The Mashriq (/məˈʃriːk/;
Arabic: ْاَلْمَشْرِق,
romanized: al-Mashriq,
lit. 'the east'), also known as the Arab Mashriq (
Arabic: اَلْمَشْرِقُ الْعَرَبِيُّ), sometimes spelled Mashreq or Mashrek, is a term used by Arabs to refer to the eastern part of the
Arab world, located in
Western Asia and eastern
North Africa.[5] Poetically the "Place of Sunrise", the name is derived from the verb sharaqa (َشَرَق, "to shine, illuminate, radiate" and "to rise"), from the sh-r-q root (ش-ر-ق), referring to the east, where the sun rises.[6][7]
As the word Mashriq refers to Arab countries located between the
Mediterranean Sea and
Iran, it is the companion term to Maghreb (
Arabic: المغرب), the western half of the Arab world comprising
Algeria,
Morocco,
Tunisia and western
Libya. Libya may be regarded as straddling the two regions.
Cyrenaica in eastern Libya is considered part of the Mashriq, whereas
Tripolitania in western Libya is considered part of the Maghreb. Therefore Sirtica or the
Gulf of Sidra is considered the dividing point between the Maghreb and Mashreq within the Arab world.[10][11]
These geographical terms date from the early Islamic expansion. The Mashriq corresponds to the
Bilad al-Sham and
Mesopotamian regions combined.[12] As of 2014[update], the Mashriq is home to 1.7% of the global population.[13][14][15][16][17][18]
^"Mashreq". www.aarinena.org. Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East & North Africa. Archived from
the original on 2017-02-24. Retrieved 2016-05-02.