Synonyms for middle-east

Noun

1. Middle East, Mideast, Near East, geographical area, geographic area, geographical region, geographic region

usage: 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"