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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.

Characteristics


In the Western world, the Middle East is generally thought of as a predominantly Islamic Arabic community defined by frequent war. However the area encompasses many distinct cultural and ethnic groups, including the Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Azeris, Berbers, Chaldeans, Druze, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Maronites, Persians and Turks. The main language groups include: Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian (also known as Aramaic and Syriac), Hebrew, Persian, Kurdish and Turkish. The corresponding adjective is Middle-Eastern and the derived noun is Middle-Easterner.

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.

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joined the singer at a New Years Eve gig in the Middle East. ....wtf was matt with rih in abu dhabi lol
3delemo (Adel ) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:16:29 -0000
joined the singer at a New Years Eve gig in the Middle East. ....wtf was matt with rih in abu dhabi lol
Bin Laden's Cruel, Unusual Parenting Revealed - Middle East Map | News | Crisis - FOXNews.com - http://shar.es/aQ3RD
unklar (Mark Dunk) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:13:02 -0000
Bin Laden's Cruel, Unusual Parenting Revealed - Middle East Map | News | Crisis - FOXNews.com - http://shar.es/aQ3RD
Congratulations to Dr. Roderic Dutton who was awarded an OBE for services to higher education and research links between UK and Middle East
beaglecampaign (The Beagle Campaign) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:10:22 -0000
Congratulations to Dr. Roderic Dutton who was awarded an OBE for services to higher education and research links between UK and Middle East
Citi names Atiq ur Rehman Chief Executive Officer in Middle East|Citi is pleased to announce the appointment of .. http://oohja.com/x4q8Y
ucharm (uCharm) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:05:25 -0000
Citi names Atiq ur Rehman Chief Executive Officer in Middle East|Citi is pleased to announce the appointment of .. http://oohja.com/x4q8Y
Private Jets Reviews: NetJets Middle East launches Jet Card | Private Jet Daily http://bit.ly/5WM2CJ
dannaw39 (Danna Rawnie) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:02:14 -0000
Private Jets Reviews: NetJets Middle East launches Jet Card | Private Jet Daily http://bit.ly/5WM2CJ
Speedy Hire signs Middle East deal - http://tinyurl.com/yf3uv28
financeheadline (Kaitlyn Qadira) Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:00:49 -0000
Speedy Hire signs Middle East deal - http://tinyurl.com/yf3uv28

 
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Archaeological Sites in the Near East - List of links maintained by the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago.

Archaeologists Excavate Monastery to Reveal Gaza Strip's Ancient Lineage - From Ekathimerini, away from the ongoing violence, researchers uncover the vestiges of Palestine's Byzantine past.

404 Archaeologists Unraveling Ancient Mideast Drug Trade - From Yahoo!, thriving Bronze Age drug trade supplied narcotics to ancient cultures throughout the eastern Mediterranean as balm for the pain of childbirth and disease, proving a sophisticated knowledge of medicines dating back thousands of years.

Archaeology in the Levant - The University of California San Diego reports on its projects in Israel and Jordan.

Archaeology of Legumes - Discussion of the archaeology of Old World legumes including pictures and readings.

Commemorating the dead, Neolithic style - From The Daily Star, a reinterpretation of Neolithic plastered skulls from Jordan, Syria, Israel and Turkey is changing the way scholars think about cult, death and the afterlife in the Neolithic and the ancient Middle East.
Meta Description: [ The Leading English Language Newspaper in the Middle-East ]

500 Guide to Middle East Archaeology and History - Archive of news, articles, blog postings and commentary, as well as links and directory listings.
Meta Description: [ Information about the museum in Baghdad and Iraq art and history and archaeology ]

History of the Ancient Near East - Mark McDonald provides information and links on the archaeological sites of the region from Turkey to Southwestern Iran.
Meta Description: [ A database of the prehistoric Near East as well as its ancient history up to approximately the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans ]

Introduction to Ancient Mesopotamia - A description including: emergence, excavation, discovery and decipherment, reconstructing history, and a table of Mesopotamian chronology.
Meta Description: [ 'An Introduction to Ancient Mesopotamia' paper by Ian Lawton, describing discoveries of its earliest cities and texts. ]

Nabateans - Presents research of Avraham Negev regarding the legendary tribe of Nabateans.
Meta Description: [ Professor of Classical Archaeology, Avraham Negev.The Nabateans archaeology of the Negev researcher, present facts and aspects about the legendary tribe: The Nabateans ]

Naomi F. Miller - Bibliographies of archaeobotanical site reports from the Near East and watercolors.
Meta Description: [ Bibliographies of archaeobotanical site reports from the Near East; watercolors, and more. ]

Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations Undergraduate Student Association Website - Devoted to the study of the ancient (from c. 3100 BCE) and contemporary cultures found within modern day Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Rhodes, Cyprus, Iraq, (to some extent Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Republic of Georgia) and western Iran.

500 Near Eastern Archaeology Forum - A clearing house for information pertaining to the archaeology of the ancient Near East including a forum listing useful links, discussions, upcoming events, and news .
Meta Description: [ NearEasternArchaeology.com was created to fill a need of scholars, students, and professional archaeologists for a clearing house for information pertaining to the archaeology of the ancient Near East from North Africa in the west to Iran in the East.