Near East - Definition and Overview

The Near East is a term commonly used by archaeologists and historians, less commonly by journalists and commentators, to refer to the region encompassing the Levant (modern Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon), Anatolia (modern Turkey), Mesopotamia (Iraq and eastern Syria), and the Iranian Plateau (Iran). An alternative non-Eurocentric designation in recent years has been 'Southwest Asia', although this term has yet to achieve widespread use.

Egypt, although part of the African continent, is generally considered to be part of the Near East region. Its inclusion is due to the substantial interactions it had with other Near Eastern states in the ancient and medieval worlds.

The alternative term Middle East is not used by Near Eastern archaeologists and historians due to its vague nature.

See also

Ancient Near East, Far East, Orient