Mashrek
Mashreq or Mashreq (Arabic: المشرق Al-Mašriq) is the Spanish adaptation of an Arabic word meaning "place where the sun rises', the Levant, the easternmost part of the Arab world. The spellings Machrek or Machreq, used in English and French, are not the official spellings of the Spanish language. The opposite part is called the Maghreb or West.
It is a geographical concept and, mainly, a cultural one. All the Arab countries east of Libya are part of the Mashreq, while the latter country has traditionally been considered a transition territory, although it is now included within the Maghreb and is a member of the Arab Maghreb Union.
The European Union refers to the Mashreq as consisting of Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. To these should be added Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. All of these are countries with an Islamic majority, and in accordance with this religious-cultural point of view, Israel is not included in the Mashreq.