2027 Facts & Figures: MIDDLE EAST

Historians believe human civilization began approximately 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, which means “the land between two rivers.” This fertile region gave rise to many of the world’s first cities, including Babylon, in present-day IRAQ. Babylon reached its peak under King Nebuchadnezzar II in about 600 b.c. It was home to the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Babylon also produced some of the earliest written laws, including the Code of Hammurabi.

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In Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, Woohoo restaurant is the world’s first eatery with an entire menu designed by an A.I. chef. “Chef Aiman” is trained on decades of food science, molecular data, and recipes from around the world. Though it can’t taste or smell, it analyzes the textures of ingredients to create unusual combinations. Human chefs then test and refine the dishes before they reach diners’ plates.

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Camel racing has been a tradition across the Arabian Peninsula for centuries, and elite champion camels today can sell for more than $5 million. Now the sport is trying to go global. Al Haboob, a team in SAUDI ARABIA, is working to establish the world’s first professional camel racing league. The sport has faced criticism from animal rights groups over the treatment of camels and the historical use of child jockeys. The new league will feature only robots in the saddle.

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The word “mocha”—as in the popular coffee flavor—comes from a real place: the port city of Mocha, in YEMEN, on the Red Sea. Founded in the 1300s, the city became one of Arabia’s most important exporting hubs, shipping coffee beans across the Middle East and eventually to Europe. Its name became so closely associated with quality coffee that “mocha” entered other languages as a term for coffee—and later for the chocolate-flavored coffee that’s popular today.

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The Middle East is a region, not a continent. It’s mostly in Asia but includes Egypt in Africa and the small European section of Türkiye.

Rich in oil and predominantly Muslim, the Middle East is both strategically important and an area of great tension. To many people, the region is defined by the decades-long conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors. That conflict has intensified in recent years.

In 2023, armed members of Hamas—the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group that then controlled all of the Gaza Strip—launched the largest attack on Israel in decades. Israel responded by declaring war and carrying out extensive strikes on Gaza. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths in the Gaza Strip. Attacks on Israel by the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah also prompted Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

In February 2026, the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran, citing its longtime support of militant groups and what is believed to be its hidden nuclear weapons program. In retaliation, Iran carried out drone and missile strikes against Israel and U.S. military facilities in the Middle East. Iran also attacked the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf Arab states and threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global route for oil shipments. The war raised fears of further escalation across the region.