| Revision as of 17:09, 24 January 2014 editAnomieBOT (talk | contribs)Bots6,573,745 editsm Dating maintenance tags: {{Cn}}← Previous edit | Revision as of 04:59, 25 January 2014 edit undo24.36.80.217 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ''This article is about the Mashriq region. For other uses, see ]'' | ''This article is about the Mashriq region. For other uses, see ]'' | ||
| The '''Mashriq''' (]: مشرق, also transcribed '''Mashreq''', '''Mashrek''' etc.) is the region of ] countries to the east of ] and the ]. This composes the countries of Egypt, ], ], ], and ].<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> It is derived from the Arabic ] sh-r-q (ش ر ق) relating to the east or the sunrise, and essentially means "]" (most literally or poetically, "place of sunrise").{{cn|date=January 2014}} | The '''Mashriq''' (]: مشرق, also transcribed '''Mashreq''', '''Mashrek''' etc.) is the region of ] countries to the east of ] and the ]. This composes the countries of Egypt, ], ], ], and ].<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> It is derived from the Arabic ] sh-r-q (ش ر ق) relating to the east or the sunrise, and essentially means "]" (most literally or poetically, "place of sunrise").{{cn|date=January 2014}} | ||
| It refers to a large area in the ], bounded between the ] and ]. It is therefore the companion term to '']'' (مغرب), meaning "west" (a reference to the Arabic-speaking countries in the west of ]). Egypt occupies an ambiguous position: while it has cultural, ethnic and linguistic ties to both the Mashriq and the Maghreb, it is unique and different from both. Therefore, Egypt is located at the center/heart of the ] and that is why the headquarters of the ] is located in the Egyptian capital of ]. Thus, it is usually seen as being part of neither; however, when it is grouped with one or the other, it is generally considered part of the Mashriq on account of its closer ties to the ] (Egypt and the Levant were often ruled as a single unit, as under the ]ian ], the ], ], the ], the ], the ]s, and for a time under ]) and similarity between the Egyptian and nearby Levantine dialects.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} These geographical terms date from the early Islamic conquests. | It refers to a large area in the ], bounded between the ] and ]. It is therefore the companion term to '']'' (مغرب), meaning "west" (a reference to the Arabic-speaking countries in the west of ]). Egypt occupies an ambiguous position: while it has cultural, ethnic and linguistic ties to both the Mashriq and the Maghreb, it is unique and different from both. Therefore, Egypt is located at the center/heart of the ] and that is why the headquarters of the ] is located in the Egyptian capital of ]. Thus, it is usually seen as being part of neither; however, when it is grouped with one or the other, it is generally considered part of the Mashriq on account of its closer ties to the ] (Egypt and the Levant were often ruled as a single unit, as under the ]ian ], the ], ], the ], the ], the ]s, and for a time under ]) and similarity between the Egyptian and nearby Levantine dialects.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} These geographical terms date from the early Islamic conquests. | ||
Revision as of 04:59, 25 January 2014
This article is about the Mashriq region. For other uses, see Mashriq (disambiguation)
The Mashriq (Arabic: مشرق, also transcribed Mashreq, Mashrek etc.) is the region of Arab countries to the east of Egypt and the Levant. This composes the countries of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. It is derived from the Arabic consonantal root sh-r-q (ش ر ق) relating to the east or the sunrise, and essentially means "east" (most literally or poetically, "place of sunrise").
It refers to a large area in the Middle East, bounded between the Mediterranean Sea and Iran. It is therefore the companion term to Maghreb (مغرب), meaning "west" (a reference to the Arabic-speaking countries in the west of North Africa). Egypt occupies an ambiguous position: while it has cultural, ethnic and linguistic ties to both the Mashriq and the Maghreb, it is unique and different from both. Therefore, Egypt is located at the center/heart of the Arab world and that is why the headquarters of the Arab League is located in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Thus, it is usually seen as being part of neither; however, when it is grouped with one or the other, it is generally considered part of the Mashriq on account of its closer ties to the Levant (Egypt and the Levant were often ruled as a single unit, as under the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom, the Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, the Fatimid Caliphate, the Ayyubid dynasty, the Mamluks, and for a time under Muhammad Ali Pasha) and similarity between the Egyptian and nearby Levantine dialects. These geographical terms date from the early Islamic conquests.
This region is somewhat synonymous with Bilad al-Sham, but it also included part of Iraq. In the Maghreb, the term serves to represent the western Arab countries of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Mashriq is home to 1% of the global population as of 2010.
See also
- Arab Mashreq International Road Network
- Arab Mashreq International Railway
- Fertile Crescent
- Cradle of civilization
- Greater Syria
- Levant
- Maghreb
- Mesopotamia
References
- European Neighbourhood Policy in the Mashreq Countries: Enhancing Prospects for Reform - Mashreq region (covering Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories)
- Introduction to Migration and the Mashreq
- Migrants from the Maghreb and Mashreq Countries
- The Maghreb: The Jewel of North Africa
 | This Middle East location article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |