Bilad al-Sham

Bilad al-Sham was the traditional Arab name for the region that today contains Syria, Jordan, Lebanon Israel/Palestine. The name means "Land of the Sham," with Sham being translated as "sun" or as "dignity". Other terms used for this region include Greater Syria and the Levant, but Greater Syria usually refers to a region somewhat smaller and the Levant to one somewhat larger. The region is sometimes defined as the part of the region that was dominated by Damascus, long an important regional centre.

Today the term is most commonly used by historians to describe the region in earlier times. For much of the history of the Middle East Bilad al-Sham was closely integrated and shared a common culture and economy. The colonialism of the post-WWI years and the rise of a number of states in the region has ended this unity. It is still useful for historians looking at pre-twentieth century history to consider it as a region, however.