UPSC CORE · NCERT GEOGRAPHY
West Asia & Israel 🌏
NCERT-aligned UPSC Core Geography topic from NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar). Every item is anchored to a real location on India's map — built for boards (CBSE, ICSE, state) and UPSC aspirants.
📚 NCERT TEXTBOOK ALIGNMENT
Class UPSC Geography — NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar).
61LOCATIONS
194QUESTIONS
UPSC CORENCERT LEVEL
Open interactive map quiz →
Key locations covered (61)
- Mecca (Makkah) — Saudi Arabia
- Medina — Saudi Arabia
- Riyadh — Saudi Arabia
- AlUla (Hegra/Mada'in Salih) — Saudi Arabia
- Burj Khalifa — UAE · Dubai
- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — UAE · Abu Dhabi
- Doha — Qatar
- Kuwait City — Kuwait
- Manama — Bahrain
- Muscat (Oman) — Oman
- Old Sana'a — Yemen
- Socotra Archipelago — Yemen
- Babylon — Iraq
- Hatra — Iraq
- Ur (Ziggurat of Ur) — Iraq
- Karbala — Iraq
- Najaf — Iraq
- Persepolis — Iran · Fars
- Pasargadae — Iran
- Naqsh-e Jahan (Imam Square, Isfahan) — Iran
- Yazd Historic City — Iran
- Shiraz — Iran
- Qom — Iran
- Mashhad — Iran
- Old Damascus — Syria
- Palmyra — Syria
- Ancient Aleppo — Syria
- Baalbek — Lebanon
- Byblos — Lebanon
- Tyre — Lebanon
- Petra — Jordan
- Wadi Rum — Jordan
- Jerash — Jordan
- Madaba Mosaic Map — Jordan
- Jerusalem Old City — Israel/Palestine
- Masada — Israel
- Akko (Acre) — Israel
- Sea of Galilee — Israel
- Dead Sea — Israel-Jordan-Palestine
- Bethlehem (Church of the Nativity) — Palestine
- Hebron (Old Town) — Palestine
- Hagia Sophia — Türkiye · Istanbul
- Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed) — Türkiye · Istanbul
- Topkapi Palace — Türkiye · Istanbul
- Cappadocia (Göreme) — Türkiye
- Pamukkale-Hierapolis — Türkiye
- Ephesus — Türkiye
- Troy — Türkiye
- Mount Ararat — Türkiye
- Paphos (Cyprus) — Cyprus
- Suez Canal — Egypt (links Asia-Africa)
- Strait of Hormuz — Iran-Oman
- Bab-el-Mandeb — Yemen-Djibouti
- Jeddah — Saudi Arabia
- Empty Quarter (Rub' al-Khali) — Saudi-UAE-Oman-Yemen
- Dubai — UAE
- Abu Dhabi — UAE
- Istanbul — Türkiye
- Persian Gulf — West Asia
- Caspian Sea — 5 littoral states
- + 1 more in the interactive map
Sample questions (12 of 194)
Why is Mecca the holiest city of Islam?
It contains the Kaaba within the Masjid al-Haram and is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad.
Which annual pilgrimage brings millions to Mecca?
The Hajj — the fifth pillar of Islam, performed in Dhul-Hijjah.
Direction of Muslim prayer (qibla) faces?
The Kaaba in Mecca.
Non-Muslims are permitted into Mecca?
No — entry is restricted to Muslims.
Annual Hajj pilgrim count?
Roughly 2-3 million people.
Mecca: Holiest city of Islam. Located in?
Saudi Arabia (Makkah province) — home of Kaaba; only Muslims permitted entry.
Medina is the second holiest city of Islam because?
It contains the Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi) and the tomb of Prophet Muhammad.
Medina was Prophet Muhammad's destination of which migration?
The Hijra in 622 CE — year 1 of the Islamic calendar.
Year the Prophet's Mosque was first built?
622 CE on Muhammad's arrival in Medina.
Medina: Second holiest city of Islam after Mecca. Country?
Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh is the capital of?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Tallest building in Riyadh?
The Kingdom Centre (302 m) and PIF Tower.
All 194 questions are available in the interactive map quiz.
About this topic
This topic is part of the NCERT UPSC Core Geography syllabus, specifically the textbook NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar). Content is cross-referenced against the latest NCERT textbook editions + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar, Satish Chandra for history; G.C. Leong, Savindra Singh for geography; the UPSC Civil Services prelims + mains syllabus).
Use the interactive India map to learn west asia & israel the way memory works best — by spatial location. Each pin opens a flashcard. Mark "Knew it" or "Didn't know" to track your mastery over time.
Built with Claude (AI authorship)
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