Research Guides: Middle East and North Africa: General Reference

Library MENA Databases

These selected databases are available through Gelman that provide reference information, including information on the Middle East and North Africa. Login is required.

Encyclopaedia of Islam Online This link opens in a new window
The Encyclopaedia of Islam Online sets out the present state of our knowledge of the Islamic World. It is an authoritative source not only for the religion, but also for the believers and the countries in which they live. Includes access to the First, Second and Third Editions, the Second Edition Glossary, and the Historical Atlas of Islam.
Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics This link opens in a new window
The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics Online comprehensively covers all aspects of Arabic languages and linguistics. It covers pre-Classical, Classical, Modern Standard, vernaculars and mixed varieties of Arabic.
Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures This link opens in a new window
The Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures crosses history, geographic borders and disciplines to create a reference work reflecting research on gender studies and the Islamic world. Useful for researchers in the fields of gender studies, Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, as well as scholars of religion, history, politics, anthropology, geography and related disciplines.
History of Afghanistan This link opens in a new window
The Siraj al-tawarikh is the most important history of Afghanistan ever written. The roots of much of the fabric of Afghanistan's society today - tribe and state relations, the rule of law, gender issues, and the economy - are elegantly and minutely detailed in this immense work.
Index Islamicus This link opens in a new window
The Index Islamicus database indexes literature on Islam, the Middle East and the Muslim world. (With links to full-text where available.)
Middle East & Africa Database This link opens in a new window
Features ongoing full-text academic journals that are locally published by scholarly publishing organizations and educational institutions in the countries of these regions. Subject areas include business, science, technology, engineering, social sciences, education, and humanities.
Oxford Bibliographies Online: Islamic Studies This link opens in a new window
Oxford Bibliographies in Islamic Studies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides that combine the best features of an annotated bibliography and a high-level encyclopedia.

Country Information

These are online resources available to anyone.

Country Studies/Area Handbooks (Library of Congress)
This website contains the on-line versions of books previously published in hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the U.S. Updated irregularly.
CIA World Factbook
Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.
State Department Near Eastern Affairs: Countries and Other Areas
Information about countries under the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs of the US Department of State is available through the links on the page.

Online Reference

Afghanistan: The Arthur Paul Afghanistan Collection at the University of Nebraska-Omaha
History of the Collection: In 1974, the University Library received Arthur Paul's private collection of Afghanistan materials consisting of some one thousand items in Persian, Pashto and English languages.
Arab Media and Society
Arab Media and Society is the primary peer-reviewed reference for understanding the role of media in shaping Arab societies and the broader Muslim world.
Chatham House: The Royal Institute of International Affairs
Chatham House research on Middle East and North Africa focuses on latest political, economic and security developments in MENA region.
Chronology of Arabic, Persian and Ottoman-Turkish Periodicals
Comprehensive chronology of Arabic, Persian and Ottoman-Turkish periodicals published during the period from 1840 to 1950.
Encyclopedia Iranica
Encyclopedia Iranica is a resource dedicated to the study of Iranian civilization in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. It cover s all aspects of Iranian history and culture facilitating the whole range of Iranian studies research.
Encyclopedia Mythica
Encyclopedia Mythica is an online encyclopedia of mythology, folklore, and religion.The Middle East section consists of hundreds of articles on Islamic, Judaic, Mesopotamian and Persian mythology.
Global Connections
This PBS special puts world events in context and provides a timeline of Middle East history since 1900. The page has various themed pages, and focused information on big-picture questions of US policy, religious militancy, roles of women, stereotypes, natural resources and nation-states.
Middle Eastern Studies Resources Wiki
Access to Mideast and Islamic Resources (AMIR)
Newspaper Map
Current and historical newspapers in various languages. Zoom into the region of your choice on the map or search by title, language or location.
Parstimes - Middle East Resource Guide
Offers the most comprehensive resources on all aspects of the MENA region.
Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS)
Based at GW's Institute for Middle East Studies, POMEPS is a collaborative, open-source resource for political science in the Middle East.

Reference Works

Europa World Plus This link opens in a new window
Provides detailed country surveys containing the latest analytical, statistical and directory data available for over 250 countries and territories. This resource also provides analytical essays on the following regions: Africa South of the Sahara Central and South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia, The Far East and Australasia, The Middle East and North Africa, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, South Asia, The USA and Canada, and Western Europe.
HathiTrust This link opens in a new window
HathiTrust is a partnership of academic and research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world. To log in, select The George Washington University as your institution, then log in with your UserID and regular GW password.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Includes over 200 titles, updated regularly, in the Oxford Companions and Oxford Dictionaries series. The collection covers a wide variety of subjects from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
SAGE Reference This link opens in a new window
This collection includes online encyclopedias from a variety of disciplines, primarily in the social sciences.

Brill Online Reference Works
over 60 reference titles related to history, international relations, law, language and linguistics, religious and Jewish studies, and the study of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the classical world.

Selected References at GRC

Encyclopaedia Palestinnica by Dr. Mohammad Ghosheh

The encyclopedia Palestinnica is the largest documented academic work on Palestine, and has been described as the most important work during the last hundred years. It has (24) volumes in 7000 pages. It contains thousands of documents, photographs, maps, illustrations and samples of stamps used in signing agreements and contracts in addition to the primary archival materials published for the first time.

The History of the Prophets & Kings (The History of Al-Tabari) is a universal history from the time of Qur'anic creation to 915, and is renowned for its detail and accuracy concerning Islamic and Middle Eastern history. Tabari's work is one of the major primary sources for historians.