Museums in the Middle East 

The Middle East is a transcontinental region centred on Western Asia. The term has come into wider usage as a replacement of the term Near East beginning in the early 20th century.

The history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, with the geopolitical importance of the region being recognized for millennia. Several major religions have their origins in the Middle East, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam plus numerous other belief systems were also established within the region.

Below is a list of some of the leading museums by major countries that will be highlighted in “Joy of Museums”:

Middle East Museums

• Arab Republic of Egyptian Museums
  • Cairo Museums
    • Egyptian Museum
• Turkey Museums
  •  Istanbul Museums
    • İstanbul Archaeology Museums
    • Topkapı Palace
• Iran Museums
  • Tehran Museums
    • Reza Abbasi Museum
• United Arab Emirates Museums
  • Dubai Museums
    • Dubai Museum
    • Saeed Al Maktoum House
  • Sharjah Museums
    • Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization
• Israel Museums
  • The Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Museums in the Middle East 

• Region:              Middle East
• Demonym:         Middle-Eastern
• Countries:          17 Countries
• Population:        370 Million

Middle East Museums Map

Middle Eastern Countries

Traditionally included within the Middle East are Iran (Persia), Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and Egypt. Today the countries or states by population size of approx 2 million and over, that are classified as in the Middle East region are:

• Egypt
• Iran
• Turkey
• Iraq
• Saudi Arabia
• Yemen
• Syria
• Jordan
• United Arab Emirates
• Israel (including occupied territories)
• Lebanon
• Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip)
• Oman
• Kuwait
• Qatar
• Bahrain

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“Habit is the sixth sense that dominates the other five.”
– Arabic Proverb

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Photo Credits: By Pentocelo (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons