First Time to Mid East

[nrgizr]

Hi all,

I’ve read lots of useful stuff here and hope for an update.
I’m planning to make my way with girlfriend as pillion all the way to Syria this August on my F800GS.
My questions are:

• I understand that a Carnet is not required and that Insurance can be purchased at the border. Is anything specific required though such as an International Driving Permit or a translated (Arabic) copy of vehicle registration certificate?
• Is travelling in August gonna be extreme i.e. the heat too extreme…..only mad dogs…
• Has anyone travelling there on british plates been hassled due to political tensions
• Do I need to pay all duties every time I cross the border should I decide to travel on to Jordan or Lebanon.

I’m fairly new to the game of overlanding….and please be patient with my begginers queries?!! Cheers for your help.