Compass: Middle East
“One finger cannot lift a pebble”. — Persian Proverb
Journey to the Middle East, the transcontinental region of Western Asia and Egypt, and explore its vast and rich history from ancient times to the present. An understanding of the Middle East comes with acknowledging its place as the birthplace and spiritual center of many of the world’s religions such as Christianity, Druze, Islam, Judaism, Manichaecism, Mandeanism, Yarsan, and Yezidi. The Bahá’í Faith, Manicheanism, Mithraism and Zoroastrianism have found their genesis in Iran.The different ethnic groups are as diverse as the region’s religions. Arabs, Azeris, Kurds, Persians, and Turks are the largest groups by population in the Middle East. The region also has a significant minority population that includes Armenians, Assyrians, Circassians, Copts, Druze, Greeks, Jews, Maronites and Somalis, among others. The 17 countries that comprise the Middle East include: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, , United Arab Emirates and Yeman.
