While some types of Islamic art, such as Qur'an manuscripts, mosque lamps or carved wooden minbars (pulpits), are directly concerned with the faith and practice of Islam, the majority of objects considered to be Islamic art are called so simply because they were made in societies where Islam was the dominant religion.

This essay by Halim Barakat was originally published in The Arab World: Society, Culture and State (University of California, 1993).

It is ironic that the United States and the Middle East have so much to say about one another, and yet know so little about each other. Americans rarely study the Middle East in depth in school, and the media rarely goes beyond the headlines of the day to look at the complex cultures, histories and viewpoints of the countries of the region.

The Middle East is the common term for a region consisting of countries in Southwest Asia and, usually, at least part of North Africa. It is a relatively new term now widespread both inside and outside the region. While this essay mainly focuses on geography, it also discusses some stereotypes and realities.

Discover the great diversity of the nearly one and a half billion people who belong to the community of Muslims. They are different--just like us!