UniMaps - Index of place names in the Middle East

A
Aanjar. town, central Lebanon.
Aaramoun. town, central Lebanon.
Abraq, Al. town near Wadi Barin. Kuwait.
Abu Dhabi. Capital city and largest of the 7 constituent emirates of United Arab Emirates.
Abu Kamal. border town to Iraq, southeastern Syria
Aden, city, once a British coaling station, then colony, then capital of former South Yemen 1968-90. Yemen.
Aden, Gulf of. deepwater basin between Red and Arabian seas. Off southern Yemen.
Ahmadi, Al. oasis town built in 1946 near a developing oil field, Kuwait.
Ahvaz. city, northwestern Iran.
Ain, Al. principle town in the Al Buraymi oasis, eastern United Arab Emirates.
Ain, Al. town, northern Beqaa Valley,Lebanon
Al Urug al Muteridah. huge salt pan in southeastern Saudi Arabia.
Alamein, El. coastal town and furthest advance by Germans in WWII, northern Egypt.
Aleppo. second largest city of Syria. An important trading centre since 3rd millennium BC. Northwestern Syria.
Alexandria. city, one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, now a thriving commercial centre. Egypt.
Aley. town, central Lebanon.
Amchit. town, northern coastal Lebanon.
Amman. capital and largest city of Jordan, a city of great antiquity, now the commercial and financial hub of Jordan.
Aqaba, Gulf of. eastern extension of the Red Sea, bordering Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Part of the East African Rift System
Aqaba. Jordan's only seaport, at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba.
Arag. oasis, northern Egypt.
Arar. town, northern Saudi Arabia.
Arbil or Irbil. ancient town, now trade centre for agricultural produce and a rail terminus. Iraq.
Areen, Al. wildlife park, Bahrain.
Aris or Arish, Al. wadi, rises in the Sinai desert, sometimes drains towards the Mediterranean near the town of Al-Arish. Egypt.
Asad, Al. lake, formed by the impounding of the Euphates (Al Furat) river, northern Syria.
Asseb or Assab. city and second seaport of Eritrea, on the Red Sea.
Ash-Shaqaya. highest elevation (290m) in Kuwai.t
Asir. area and mountain range, an agricultural area with one of the wetter climates in Saudi Arabia.
'Askar. town, Bahrain.
Asmara. capital and largest city of Eritrea
Aswan. dam impounding the Nile river, completed in 1970, forming Lake Nasser.
Aswan. city immediately downstream of the Aswan dam. A centre for agriculture and quarrying. Egypt.
Asyut. ancient city, now a centre for agriculture and industry on the banks of the Nile. Egypt
Attab. town within the Liwa Oasis, United Arab Emirates.
Awhah. island, Kuwait.
Azraq, Al. oasis town, Jordan.
Azraq. wetlands reserve, Jordan.

C, D
Cairo. capital city of Egypt and largest city in Africa.
Chouf. Cedar reserve, central Lebanon.

Dahna,Ad. desert in northern Saudi Arabia.
Dali, Ab. town near the Iraq border. Kuwait.
Damascus. capital city of Syria and oldest city in the world.
Damayand. mountain, highest elevation (5671m) in Iraq.
Damietta. city on the Damietta branch of the Nile river delta, northern Egypt.
Dasht-e Kavir. great sand and salt desert in northern central Iran. Approximately 400 km wide.
Dasht-e Lut. sand desert about 300 long x 150 km across. Northern central Iran.
Dawwar. city, northern Egypt.
Dayr As-Zor. Administration and trade city and name of former Ottoman Vilayet. Syria.
Desful or Dezful. city on the left bank of the Des river, winter market for the Lorestan nomads. Western Iran.
Dhahran or az Zahran. town in the Dammam oil field where the first oil was dicovered (1938) in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Dhaid. oasis, eastern United Arab Emirates.
Diba. town and port on the Musandam or Arabian Peninsular, northern Oman.
Dir'aiyah. eastern Saudi Arabia.
Diwaniyah, Ad.agricultural town on a channel of the Euphates south central Iraq.
Doha. capital city and port of Qatar.
Doha. city, towards the west of Kuwait Bay.
Dubai. city and one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates.
Duqm. coastal town in the Gulf of Masirah, southern Oman.

