alone, Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world. The 2026 Iran war changed the picture, with strikes that damaged the airport and the Burj Al Arab, so check advisories before you book and again before you fly.
Dubai safety score: 83 out of 100, grade B (Good)Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is quieter than Dubai and just as safe on the street, with very little theft or violence against visitors. The 2026 Iran war is the catch; falling debris from intercepted missiles killed at least three people in the city in February and March, and the US says reconsider travel to the UAE.
Abu Dhabi safety score: 82 out of 100, grade B (Good)Doha
On crime alone, Doha is among the safest cities in the world, and women walk the Corniche late at night without concern. Iranian missile and drone attacks on Qatar since February 2026 keep the US advisory at Level 3, and dusty air and fierce summer heat are the everyday health risks.
Doha safety score: 81 out of 100, grade B (Good)Muscat
Muscat is one of the calmest capitals in the Middle East, with very little crime and streets that feel safe late at night. The risks are regional conflict, which keeps a US Level 3 advisory on Oman, fast driving on the expressways, and heat, wadi floods and the odd cyclone.
Muscat safety score: 80 out of 100, grade B (Good)Antalya
Antalya is one of the calmer places in Turkey for a holiday, with low street crime and 80% of residents feeling safe walking alone at night. The real risks are the province's roads, summer heat and wildfires, and drowning, plus overcharging and a small number of assaults in resort hotels.
Antalya safety score: 76 out of 100, grade B (Good)Amman
Amman is a low-crime capital where most visitors have no trouble, and the usual base for Petra, Jerash and the Dead Sea. The 2026 Iran war has dropped missile debris on the city, terrorism keeps a US Level 3 advisory on Jordan, and traffic and polluted air are the everyday risks.
Amman safety score: 74 out of 100, grade B (Good)Bodrum
Bodrum and its peninsula resorts are safe from serious crime, and Turkey's resort coast feels safe at night. The risks that matter are the province's deadly roads, wildfires like those of 2021, an active earthquake zone that produced a small tsunami in 2017, and the sea.
Bodrum safety score: 73 out of 100, grade B (Good)Fethiye
Fethiye and Ölüdeniz are low-crime places for a holiday. The real risks are the province's roads, a coast with a history of strong earthquakes, summer heat and fires, the sea, and paragliding from Babadağ, which killed three people in two separate crashes in August and October 2026.
Fethiye safety score: 73 out of 100, grade B (Good)Marmaris
Marmaris is a low-crime resort where the main dangers come from nature and traffic. Wildfires burned more than 16,000 hectares around the town in 2021 and returned in 2022, a magnitude 5.8 quake struck offshore in 2025, and Muğla's roads kill about 14 people per 100,000 a year.
Marmaris safety score: 73 out of 100, grade B (Good)Hurghada
Hurghada is a guarded resort town where street crime against visitors is low and pickpocketing is rare. The risks are at sea and on the road. Boats, dive trips and a tourist submarine have sunk with deaths, and the FCDO says most sexual assaults it hears about in Egypt happen in Red Sea resorts.
Hurghada safety score: 67 out of 100, grade C (Fair)Luxor
Luxor is one of the easier places in Egypt for a visitor, with low crime, heavy security at the temples and quiet roads by Egyptian standards. The catches are relentless touts, harassment of women, summer heat that passes 40 °C on more than 100 days a year, and a hot-air balloon industry with a fatal record.
Luxor safety score: 67 out of 100, grade C (Fair)Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh is a guarded resort at the tip of the Sinai, and the FCDO rates it generally low risk despite closed zones further north. Crime against visitors is low. Dive-boat safety varies, the FCDO says most reported sexual assaults happen in Red Sea resorts, and summer heat is fierce.
Sharm el-Sheikh safety score: 67 out of 100, grade C (Fair)Jeddah
Jeddah is a low-crime city and the main gateway for Umrah pilgrims. The FCDO names it among places with a heightened threat of Houthi strikes, and the UK advises against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia. Flash floods, heat and traffic are the everyday risks.
Jeddah safety score: 65 out of 100, grade C (Fair)Mecca
Mecca has very little crime, and only Muslims may enter the city. For pilgrims the real dangers are heat, crowds and the roads. In 2024, 1,301 people died during the Hajj, most of them without a permit, and in 2026 Saudi air defences shot down Houthi drones over the Makkah region.
Mecca safety score: 65 out of 100, grade C (Fair)Riyadh
Riyadh has very little street crime, and the streets feel safe late at night. The war is the problem. Houthi missiles and drones hit King Khalid International Airport in October 2026, killing at least 17 people, and the UK advises against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh safety score: 65 out of 100, grade C (Fair)Cairo
Cairo is safer from crime than many visitors expect, with low pickpocketing and heavy security at tourist sites. The real dangers are crossing the road, some of the most polluted air of any capital, weak emergency care, persistent touts and harassment of women.
Cairo safety score: 60 out of 100, grade C (Fair)Jerusalem
Most visits to Jerusalem pass without incident, and ordinary crime against tourists is low. The risk is political violence. Shootings have killed people in the city in recent years, protests at the Old City gates can turn into clashes, and an Iranian missile hit inside the Old City in March 2026.
