The Middle East has 17 countries in the usual definition, and this page quizzes you on every capital. Tap an answer below each question to see instantly whether you were right.
The countries and capitals
- Bahrain → Manama
- Cyprus → Nicosia
- Egypt → Cairo
- Iran → Tehran
- Iraq → Baghdad
- Israel → Jerusalem (its designated capital; many countries keep embassies in Tel Aviv)
- Jordan → Amman
- Kuwait → Kuwait City
- Lebanon → Beirut
- Oman → Muscat
- Palestine → Ramallah is the administrative seat; Palestine claims East Jerusalem as its capital
- Qatar → Doha
- Saudi Arabia → Riyadh
- Syria → Damascus
- Turkey → Ankara
- United Arab Emirates → Abu Dhabi
- Yemen → Sana'a
The ones people get wrong
- UAE: Abu Dhabi, not Dubai. Dubai is the biggest city and the one on flight boards, which is exactly why it is the most common wrong answer.
- Turkey: Ankara, not Istanbul. Istanbul is far larger, but the capital moved to Ankara in 1923.
- Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, not Jeddah or Mecca.
- Oman and Qatar: Muscat and Doha are easy to swap. Oman is the big country on the south-east corner of the Arabian Peninsula; Qatar is the small peninsula sticking into the Gulf.
- Kuwait: the city shares the country's name — Kuwait City.
How to learn them fast
Split the region into three blocks. The Levant on the Mediterranean: Syria (Damascus), Lebanon (Beirut), Israel, Palestine and Jordan (Amman). The Gulf: Kuwait City, Manama, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Riyadh. And the edges: Cairo, Ankara, Tehran, Baghdad, Sana'a and Nicosia. Learning five or six at a time and then mixing the blocks is much faster than going alphabetically.
Keep practising
Once you can get 17 out of 17, move on to the map: the Middle East map quiz and Click the Country test where each one is. The Asian Capitals Quiz covers most of the region in a timed game, and Country to Capital mixes in the rest of the world.