E, F
Eastern. desert, isolated but rich in natural resources, eastern Egypt.
Esfahan. city of the Seljuq Turks (11th century), and the Safavids of Iran. Now a major city in central west Iran.

Fajairah. constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates on the east side of the Oman promontory.
Farasan. island group in the Red Sea, southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Farwaniyah, Al. city, Kuwait.
Fayakah. island of Kuwait, lying in the Persian Gulf near the entrance to Kuwait Bay. 39 square km in area. Kuwait.
Fayam, Al. oasis and agricultural prodution centre, northern Egypt.

G, H
Giza. city on the outskirts of Cairo, adjacent to the Pyramids of Giza, northern Egypt.

Hail. oasis city, northern Saudi Arabia.
Hajar. mountain range running NW to SE in northern Oman. Reaches its greatest height at Mount al-Akhdar (3,075 m).
Hamah or Hama. city, and agricultural market centre on the banks of the Orontes River, central Syria.
Hamim. town within the Liwa Oasis, United Arab Emirates.
Hasa, el. wadi. sometimes drains to the Dead Sea via the Wadi Araba, Jordan.
Hasakah, Al. town on the banks of the Khabur River (a tributary of the Euphrates). The centre of an extensive irrigated-farming region. Northeastern Syria.
Hawar. island group close to Qatar. Sovereignty passed to Bahrain in 2001
Hermel. town, northern Lebanon.
Hillah, Al. town founded in the 10th century now a prosperous river port and grain market.
Hodeida or Hudaydah. on the Tihamah coastal plain that borders the Red Sea. One of the nation's chief ports. Yemen.
Hofuf. city in the large Al-Hasa oasis and on the railway from Riyadh to Ad-Dammam. Agricultural market centre. Eastern Saudi Arabia.
Homs or Khoms. city founded by the Turks and gained importance after 1870. Centre for Tuna processing and the marketing of dates and olive oil produced in the surrounding area. Syria.

I
Ibb. town, centre of a fertile agricultural region. Elevations vary from 1200 to 1800m, most of the cultivated area is terraced. Yemen.
Idfu. town on the Nile river.The modern town is a trading centre for grain, cotton, dates, and sugar. Egypt.
Irbid. city and one of Jordan's industrial areas, as well as an agricultural centre for Jordan's most fertile region.
Irbil or Arbil. ancient town, now trade centre for agricultural produce and a rail terminus. Iraq.
Ismalia. city at the approximate midpoint of the Suez Canal. Founded in 1863 by the French engineer de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal as a base camp.

J
Jahra, Al. city at the extreme west of Kuwait Bay, Kuwait.
Jawf, Al. oasis city, northern Saudi Arabia. It lies at the northern edge of an-Nafud desert near the source of the Wadi as-Sirhan, northern Saudi Arabia.
Jbail, town, northern coastal Lebanon. Formerly Byblos.
Jeddah or Jiddah. city and major port in central Hejaz. Served by highways to Mecca and Medina and an international Airport. Saudi Arabia.
Jubayl, al. originally a pearling village, now a vast industrial city. Eastern Saudi Arabia.

K
Karaj. city on the outskirts of Tehran, northwestern Iran.
Karbala. foremost holy city of Iraq. The city's religious importance derives from the Battle of Karbala in AD 680. Overun by US troops in 2003.
Kermanshah. city, lying in the fertile valley of the Qareh Su River and situated on the ancient caravan route between the Mediterranean and Central Asia. Founded in the 4th century AD. Northwestern Iran.
Kerak. market town for the sparsely settled surrounding countryside. The town also has ruins of several Byzantine churches. Jordan.
Khabura, Al. town on the Gulf of Oman, northern Oman.
Kharga. oasis, near the temples of Hibis and Nadura, central Egypt.
Kharj, Al. city south of Riyadh. Agricultural oasis, producing cereals, dates, vegetables, fruits and raising livestock. Saudi Arabia.
Khark or Kharg. island in the northern Persian Gulf. Est by Dutch 15th C. Now major oil terminus, Iran.
Khasab. town on the Musandam Peninsular, northern Oman.
Khersan. river, draining to the Persian Gulf, Iran.
Khor Fakken. exclave and port town, Ash-Shariqah emirate, United Arab Emirates.
Khorramabad. city, a summer market for the nomadic Lur tribes, it has lively bazaars and a strong garrison. Northwestern Iran.
Khvoy. town and road entry point from Turkey, northwestern Iran.
King Fahd Causeway. bridge and expressway, linking Saudi Arabia with Bahrain.
Kirkuk. city located near the foot of the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. A major centre of Iraq's petroleum industry. Overun by US troops in 2003-4.
Kish. island in the Persian Gulf, Iran
Kum Umbu. town and valley of Upper Egypt on the Nile river. Agricultural marketplace and a sugar and cotton processing centre, Egypt.
Kuria Muria. islands in the bay of the same name, southern Oman.
Kut, Al. city and riverine port on the Tigris River. Site of a British defeat in World War I. Overun by US troops in 2004. Iraq
Kuwait. capital city of Kuwait.

L
Latakia. ancient city and principal port of Syria; located on a good harbour, with an extensive agricultural hinterland. Coastal Syria.
Lavan. island in the Persian Gulf, Iran.
Limah. town on the Musandam Peninsular, northern Oman.
Liwa. oasis, southern United Arab Emirates.
Liwa. town on the Gulf of Oman, northern Oman.
Luxor. market town, which has given its name to the southern half of the ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Egypt.

N, O, P
Nafud, An. second largest sand desert in the Arabian Peninsula, northern Saudi Arabia.
Najaf, An. One of Iraq's two holy cities (the other is Karbala'), lying on a ridge just west of the Euphrates River.
Nasiriya, An. city along the Euphrates River in a date-growing area with a a local market and a rail terminus. Founded about 1870, it was captured by the British from Ottoman forces in 1915, during WWI. Iraq
Nasser (Nasir). lake formed by the impounding of the Nile River above the town of Aswan, southern Egypt.

Orontes or Nahr al Asi. river, draining a large part of the northern Levant into the Mediterranean Sea. Syria.

Palmyra. oasis town, a once great city midway between the Mediterranean and the Eurphates. Syria.
Port Said. seaport city, industrial centre and northern terminus of the Suez Canal, northern Egypt.

Q
Qamishly. border town to Turkey, northeastern Syria
Qara. oasis, northwestern Egypt.
Qaraoun. lake and town, central Lebanon
Qasr el-Farafira. oasis, northern Egypt.
Qasr. town, southern coastal Kuwait
Qena or Qina. town and capital of Qina governorate, on a canal 1.5km east of the Nile River at its great bend, opposite Dandarah. Egypt.
Qeshm. largest island in the Persian Gulf belonging to Iran.
Qezel. river, tributary of the Safid river, eventually draining into the Caspian Sea, Iran.
Qom. town on both banks of the Rud-e Qom The modern city has the largest theological college in the country, specialising in Islamic law, philosophy, theology, and logic. Northwestern Iran.
Quattara. depression in the Libyan Desert / Eastern Saharan basin. Covering about 18,100 square km and containing salt lakes and marshes, it descends to 133 m below sea level. Northern Egypt.
Qusar, Al. town on the Red Sea, western Egypt.

R
Rakhyut. coastal town on the Arabian Sea, southern Oman
Ramadi, Ar. town on the Euphrates River just northwest of Lake al-Habbaniyah. Ancient settlements existed in the vicinity. Iraq
Raqqah, Ar. town on the Euphrates River just west of its confluence with the Balikh River, an important market centre. Northern Syria.
Ras Mohammed. national park at the tip of the Sinai Peninsular, Egypt.
Rasht. city on the Safid delta, northern Iran.
Raysut. coastal town on the Arabian Sea, southern Oman
Riyadh. capital city of Saudi Arabia.
Rosetta. city on the left bank of the Rosetta (ancient Bolbitinic) branch of the Nile River, northern coastal Egypt.
Rub' al Khali. (the Empty Quarter) huge sand sea of 650,000 sq km lying mainly in southeastern Saudi Arabia, and some in Yemen, Oman, and UAE.

S
Safid. longest river in northern Iran, draining into the Caspian Sea.
Sahar. town on the Gulf of Oman, northern Oman.
Saida. town, central Lebanon. Formerly Sidon.
Sakaka. town, northern Saudi Arabia.
Salalah. coastal town on the Arabian Sea, southern Oman.
Sallum. coastal town, extreme west of Egypt.
Salmy, Al. town at the extreme southwest of Kuwait
Salt, As. town, on the old main route from Amman to Jerusalem. Now a agricultural and administrative centre. Known as Saltus in Byzantine times. Jordan
Samarra. town on the Tigris River, site of prehistoric settlements of the 5th millennium BC. Now a pilgrimage centre for Shi'ite Muslims. Iraq.
San'a. capital city of Yemen at the western foot of Mount Nuqum, elevation 2,200 metres
Sarbaz. river, draining to the Gulf of Oman, southeastern Iran.
Sawda, As. At the northern end of the Lebanon Range, the highest elevation (3090m) in Lebanon
Sawda'. highest elevation (3133m) in Saudi Arabia
Sharm el Sheikh. town on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsular, Egypt.
Shatt al Arab, river formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It flows southeastward for 193 km and passes the Iraqi port of Basra and the Iranian port of Abadan before emptying into the Persian Gulf.
Shaumari. wildlife Reserve, Jordan.
Sheikh or Hermon. highest elevation in Syria
Shikka, town, northern coastal Lebanon
Shinas. town on the Gulf of Oman, northern Oman
Shiraz. capital of Fars province, birthplace of the Persian poets Sa'di and Hafez. A trading and road centre. Iran
Shul. river, draining to the Persian Gulf, Iran.
Sibin al-Kum. town, northern Egypt.
Sir Bani Yas. island and wildlife reserve, United Arab Emirates.
Siwa. oasis, 10 km long by 7 km wide with about 200 springs. Rock outcrops provide the sites of the old walled settlements. NE Egypt.
Sour, town, southern coastal Lebanon. Formerly Tyre.
Suez. canal, latest canal opened in 1869 joining the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.
Suez. city, at the southern terminus of the Suez Canal.
Suhag or Sawhaj. city and governate on west bank of Nile river, Upper Egypt. Centre for cottom ginning, and textiles. Formerly the main centre for worship of the god Osiris.
Sulaymaniyah. town and governorate, one of three making up the Kurdish Autonomous Region. Iraq
Syrian. desert, overlapping Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

T
Tabriz. fourth largest city of Iran, with several notable ancient buildings. The Blue Mosque(1465-66), The citadel built as a mosque before 1322 and the remains of the 12-sided tomb of Mahmud Ghazan, ruler of the Mongol dynasty.
Tabuk. oasis city, northern Saudi Arabia
Ta'if. city, the nation's principal summer resort, and noted for its fruit and woven coats, and the site of the Akramah Dam for irrigation. Western central Saudi Arabia.
Ta'izz. town and one of the country's chief urban centres and a former national capital.Yemen.
Tanta. city, on an irrigation canal midway between the Rosetta (west) and Damietta (east) branches of the Nile. N Egypt.
Taqa. coastal town on the Arabian Sea, southern Oman
Taraq. town within the Liwa Oasis, United Arab Emirates.
Tartus. fishing port and the centre of a rich agricultural region, opposite Arwad Island. Coastal Syria
Tathlith. wadi rising in the Asir mountains, southwestern Saudi Arabia
Taybad. town and road entry point from Afghanistan, eastern Iran.
Tehran or Teheran. Capital city of Iran.
Tekrit. founded about 1140 AD. Devastated in the late 14th century in the course of Timur's Mesopotamian campaigns, it remained a village until the 20th century, when it began to grow. Modern Tikrit is best known as the birthplace (1937) of the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Tripoli. capital city and largest seaport of Libya. Known as Oea in ancient times, was one of three cities that formed the 'African Tripolis' (Tripolitania) -with Sabratha and Leptis Magna.
Tripoli. city and second seaport of Lebanon. Founded 700BC

UVWXYZ

Um Hisin, town within the Liwa Oasis, United Arab Emirates.
Umm al Maradim. island, Kuwait
Umm al-Na'san. island to the west of Bahrain Island.

Wahibah Sands. sandy desert, fronting the Arabian Sea for more than 160 km rising to heights of 70m. Region solely inhabited by Yal Wahibah nomads. Eastern Oman.
Warbah. island, Kuwait. Warbah and Bubiyan and other small islands in the gulf traditionally belonged to the Ottoman province of Basra, therefore by extension, are Iraqi.
Western. desert on the western side of the Nile river. Egypt.

Zahlé. town, central Lebanon.
Zanjan. principal city of the Zanjan region. Once the seat of an active caravan trade, now centre of an agricultural area for grain. Northwestern Iran.
Zarqa, Az. town, one of the five large centres of population in Jordan.