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1[[quoteright:176:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/middle_east.png]]
2One of the world's most volatile regions, the traditional definition of the Middle East, pictured to the right and which the countries listed down below go by, are the countries of Western UsefulNotes/{{Asia}} that are south of UsefulNotes/TheCaucasus.
3
4The Greater Middle East political definition, coined in the [[TurnOfTheMillennium early 2000's]] by the UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush administration, throws in the entirety of Maghreb/North UsefulNotes/{{Africa}} as far west as UsefulNotes/{{Morocco}} (while the traditional Middle East only includes Egypt, as it is a transcontinental country in both North Africa and Western Asia), as well as UsefulNotes/{{Mauritania}} in West Africa, UsefulNotes/{{Comoros}}, UsefulNotes/{{Djibouti}} and UsefulNotes/{{Somalia}} in East Africa, and UsefulNotes/{{Afghanistan}}, UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}} and the UsefulNotes/{{Maldives}} in South Asia, fitting more closely with the UsefulNotes/ArabWorld and/or the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_world Muslim world]] (note that the three terms are ''not'' synonymous). The Caucasus and Central Asia are sometimes also included in the Greater Middle East due to sociopolitical connections. Some particularly ignorant individuals equate "The Middle East" with "anywhere where Muslims are the majority", which is a major mistake since hundreds of millions of Muslims live far away from the traditional Middle East, and in decidedly non-dry places too.[[note]]Sure, it is easy to conflate Afghanistan and Pakistan with the Middle East since they border Iran and have deserts, but do you really want to include lush, green UsefulNotes/{{Bangladesh}} as well? How about UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}}? Furthermore, Southern Europe, which is very much a part of the West, has several Muslim-majority countries in UsefulNotes/{{Kosovo}}, UsefulNotes/{{Bosnia}} and UsefulNotes/{{Albania}}.[[/note]] The Near East, mainly in texts originating in {{UsefulNotes/Europe}} (both English and foreign texts), is described as the Levant[[note]]Cyprus, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, as well as Hatay Province in Turkey[[/note]] plus Iraq, while the Middle East is the area around Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. This can cause a mess for translators as well, so you always better make sure what the author's definition of the term is and preferably attach your own definition if writing about it yourself.
5
6In the case of casting "Middle Eastern" characters in the Western world, casting could look for anyone from Morocco [[note]]in North Africa[[/note]] to Bangladesh [[note]]in South Asia[[/note]] and everything in between. So it's not uncommon to see Indians playing Arabs (Naveeen Andrews as Iraqi Sayyid Jarrah in Lost), Arabs playing South Asians (Fady Elsayed as Ram Singh in Class), Iranians playing Bangladeshis (Golshifteh Farahani as Nik Khan in Extraction), etc.
7Ironically, if the Middle Eastern setting is a fantasy/sci-fi genre or biblical/historical, then don't be surprised to see White (Arnold Vosloo as Egyptian Imhotep in The Mummy), Black (Peter Mensah as the Persian messenger in 300), Far East Asian (Elodie Yung in Gods of Egypt) or Oceanic (Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam) actors playing Middle Eastern characters and historical figures. In fact, almost every other actor thats played Jesus is white. The only Asians to play Jesus so far are British Sri-Lankan/English actor Selva Rasalingam, Lebanese Haaz Sleiman and American Syrians Bruce Marchiano[[note]] his mother is Syrian while his father is Italian[[/note]] and Jonathan Roumie[[note]] his parental grandfather is Syrian while his father is Egyptian and his mother is Irish[[/note]].
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9The Middle East is generally considered the "cradle of civilization"[[note]]to the West, at least; it is now generally accepted that multiple civilization cradles sprung up across the world independently from each other[[/note]]; the earliest civilizations in the world (in the modern sense of the word) - Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, Babylon and Elam - developed in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and the surrounding areas about 5000 years ago; AncientEgypt showed up at about the same time as Sumer, and Egyptian and Mesopotamian empires would later trade territory in the Levant. Anatolia, meanwhile, was home to the Hittites, the world's earliest Indo-European civilization. The whole area served as an important cultural and trade center in ancient times. It was the birthplace of several major religions, the most famous being the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, but also other historically-important ones like Zoroastrianism and Gnosticism. It should also be noted that the oldest known law code to date, the Code of Ur-Nammu (circa. 2100-2050 B.C.), is also from Mesopotamia.
