Lesson 1/54 min
The 14 countries at a glance
Khandokar's book counts 14 Middle Eastern countries. Its memory trick (printed in the book): “বাহ কাকু ও সং সেজে সৌদি যায়”. This lesson has the table of capitals, currencies, rulers and independence for the 14, and who leads now. Israel, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus and Turkey in more depth are in the next topic, “Middle East: More Countries and Conflicts”.
The 14 countries (the book's table, errors corrected)
| Country | Capital | Currency | Ruled by | Independence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iraq | Baghdad | Dinar | Britain | 3 October 1932 |
| Bahrain | Manama | Dinar | Britain | 15 August 1971 |
| Israel | Jerusalem (as proclaimed by Israel; see note) | Shekel | Britain (Mandate) | 14 May 1948 |
| Jordan | Amman | Jordanian dinar | Britain | 25 May 1946 |
| Kuwait | Kuwait City | Kuwaiti dinar | Britain | 19 June 1961 |
| Lebanon | Beirut | Pound (lira) | France | 22 November 1943 |
| Oman | Muscat | Omani rial | Not formally colonised; British influence | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | Riyal | None | 23 September 1932 (kingdom unified) |
| Syria | Damascus | Syrian pound | France | 17 April 1946 |
| Iran | Tehran | Rial | Never colonised | — |
| Türkiye (Turkey) | Ankara | Lira | None | Republic 29 October 1923 |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | Dirham | Britain | 2 December 1971 |
| Yemen | Sana'a | Rial | Britain (South Yemen) | 30 November 1967 (south); unified 22 May 1990 |
| Qatar | Doha | Riyal | Britain | 3 September 1971 |
Watch out: The book's table lists Iran as “Britain, 1925” and Oman as “1950”. In fact Iran was never colonised (the Pahlavi dynasty began in 1925) and Oman was not formally colonised, so those two rows have no independence date here. The independence column of the book is cut off in the scan; the dates above come from checked sources.
Watch out: Jerusalem: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital by a 1980 law (Khandokar); the UN and most states do not accept this and most embassies are in Tel Aviv. Zubair's book gives Jerusalem; Khandokar's fact box gives Tel Aviv (claim: Jerusalem). Palestine's administrative centre is Ramallah.
Who leads now (November 2026, per news reports)
| Country | Leadership |
|---|---|
| Iran | Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei (since 8 March 2026, after his father Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes on 28 February 2026); President Masoud Pezeshkian |
| Iraq | Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (confidence vote 14 May 2026); President Nizar Amedi (April 2026) |
| Saudi Arabia | King Salman; Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (prime minister since 27 September 2022) |
| Yemen | Government side: Presidential Leadership Council; Prime Minister Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani (15 January 2026); the Houthis control Sana'a |
| Kuwait | Emir Mishal al-Ahmad; National Assembly suspended since May 2024 |
| Türkiye | President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
| Qatar, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan | (as last known, not rechecked this time) Emir Tamim; President Mohamed bin Zayed; Sultan Haitham; King Hamad; King Abdullah II |
Watch out: Leaders change. The leader details in the books are out of date (for example Khandokar names Khomeini as Iran's “present” leader). Check recent news before your exam.
Check yourself
What are Saudi Arabia's capital and currency?
At a glance
- 1
Khandokar's list has 14 Middle Eastern countries; Kazakhstan is not one of them.
- 2
Capitals: Iraq Baghdad, Iran Tehran, Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Oman Muscat, Yemen Sana'a, UAE Abu Dhabi, Türkiye Ankara, Qatar Doha.
- 3
Currencies: Türkiye lira (asked in an admission test), UAE dirham, Iran rial, Israel shekel, Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait dinar.
- 4
Independence: Lebanon 1943 (France), Jordan 1946, Israel 1948, Kuwait 1961, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE 1971.
- 5
Iran and Türkiye are the non-Arab countries of the Middle East; neither was ever colonised.