Levant

Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel occupies the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights. Israel's western coast lies on the Mediterranean Sea, its southern tip reaches the Red Sea, and to the east is Earth's lowest point near the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is the government seat and proclaimed capital, while Tel Aviv is Israel's largest urban area and economic centre

Lebanon, officially the Lebanese Republic, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west; Cyprus lies a short distance from the coastline. Lebanon has a population of more than five million and an area of . Beirut is the country's capital and largest city.

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital city in the world. Known colloquially in Syria as and dubbed, poetically, the "City of Jasmine" (), Damascus is a major cultural center of the Levant and the Arab world.

Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. It encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, collectively known as the Palestinian territories, or occupied Palestinian territory. The territories share the vast majority of their borders with Israel, with the West Bank bordering Jordan to the east and the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt to the southwest. It has a total land area of while its population exceeds five million. Its proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, while Ramallah serves as its de facto administrative center. Gaza was

Amman is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of five million as of 2024, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant region, the seventh-largest city in the Arab world, and the eighth-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East.

Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the country's most populous governorate. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and was the largest by population until it was surpassed by Damascus, the capital of Syria. Aleppo is also the largest city in Syria's northern governorates and one of the largest cities in the Levant region.

The Euphrates ( ; see below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originating in Turkey, the Euphrates flows through Syria and Iraq to join the Tigris in the Shatt al-Arab in Iraq, which empties into the Persian Gulf.

Sumer ( ) is the earliest known civilization, located in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (now south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the 5th and 4th millennium BC. Like nearby Elam, it is one of the cradles of civilization, along with Egypt, the Indus Valley, the Erligang culture of the Yellow River valley, Caral-Supe, and Mesoamerica. Living along the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Sumerian farmers grew an abundance of grain and other crops, a surplus of which enabled them to form urban settlements. The world's earliest k

thumb|Mosul, on the bank of the Tigris, 1861

Petra (; ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu ( or ), is an ancient city and archaeological site in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit systems, Petra is also called the "Rose City" because of the colour of the sandstone from which it is carved. The city is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Palmyra (, ; ; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early second millennium BCE. Palmyra changed hands on a number of occasions between different empires before becoming a subject of the Roman Empire in the first century CE.

The Levant is a subregion of West Asia along the Eastern Mediterranean that forms part of the Middle East. The term is often used in conjunction with historical or cultural references.

thumb|300px|Map showing the Lower and Upper Galilee. The narrow "Galilee Panhandle" to the east may be seen geologically and geographically as a separate area (as part of the Jordan Rift Valley), or as part of historical Galilee. The same applies to the western shore of the [[Sea of Galilee and the Jordan Valley down to Beit She'an, as well as the Jezreel Valley in the south and the coastal strip bordering the Galilee to the west.]]

province in south-central Turkey

Hama is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate, which is the only governorate that has no land borders with any foreign countries. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one of the four largest cities in Syria, alongside Damascus, Aleppo and Homs. Hama is known for its cheesemaking tradition, notably reflected in a signature local dessert Halawet el Jibn.

Latakia (; ; Syrian pronunciation: ), officially Lattakia, is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mare. In addition to serving as a port, the city is a significant manufacturing center for surrounding agricultural towns and villages. According to a 2023 estimate, the population of the city is 709,000, its population greatly increased as a result of the Syrian Revolution, which led to an influx of internally displaced persons from rebel held areas

İskenderun (), historically known as Alexandretta (, ) and Scanderoon, is a municipality and district of Hatay Province, Turkey. Its area is 247 km2, and its population is 251,682 (2022). It is on the Mediterranean coast. Located on an alluvial plain, the city was heavily damaged by powerful earthquakes in February 2023 and subsequent aftershocks, floods and fires.

Nablus ( ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Nablus Governorate. It is located approximately north of Jerusalem, between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim with a population of 156,906. The city is a commercial and cultural centre of Palestine, home to An-Najah National University, one of the largest institutions of higher learning in Palestine, and the Palestine Stock Exchange. Nablus is under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

city in eastern Syria

loosely defined region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea

Ramadi ( Ar-Ramādī; ; also formerly rendered as Rumadiyah or Rumadiya) is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad and west of Fallujah. It is the capital and largest city of Al Anbar Governorate which shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The city extends along the Euphrates which bisects Al Anbar. Founded in 1879, it was one of the towns established during the later period of Ottoman Iraq. By 2018 it had about 223,500 residents, near all of whom Sunni Arabs from the Dulaim tribal confederation. It lies in the Sunni Triangle of western Iraq. It is the most commonly propose

valley in southern Jordan

The Mashriq (; ), also known as the Arab Mashriq (), sometimes spelled Mashreq or Mashrek, is the eastern part of the Arab world, as opposed to the Maghreb (western region), located in West Asia and eastern North Africa. It is the Arabic equivalent for the term Middle East. Poetically the "Place of Sunrise", the name is derived from the verb sharaqa (, "to shine, illuminate, radiate" and "to rise"), from the sh-r-q root (), referring to the east, where the sun rises.

home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East

an area located east of the Mediterranean sea

Arabic variety spoken in the Levant

geographic region

town in Jordan

geographic and cultural region in Northern Mesopotamia, traditionally inhabited by the Assyrian people

Kurdish inhabited area of Syria

Kurdish-inhabited region in Iraq

region in western Asia

1st century AD Roman client king of Cilicia Trachea and Eastern Lycaonia

Feast day in the Levant

ammonite or Roman tower in Amman, Jordan