Geographically the Middle East can be considered to encompass a region stretching from the eastern and northern boundaries of Iran, through Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel and including the Arabian peninsular - Saudi Arabia, Oman and the Gulf states.

 

The Middle East is part of a larger 'Arab World' that is vast and includes the nations of the Middle East (not Israel, Iran perhaps) and on through Saharan North Africa to the South Atlantic coast.

 

The region can be recognised as a homogeneous unit by reference to a number of common factors including religion, culture, language, political arrangements and our own image of desert countries although the individual nations are also as separate and distinctive from each other as anywhere in the world. One of the most recognisable features is the combination of traditional values alongside modern technology.

 

Common ties begin with language and the language of the region is Arabic. Traditional or classical Arabic is in writings and religious texts and is uniform throughout the region, modern spoken Arabic dialect is particular to a country, a state or a region.

 

Religion is an important part of the life of the Middle East with the vast majority of the population of the region being followers of Islam and the writings of the Prophet Mohammed contained within the Islamic holy book - The Koran. There are minority Christian and other religions in most of the countries of the region however Islam dominates and forms the basis of the laws or codes in each state of the Middle East to a greater or lesser degree. Some are more secular and politics and religion are separate in some countries and are as one in others.

 

The adherence of individual Muslims to their faith varies enormously from extreme piety to aesthetic pragmatism although the vast majority of Arabs in their own country will be conservative by Western standards. Politically, through a common history of tribalism, monarchy and family rule is the predominant form of leadership in the Arab world and the Middle East in particular with certain influential families producing a line of rulers from the 18th century to the present time.