18 March 2022

Quiz: How well do you really know the Middle East?

There’s so much more to the Middle East than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and Petra in Jordan. If you think you know the region, put your knowledge to the test…

4 mins

1. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is valued because most of the city’s buildings were made from rammed earth before the 11th century. Where is it?

Najran, Saudi Arabia

AlUla, Saudi Arabia

Ghadamès, Libya

Sana’a, Yemen

2. Wadi Dawkah in the south of Oman is renowned for a particular species of tree. What does it produce?

Dates

Pistachios

Frankincense

Pomegranates

3. In which country would you find the archaeological site of Al Hijr, which was built by the Nabateans?

Jordan

Saudi Arabia

The UAE

Palestine

4. You can find these towers in Siwa oasis in Egypt. What were they used as?

An ancient postal system

A look out point

A home for pigeons

A chimney

5. This city is home to an ancient fort and this eye-catching skyscraper. Where is it?

Dubai, the UAE

Kuwait City, Kuwait

Doha, Qatar

Manama, Bahrain

6. The UAE’s ‘garden city’ is so-called because of its oasis of date palms, hot springs and Jebel Hafeet mountain. Name that city!

Ras al Khaimah

Sharjah

Al Ain

Fujairah

7. The Temple of Bacchus was completed around the 2nd century. Where is it?

Turkey

Israel

Lebanon

Syria

8. In which city would you find Naqsh-e Jahan Square, the centre of a former capital city in the 15th century?

Medina, Saudi Arabia

Erbil, Iraq

Isfahan, Iran

Tehran, Iran

9. What is the town of Madaba in Jordan best known for?

An ancient amphitheatre

An ostrich sanctuary

Mosaics

A mud castle

10. On which mountain in Turkey can you see these statues, which were constructed for King Antiochus I of Commagene (69-34 BC)

Mt Ararat

Mt Uludoruk

Mt Nemrut

Mt Cilo

11. Built as a palace complex by Herod the Great, what is the rock fortress of Masada in Israel best known for?

An Arabian oryx sanctuary

A Roman siege in 73 AD

The location of of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The location of Israel’s first kibbutz

12. A house in Kuwait City is covered in a mosaic made from what?

Pearl buttons

Tiles

Shells

Mirrors

13. What is Palestine’s Kidron Valley best known for?

A hilltop walled monastery built in the 5th century

A date palm plantation

Hot springs

A hyrax sanctuary

14. Between November and April, what kind of wildlife can you see in Al Thakira Mangrove Forest in Qatar?

Flamingos

Dolphins

Dugongs

Hamour fish

15. Karabij halab, a biscuit made from semolina flour which is filled with nuts and flavoured with rose and orange blossom water, is a speciality in which city?

Gaziantep, Turkey

Alexandria, Egypt

Aleppo, Syria

Aqaba, Jordan

16. Where can you see these fountains?