The Middle East is the most ancient region of human civilization

A region where Europe, Africa, and Asia meet. It is an unofficial and imprecise term that now generally encompasses the lands around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea — notably Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria — as well as Iran, Iraq, and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Saudi Arabia). Afghanistan, Libya, Turkey, and The Sudan are sometimes also included. The term was formerly used by Western geographers and historians to describe the region from the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia; Near East is sometimes used to describe the same area. While today about 92% of the population (292 million people) are Muslims, the Middle East is the geographic and emotional center of three of the world's great religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

This area comprises mountains, deserts, fertile plains irrigated by grand rivers, and seacoasts. Climatically, the Middle East ranges from the temperate Mediterranean coast, to the extreme heat of the arid desert areas, to snowy mountains. This variety of terrain produces a wide range of food ingredients.