Middle Eastern culture consists of a wide variety of people. No country in the region is home to only one native culture. Each country has its own unique cultures. Some hold close their own traditions and manner of dress, while others blend in with the cultures around them. Many Middle East cultures, especially ethnoreligious minorities, live separately from other cultures in their countries.
Learn more: Insight into Middle East cultures
Anywhere from approximately 350 million to 500 million people live in the Middle East. The number varies depending on what countries are included in the population count. The populations of some countries which are not universally considered Middle Eastern countries, such as Turkey and Afghanistan, are sometimes included and other times excluded from the count.
While it seems the answer to this question would be straightforward, it is not.
Experts widely agree that the Middle East includes 15 countries: namely Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Palestine is often included, as many consider the Palestinian territories to be a country. Cyprus is also sometimes included in the country count. Some sources also inaccurately include countries which lie well outside the region such as Afghanistan, Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia.
Egypt is considered part of the Middle East for a few different reasons. First, although the Middle East lies on the continent of Asia and most of Egypt lies on the continent of Africa, the Sinai region of Egypt (separated from the rest of the country by the Suez Canal) is on the continent of Asia, just like the rest of the Middle East. The Sinai shares land borders with Israel as well as the Gaza Strip in the Middle East.
Also, the population of Egypt is primarily Muslim, as is the majority of the Middle East. Because Egypt is geographically connected to the Middle East and because Egyptians are primarily Muslim, the cultures of Egypt are similar to the cultures of the Middle East. For these reasons Egypt is considered part of the Middle East.
Egypt is home to many different cultures. The primary culture is called simply Egyptian. This group is composed of Muslims who originally arrived in Egypt during the 7th Century Arab conquest. A small percentage of these Egyptians belong to the Bedouin culture, primarily found in the Sinai Peninsula. Another Muslim group in Egypt is the Nubian culture. This group is originally from the Nile Valley in southern Egypt and Sudan and lives primarily in southern Egypt largely around the city of Aswan. Christians are the only non-Muslim culture in Egypt. They are the original Egyptians, descendants of the ancient Pharaonic people.
Learn more: Nubian culture
Learn more: Bedouin culture
Palestinian culture consists of both Muslim and Christian Arabs who are originally from the Levant region of the Middle East, primarily the land now called Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Today Palestinians live throughout Israel and the territories, including the Gaza Strip. Palestinians who were born in Israel proper are called Israeli Arabs. Many Palestinians who live in the territories are refugees from 20th Century wars. Palestinian refugees displaced by those wars also live in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
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There are a wide variety of Israeli cultures. Most Israelis are Jewish. Many Israeli Jews immigrated to Israel from around the Middle East, Europe, the United States and other parts of the world upon the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Israeli culture also consists of Israeli Arabs. This is a unique group as they are ethnically Palestinian yet legally Israeli because they were born inside Israel proper as opposed to the Palestinian Territories.
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Jordan is a tribal culture. Every native Jordanian, whether Muslim or Christian, belongs to a tribe. All Muslim Jordanians are also Bedouin, an ancient culture dating back thousands of years. While most are now westernized, many still adhere to their traditional lifestyles and manner of dress.
Palestinians displaced from Israel by wars have now lived in Jordan for so many generations that they have become part of Jordanian culture as well.
Learn more: Jordanian culture
The Middle East is composed primarily of people belonging to one of the three Abrahamic faiths: Christianity, Judaism or Islam.
Of these three faiths, most Middle East people belong to one of the two branches of Islam; Sunni or Shi’a. The vast majority of Middle Eastern Muslims are Sunnis while most of the rest are Shi’a.
Virtually all Middle Eastern countries have a Christian population, yet Christians constitute only approximately ten percent of the total population of the Middle East. Jews make up an even smaller percentage. Most Middle Eastern countries have virtually no Jewish population. Israel is the one exception, with a majority Jewish population.
Other minority religions in the Middle East include the Alawite Muslims, Baháʼís, Druze, Samaritans and Yazidis.
It is difficult to accurately count how many Christians currently live in the Middle East. With as many as 10 million Christians living in Egypt currently and far fewer numbers living in all of the other region’s countries combined, the number of Christians in the Middle East is likely somewhere around 15 million. For the most part, Christians are able to live peacefully as minorities in the Middle East, although they do face widespread discrimination along with many instances of forced conversions, kidnappings and murders.
Learn more: Christianity in the Middle East
The situation and treatment of women in the Middle East is quite different from that of the Western world. Different cultures and a different majority religion heavily contribute to a different attitude and behavior toward women in the Middle East. It is true that Middle Eastern women are often treated less respectfully than Western women. However, many Middle Eastern women receive university educations and enjoy fulfilling careers. Some are highly educated and hold professional positions such as doctor, lawyer, nurse or teacher. Middle Eastern families tend to be very close, with mothers held in high regard. The situation of women in the Middle East varies greatly depending on their individual country, culture and religion.
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Middle East conflict is a general term used to describe conflict or war that erupts in the region. War can be two or more countries engaged in war with each other or one country engaged in civil war. Conflict can occur for a number of reasons including as a response to terrorism, problems between Israelis and Palestinians or violence against ethnoreligious minorities.
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The Israeli Palestinian conflict is an ongoing and often violent conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. This conflict takes place in Israel as well as the Palestinian territories of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It involves confrontations between Jewish Israelis and Palestinians, frequently in the form of terrorism and killings. It also involves armed combat between the Palestinian people and Israeli security forces. Two intifadas have occurred in the past. Currently no intifada is taking place. Today’s Israel Palestine conflict includes the lengthy and deadly war in Gaza.
Learn more: Israel Palestine conflict
Learn more: War in Gaza
In general, yes, it is safe to travel to the Middle East. The security situation is dynamic, though, and differs from country to country. Currently, Israel is at war and Yemen is at war. Syria is unstable due to the recent conclusion of a 14-year civil war and the resulting unrest as well as violence against minority ethnoreligious groups. Travel to Lebanon and Iraq are inadvisable due to the countries’ volatile security situations. Tourism to Iran is possible but dicey after the 12-Day War with Israel. Travel to Egypt and Jordan as well as the Gulf countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is virtually always safe, including now.