Jerusalem safety score: 60 out of 100, grade C (Fair)Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is a low-crime, easy city day to day, with busy beaches and nightlife and excellent hospitals. The risk is conflict. Iranian missiles hit the city in 2026, and attacks on buses and in Jaffa have killed people in recent years. Know where your nearest shelter is and check the advice before you go.
Tel Aviv safety score: 60 out of 100, grade C (Fair)Beirut
Beirut is in a country at war. Israeli strikes have hit the southern suburbs during 2026, a June ceasefire has not stopped the fighting in the south, and the US says do not travel to Lebanon for any reason. The UK still allows central Beirut, where ordinary crime is moderate.
Beirut safety score: 45 out of 100, grade D (Weak)
Which cities are on the list
We use the same rule as our Middle East countries ranking: every city we cover in the Gulf states, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Turkey and Egypt. One Turkish city is the exception. Istanbul is on our European cities ranking, because its historic centre is on the European side of the Bosphorus, and each city appears on only one of those two lists. Egypt's cities, Cairo, Luxor, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, are here and on our African cities ranking, as Egypt is on both country lists.
How the order is built
Each city has six scored factors: violent crime 25%, theft and scams 20%, walking at night, traffic safety, and health and environment 15% each, and natural hazards 10%. The list sorts those scores from the highest down and changes whenever we update a city page. The rubrics are on how we score cities.
The rule that matters most here is the conflict cap: a city's score can never be more than 35 points above its country's conflict and terrorism score. In most regions it changes nothing. Here it lowers Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Beirut, and Dubai sits right at its cap.
What the top cities have in common
The Gulf capitals lead on crime. Qatar recorded 0.07 Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2022, and 94% of people in Oman say they feel safe walking alone at night. Theft is rare, and Doha, Muscat and Abu Dhabi lose most of their points to summer heat, dusty air and the 2026 Iran war, which has brought missile or drone strikes to all three countries.
Turkey's resort coast comes next. Antalya, Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye have low street crime, but Muğla province's roads killed about 14 people per 100,000 in 2025, and wildfires and earthquakes are real risks. Amman sits among them: a low-crime capital where missile debris fell in March 2026.
Why some cities are lower
Egypt's tourist towns are heavily guarded and violent crime is low. Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh lose points at sea, where boats and a tourist submarine have sunk with deaths, and Luxor to touts and heat that passes 40 °C on more than 100 days a year. Cairo is lower again for its traffic, which killed 779 people in the governorate in 2025, and its air.
Saudi Arabia and Israel have little street crime but are held down by war. Houthi missiles and drones killed at least 17 people at Riyadh's airport in October 2026, and Iranian missiles hit Jerusalem's Old City and Tel Aviv. Beirut is at the bottom: Lebanon is at war, and the US says do not travel there.
What the score does not tell you
The order reflects conditions when we last updated each page, and in this region advice can change within days. A city near the top can still close its airspace overnight. Before you book, read the current US, UK or Canadian advice for the country, and check it again before you fly.
Questions
What is the safest city in the Middle East?
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Muscat are at the top and very close, so treat them as a group. On crime alone they are among the safest cities in the world, with almost no street theft or violence against visitors. The 2026 Iran war holds all four back, and the US rates the UAE, Qatar and Oman Level 3, reconsider travel.
Is Dubai safe to visit right now?
Crime is not the issue in Dubai; street crime is very rare and road deaths were 1.8 per 100,000 in 2024. The war is. Iranian strikes hit Dubai from 1 March 2026 and damaged the airport and the Burj Al Arab, and the US rates the UAE Level 3. Check the advice before you book and again before you fly.
Is Antalya safe for tourists?
Yes, for most holidays. Antalya province had about 2.6 Homicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary people in 2024, and 80% of residents feel safe walking alone at night. The real risks are the province's roads, summer heat and wildfires, drowning, and overcharging in resort areas.
Is Cairo safe for tourists?
Cairo is safer from crime than many visitors expect, with little pickpocketing and heavy security at tourist sites. The dangers are crossing the road, some of the most polluted air of any capital, weak emergency care, persistent touts and harassment of women.
Is it safe to travel to Israel now?
Ordinary crime against tourists in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is low and hospitals are excellent, but the US rates Israel Level 3, reconsider travel. Iranian missiles hit both cities in 2026, and shootings and attacks have killed people in recent years. Know where the nearest shelter is wherever you stay.
Why is Istanbul not on this list?
Istanbul's historic centre and most of its sights lie on the European side of the Bosphorus, so it is on our European cities ranking. Antalya, Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye are in Anatolia, on Turkey's Asian side, so they are here.
Why are Riyadh and Tel Aviv lower than their crime figures suggest?
Our method caps a city's score at its country's conflict score plus 35 points. Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have little street crime, but Houthi and Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia and Israel in 2026 hold their countries' conflict scores down, and the cap holds the cities down with them. Beirut is capped lower still.