Mashriq

This article is about a geographical region. For other uses, see Mashriq (disambiguation).
Map depicting the area known as the Mashriq.[1][2][3][4]

The Mashriq (مشرق, also Mashreq, Mashrek) is the region of Arab countries to the east of Egypt. This comprises the countries of Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Iraq.[5][6][7] Poetically the ‘place of sunrise’, the name is derived from the verb sharaqa (شرق ‘to shine, illuminate, radiate’ and ‘to rise’), referring to the direction where the sun rises, namely, the east.[8][9]

As it refers to countries bounded between the Mediterranean Sea and Iran, it is therefore the companion term to Maghreb (western part of North Africa). Egypt occupies an ambiguous position: while it has cultural, ethnic and linguistic ties to both the Mashriq and the Maghreb, it is unique and different from both. Therefore, Egypt is located at the center/heart of the Arab world and that is why the headquarters of the Arab League is located in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Thus, it is usually seen as being part of neither; however, when it is grouped with one or the other, it is generally considered part of the Mashriq due to its closer ties to the Levant. Egypt and the Levant were often ruled as a single unit, as under the ancient Egyptian New Kingdom, the Umayyad, Abbasid, the Fatimid caliphates, the Ayyubid dynasty, the Mamluks, and for a time under Muhammad Ali Pasha. There are also similarity between the Egyptian and the nearby Levantine dialects.

Similarly, Libya is finds itself bifurcated between Mashriq and Maghrib influences, with its eastern part linked more to Egypt and the rest of the Mashriq.[10]

These geographical terms date from the early Islamic expansion. This region is similar to the Bilad al-Sham and Mesopotamia regions combined.[11]

As the Mashriq is home to several pilgrimage sites, some Muslims elsewhere view it as the a source of religious legitimacy. Mashriqi learning is also esteemed by scholars from the Maghrib.

As of 2014, the Mashriq is home to 1.7% of the global population.[12][13][14][15][16][17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.aoad.org/gb/AboutSystem.aspx
  2. ↑ http://www.aarinena.org/arabic/aarinena/mash/mash.html
  3. ↑ http://www.judran.net/?p=2219
  4. ↑ http://rasseen.com/art.php?id=5260d5f578c14dba84fc73a9092d0a7c55ef0d95
  5. ↑ European Neighbourhood Policy in the Mashreq Countries: Enhancing Prospects for Reform - Mashreq region (covering Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories)
  6. ↑ Introduction to Migration and the Mashreq
  7. ↑ Migrants from the Maghreb and Mashreq Countries
  8. ↑ Alvarez, Lourdes María (2009). Abu Al-Ḥasan Al-Shushtarī. Paulist Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-8091-0582-3.
  9. ↑ Peek, Philip M.; Yankah, Kwesi (2003-12-12). African Folklore: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 442. ISBN 978-1-135-94873-3.
  10. ↑ Gall, Michel Le; Perkins, Kenneth (2010). The Maghrib in Question: Essays in History and Historiography. University of Texas Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-292-78838-1.
  11. ↑ Clancy-Smith, Julia (2013-11-05). North Africa, Islam and the Mediterranean World. Routledge. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-135-31213-8.
  12. ↑ Official estimate of the Population of Egypt
  13. ↑ UN estimate for Lebanon
  14. ↑ Official Jordanian population clock
  15. ↑ Official estimate of the population of Palestine
  16. ↑ UN estimate for Syria
  17. ↑ WorldBank estimate of the Population of Iraq
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, November 23, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.