Biggest cities by language A-Z (Arabic)

5.4 million

North Africa

once home to the Great Library and a Pharos (Lighthouse) that was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

8.1 million

Mesopotamia

center of the Islamic Golden Age and the legendary “House of Wisdom” where much of the world's scientific knowledge was preserved

9.8 million

North Africa

largest city in the Arab world and home to the historic Al-Azhar University

3.9 million

Gulf

boasts the Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building) and man-made islands shaped like palm trees

614,000

North Africa

heart of Egypt’s textile industry and home to one of the world's largest spinning and weaving factories

1.3 million

North Africa

home to the University of Al-Qarawiyyin, recognized by UNESCO as the oldest continuously operating educational institution in the world

4.5 million

North Africa

world-famous for the Great Sphinx and the only remaining “Wonder of the Ancient World” still standing today

775,000

Levant

“City of Black Stones” due to its basalt architecture; it is a vital strategic crossroads between the coast and the interior

569,000

Levant

major educational hub and was part of the ancient Decapolis (a group of ten frontier cities)

3.8 million

Peninsular

principal gateway to the holiest sites of Islam, famous for its historic coral-stone houses in the Al-Balad district

2 million

Sahel

famous for its geographic location at the confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile

709,000

Levant

located near the ancient ruins of Ugarit, where the world’s first known alphabet was discovered

2.4 million

Peninsular

holiest city in Islam

1.4 million

Sahel

this capital city was a small fishing village until 1958

803,000

North Africa

birthplace of Raï music and the setting for Albert Camus' famous novel The Plague

797,000

North Africa

established during the building of the Suez Canal

253,000

North Africa

famous for its traditional pottery (notably the qulla water jars) and its proximity to the stunning Dendera Temple complex

7 million

Peninsular

ultra-modern capital of defined by the distinctive “bottle-opener” shape of the Kingdom Centre

3.4 million

Peninsular

famous for its unique "gingerbread" high-rise houses decorated with white gypsum

1.3 million

North Africa

long been a gateway between Africa and Europe and was once a semi-independent International Zone

185,000

Peninsular

“Paris of Najd” celebrated for its rich cultural history, agricultural festivals, and its distinctively liberal intellectual tradition.

428,000

Sahel

serves as the headquarters of the Gezira Scheme, one of the largest irrigation projects in the world

332,000

Peninsular

divided between a massive industrial city and an Old Town that was once the home of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)

635,000

Levant

grew from a small settlement into its country's manufacturing hub following the arrival of the Hejaz Railway