Perhaps I should start this article by explaining the term
Levant(1) since it might not be familiar to all the readers of
this blog. The word comes from Middle French and means the
Orient. From a geographical perspective, the Levant is that
region of West Asia comprising the eastern shores of the
Mediterranean. It is bordered to the north by the Taurus
mountains of Turkey. It reaches the Zagros mountain range which
forms the border between Iraq and Iran to the east and extends
southward to the Arabian desert. The Island of Cyprus was
historically, and until very recent times culturally, a part of
Greater Syria, as the Levant is known to the more fervent Syrian
Social Nationalists in Lebanon and Syria. Additionally, Jordan,
Palestine, the Sinai Desert and parts of Iraq belong to this
region as well. If you are wondering whether I accidentally
omitted Israel or not, wonder no more. A sixty-two year old
“country” with an acute identity crisis as to claim that it
invented Hummus and Falafel, both documented to ha