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11One should note that not all of the Middle East is autocratic and theocratic like Saudi Arabia. Some states are more liberal (and desert-covered) than others. Additionally, not everyone in the Middle East is even Muslim, as Egyptian Coptic Christians, Israeli Jews, Lebanese Maronite Christians and Iranian Zoroastrians, among others, would point out. Likewise, even leaving aside Turkey, Cyprus, Israel and Iran (Turks, Greeks, Jews and Persians, respectively), not everyone in the Middle East is Arab, as Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, Balochs, Circassians, Kurds, Lurs, Turkmens, and migrant South Asians would point out.
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13Also note that the region is not just a big desert. The Middle East is actually very mountainous in many places, as it sits on top of the intersection between several geological plates. It just happens that a major part of the region is arid and covered in sand. Countries like Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey have more proportion of arable land and forest than desert. Oh, and it snows in the Middle East, with Iran, Lebanon, and Turkey having ski resorts and Iran being hit by the deadliest blizzard in history in 1972.
14
15[[index]]
16!Countries and Dependencies
17!!!Anatolia
18* UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}
19->'''Capital''': Ankara
20->'''Largest City''': UsefulNotes/{{Istanbul}}
21
22!!!Mediterranean Sea
23* UsefulNotes/AkrotiriAndDhekelia (controlled by the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom)
24->'''Capital''': Episkopi Cantonment
25->'''Largest Civilian Settlement''': Akrotiri
26* UsefulNotes/{{Cyprus}}
27->'''Capital & Largest City''': Nicosia
28* UsefulNotes/NorthernCyprus (de facto independent country, claimed by Cyprus)
29->'''Capitals''': North Nicosia (''de facto''), Nicosia (''de jure'')
30->'''Largest City''': North Nicosia
31
32!!!Sinai Peninsula
33* [[UsefulNotes/ModernEgypt Egypt]]
34->'''Capital & Largest City''': UsefulNotes/{{Cairo}}
35
36!!!Fertile Crescent
37* UsefulNotes/{{Iraq}}
38->'''Capital & Largest City''': Baghdad
39* UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}
40->'''Capital & Largest city''': UsefulNotes/{{Jerusalem}} (limited recognition)[[note]]Though the Israeli government and state apparatus are mostly based in Jerusalem, only a handful of foreign countries recognize and house their embassies within the city, with the others still basing themselves in Tel Aviv pending the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[[/note]]
41* UsefulNotes/{{Jordan}}
42->'''Capital & Largest City''': Amman
43* UsefulNotes/{{Lebanon}}
44->'''Capital & Largest City''': UsefulNotes/{{Beirut}}
45* UsefulNotes/{{Palestine}} (UN observer state, de jure independent state, occupied by Israel)[[note]]The Palestinian National Authority exercises limited self-rule over the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Both the PNA and Israel have little say in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas group took over the territory in 2007.[[/note]]
46->'''Proclaimed Capital''': Jerusalem[[note]]As with the West Bank, the PNA exercises limited self-rule over East Jerusalem after the Six-Day War. West Jerusalem has been under Israeli control since the Arab-Israeli conflict first erupted in 1948.[[/note]]
47->'''Administrative Center''': Ramallah
48->'''Largest City''': Gaza City[[note]]As with the rest of the Gaza Strip, the PNA and Israel have little say in the administration of the Gaza City after the 2007 Hamas takeover.[[/note]]
49* UsefulNotes/{{Syria}}
50->'''Capital & Largest City''': Damascus
51
52!!!Iranian Plateau
53* UsefulNotes/{{Iran}}
54->'''Capital & Largest City''': UsefulNotes/{{Tehran}}
55
56!!!Arabian Peninsula
57* UsefulNotes/{{Bahrain}}
58->'''Capital & Largest City''': Manama
59* UsefulNotes/{{Kuwait}}
60->'''Capital & Largest City''': Kuwait City
61* UsefulNotes/{{Oman}}
62->'''Capital & Largest City''': Muscat
63* UsefulNotes/{{Qatar}}
64->'''Capital & Largest City''': Doha
65* UsefulNotes/SaudiArabia
66->'''Capital & Largest City''': UsefulNotes/{{Riyadh}}
67* UsefulNotes/UnitedArabEmirates
68->'''Capital''': Abu Dhabi
69->'''Largest City''': UsefulNotes/{{Dubai}}
70* UsefulNotes/{{Yemen}}
71->'''Capital & Largest City''': Sanaa
72->'''Capital-in-exile''': Aden[[note]]Yemen has been mired in civil war since 2015. The UN-backed government was forced to retreat from the capital Sana'a and relocate many times, with the president himself living in exile in Saudi Arabia. The government is technically based in Aden, but the city has been under the control of the Southern Transitional Council, which nominally sides with the government but has agendas of its own since 2019.[[/note]]
73
74'''Related articles:'''
75* UsefulNotes/TheAchaemenidEmpire
76* AdamAndEvePlot
77* AdamAndOrEve
78* AdventuresInTheBible
79* [[AllJewsAreAshkenazi All Jews are Ashkenazi]]
80* [[AllJewsAreCheapskates All Jews are Cheapskates]]
81* AllMuslimsAreArab
82* AmbiguouslyJewish
83* UsefulNotes/AncientEgyptianHistory
84* AncientPersia
85* TheAntiChrist
86** AntiAntiChrist
87* UsefulNotes/ArabIsraeliConflict
88* Myth/ArabMythology
89** MagicCarpet
90** {{Miraj}}
91** OurGeniesAreDifferent
92*** BecomingTheGenie
93*** BenevolentGenie
94*** FreeingTheGenie
95*** GenieInABottle
96*** TheGenieInTheMachine
97*** GenieWorks
98*** JackassGenie
99*** LiteralGenie
100*** {{Wishplosion}}
101** OurGhoulsAreCreepier
102** RocBirds
103* ArabOilSheikh
104* UsefulNotes/TheArabSpring
105* UsefulNotes/ArabWorld
106* ArabianNightsDays
107** BazaarOfTheBizarre
108** MagicCarpet
109* UsefulNotes/ArabicLanguage
110** ArabBeobleTalk
111* TheArk
112* UsefulNotes/TheArmenianGenocide
113* AsTheGoodBookSays
114* AsianAnimation
115* AsianStoreOwner
116* {{Asmodeus}}
117* AwayInAManger
118* BadSamaritan
119* BadassIsraeli
120* BedlahBabe
121* BedouinRescueService
122* {{Beelzebub}}
123* BibleTimes
124** SwordAndSandal
125* BiblicalBadGuy
126* BiblicalMotifs
127* BigBrotherIsWatchingThisIndex
128** UsefulNotes/{{Emniyet}}
129** UsefulNotes/{{Mossad}}
130* BlackJezebelStereotype
131* BloodOath
132* BuildLikeAnEgyptian
133* UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire
134* CainAndAbel
135** {{Cain}}
136*** TheDescendantsOfCain
137*** NameOfCain
138** CainAndAbelAndSeth
139* Myth/CanaaniteMythology
140* UsefulNotes/{{Castles}}
141* ChildSoldiers
142* UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}
143** AmbiguouslyChristian
144** EveryoneIsChristianAtChristmas
145** UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity
146** Myth/SaintGeorge
147* ClamshellCurrency
148* CloneJesus
149* UsefulNotes/{{Coffee}}
150** YouGetMeCoffee
151* CrossingTheDesert
152* CrucialCross
153* CrucifiedHeroShot
154* UsefulNotes/TheCrusades
155* CurseOfBabel
156* CurseOfThePharaoh
157* DarkMessiah
158* DarkShepherd
159* DavidVersusGoliath
160* DeadlyDustStorm
161* DealWithTheDevil
162* DesertBandits
163* DesertWarfare
164* DevelopingNationsLackCities
165* DuelingMessiahs
166* Myth/EgyptianMythology
167** OurSphinxesAreDifferent
168* EmissaryFromTheDivine
169* [[EunuchsAreEvil Eunuchs are Evil]]
170* EyeOfHorusMeansEgypt
171* UsefulNotes/TheFallOfConstantinople
172* FalseProphet
173* FlamingSword
174* ForbiddenFruit
175* ForcesWithFirepower
176** UsefulNotes/EgyptiansWithEagleFighters (Egyptian military)
177** UsefulNotes/IsraelisWithInfraredMissiles (Israeli Defense Force)
178*** UsefulNotes/TheSamsonOption (Israeli nuclear weapons)
179** UsefulNotes/PersiansWithPistols (Iranian military)
180** UsefulNotes/SaudisWithSabers (Saudi Arabian military)
181** UsefulNotes/TurksWithTroops (Turkish military)
182** UsefulNotes/WarriorsOfDesertWinds (Jordanian Army)
183* GardenOfEden
184* GarlicIsAbhorrent
185* TheGeneralissimo
186* GentileJewChaser
187* UsefulNotes/{{Gnosticism}}
188** OurArchonsAreDifferent
189* GoAndSinNoMore
190* {{God}}
191** TheAntiGod
192** BeingGodIsHard
193** GodForADay
194** GodKartingWithBeelzebub
195** GodIsDead
196** GodIsDispleased
197** GodIsEvil
198** GodIsFlawed
199** GodIsGood
200** GodIsInept
201** GodIsNeutral
202** GodWasMyCopilot
203** GodsHandsAreTied
204** GrandpaGod
205** TheHandIsGod
206** HaveYouSeenMyGod
207** ReasoningWithGod
208** WhatIfGodWasOneOfUs
209* GodEmperor
210* {{Golem}}
211** ImprovisedGolems
212* GoodSamaritan
213* GoodShepherd
214* GratuitousUseOfTheTallit
215* TheGreatFlood
216* UsefulNotes/GrecoPersianWars
217* GreedyJew
218* UsefulNotes/GreekLanguage
219** GratuitousGreek
220* UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar
221* UsefulNotes/TheHashshashin
222* {{Heaven}}
223** TheArmiesOfHeaven
224** BonusLevelOfHeaven
225** CelebritiesHangOutInHeaven
226** FluffyCloudHeaven
227** HealthyInHeaven
228** HeavenAbove
229** HeavenSeeker
230** HeavenlyBlue
231** HellOfAHeaven
232** HighTechHeaven
233** NostalgiaHeaven
234** PhysicalHeaven
235** RageAgainstTheHeavens
236** ReroutedFromHeaven
237** StairwayToHeaven
238** TakingOverHeaven
239** ThisIsntHeaven
240** UnfeelingHeavens
241* HeavenVersusHell
242* Myth/HebrewMythology
243* HeinousHyena
244* {{Hell}}
245** AHellOfATime
246** BloodyBowelsOfHell
247** CityOfTheDamned
248** DraggedOffToHell
249** EasyRoadToHell
250** FireAndBrimstoneHell
251** {{Hellevator}}
252** HellHasNewManagement
253** HellIsWar
254** HellSeeker
255** IronicHell
256** TheLegionsOfHell
257** NotAfraidOfHell
258** PhysicalHell
259** SelfInflictedHell
260** ToHellAndBack
261** YouAreWorthHell
262* HellInvadesHeaven
263* HidingInAHijab
264* HijackedByJesus
265* UsefulNotes/HistoryOfModernEgypt
266* Myth/HittiteMythology
267* HolyCity
268* HollywoodMirage
269* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse
270* IndoEuropeanAlienLanguage
271* UsefulNotes/IranIraqWar
272* UsefulNotes/IranianRevolution
273* UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}
274** UsefulNotes/IslamicDress
275** [[UsefulNotes/IslamicHolidaysAndFestivals Islamic Holidays and Festivals]]
276** UsefulNotes/TheProphetMuhammad
277** Literature/TheQuran
278* JacobAndEsau
279* JesusTheEarlyYears
280* JesusWasCrazy
281* JesusWasWayCool
282* JewishAndNerdy
283* JewishComplaining
284* JewishMother
285* UsefulNotes/JewishRevolts
286* JewsLoveToArgue
287* UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}}
288** InformedJudaism
289** UsefulNotes/JewishHolidays
290** JudaismAndJewishCultureInMedia
291*** HanukkahEpisode
292** UsefulNotes/JewishLifeEvents
293** UsefulNotes/{{Kabbalah}}
294** UsefulNotes/TheNoahideLaws
295* KosherNostra
296* KrakenAndLeviathan
297* UsefulNotes/KravMaga
298* UsefulNotes/{{Kurdistan}}
299* LooksLikeJesus
300* UsefulNotes/TheMaccabeanRevolt
301* UsefulNotes/MacedonianSuccessionWars
302* MagicalJew
303* MaliciousMonitorLizard
304* UsefulNotes/{{Manichaeism}}
305* MesopotamianMonstrosity
306* Myth/MesopotamianMythology
307** MotherOfAThousandYoung
308** ScorpionPeople
309** SheduAndLammasu
310* MessianicArchetype
311* {{Metatron}}
312* MicroMonarchy
313* MiddleEasternCoalition
314* MiddleEasternTerrorists
315* UsefulNotes/MilitaryAnimals
316** WarElephants
317* MosesArchetype
318* MosesInTheBulrushes
319* {{Mummy}}
320** ChummyMummy
321** MummyWrap
322** SeductiveMummy
323* NaziHunter
324* NephariousPharaoh
325* {{Nephilim}}
326* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown
327* NewEden
328* NiceJewishBoy
329* NoahsStoryArc
330* NumberOfTheBeast
331* ObviousJudas
332* {{Orientalism}}
333* UsefulNotes/OtherRoyalFamilies
334* OurAngelsAreDifferent
335** AngelUnaware
336** AngelicAbomination
337** AngelsInOvercoats
338** CelestialParagonsAndArchangels
339*** ArchangelAzrael
340*** ArchangelGabriel
341*** ArchangelMichael
342*** ArchangelRaphael
343*** ArchangelUriel
344** CouncilOfAngels
345** FallenAngel
346** GuardianAngel
347* OurGryphonsAreDifferent
348* OurHippocampsAreDifferent
349* OurMermaidsAreDifferent
350** ApparentlyHumanMerfolk
351** MermaidArcEmergence
352** MermaidMedia
353** MermaidProblem
354** UnscaledMerfolk
355* {{Ouroboros}}
356* PartingTheSea
357* ThePearlyGates
358* Myth/PersianMythology
359** OurManticoresAreSpinier
360* PhilosophersStone
361* ThePromisedLand
362* PublicBathhouseScene
363** BathhouseBlitz
364* PyramidPower
365* {{Qurac}}
366* RealMenLoveJesus
367* UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire
368* UsefulNotes/TheRomanRepublic
369* RoyalHarem
370* SacredHospitality
371* ASaintNamedMary
372* SamaritanSyndrome
373* {{Satan}}
374** SatanIsGood
375* SatanicArchetype
376* ScarabPower
377* ScheherezadeGambit
378* SeaOfSand
379* SecondComing
380* SerpentStaff
381* ShiksaGoddess
382* SignsOfTheEndTimes
383* SizableSemiticNose
384* ThirstyDesert
385* TheThreeWiseMen
386* TowerOfBabel
387* UsefulNotes/TurkicPeoples
388* TurkishDrama
389* TurnTheOtherCheek
390* {{Unperson}}
391* UriahGambit
392* WalkOnWater
393* UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror
394* ZodiacMotifs
395* UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}}
396[[/index]]

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