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1. The area around the eastern Mediterranean; from Turkey to northern Africa and eastward to Iran; the site of such ancient civilizations as Phoenicia and Babylon and Egypt and the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity and Islam; had continuous economic and political turmoil in the 20th century
   "the Middle East is the cradle of Western civilization";
   - Mideast, Near East

Type of: geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region

Encyclopedia: Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies