The Middle East is a historical and cultural subregion of Africa-Eurasia traditionally held to be countries or regions in Southwest Asia together with Egypt. In other contexts, the region can include other parts of North Africa and/or Central Asia.
Most Western definitions of the "Middle East" — in both established reference books and common usage — define the region as 'nations in Southwest Asia, from Iran (Persia) to Egypt'. Egypt, with its Sinai Peninsula in Asia, is often considered part of the 'Middle East', although most of the country lies geographically in North Africa. North African nations without Asian links, such as Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, are increasingly being called North African — as opposed to Middle Eastern (Iran (Persia) to Egypt-Asia) — by international media outlets.
One widely used definition of "Middle East" is that of the airline industry, maintained by the IATA standards organization. This definition — as of early 2006 — includes Bahrain, Egypt, Iran (Persia), Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian Territory, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. * This definition is used in world-wide airfare and tax calculations for passengers and cargo.
More on [ Middle East ]
Middle East :: By Historical Region
Middle East :: Regional
Middle Eastern Studies :: Area Studies
Balkans :: Europe
History :: Islam

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Center of Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University - Concise profile of this institute.
Iranians for International Cooperation: Persian Gulf Task Force - Seeks to defend the term 'Persian Gulf' and its usage. Site includes maps and pictures, related articles, area history, and project mission.
MidEastWeb - Historical Documents - Documents and background on the Palestine/Israel conflict, peace process and other Middle Eastern history.
Meta Description: [ History and documents related to the
Middle East and the Arab-Israel Conflict from the turn of the century to the present day,
including UN resolutions, Balfour Declaration, Zionist documents, Resolutions of the Arab League with introductions... ]
Nabataea - History and archaeological articles about the Nabataean Kingdom and its capital city of Petra.
Race and Slavery in the Middle East - Two chapters on the roots of slavery in the Middle eastern region, by Bernard Lewis, Oxford University Press.
Scrolls From The Dead Sea - The Ancient Library of Qumran and Modern Scholarship
West Asia and the Middle East - Chronology of history of the Middle East.
| Fastest Growing City in the World! Middle East 2.0 - Dubai in 2006 | |
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