Mountains

The Taurus and Anti-Taurus Mountains in Turkey surround a large plateau which has fertile soil and enough moisture to support farming. The Zagros Mountains and related plateaus in Iran are drier, but have played a significant role in the development of the people there.

From Syria through Yemen, highland/mountain regions exist. Historically, these regions have served as a place of retreat from war.

Of course, Afghanistan has the highest mountains in the Middle East-- the Hindu Kush Mountains (photo above).

The lowlands of Algeria and Tunisia are surrounded by sea and mountains, including the rugged Atlas mountains in northwest Africa. Because of their isolation, these lowlands are sometimes called the "Maghreb" which is an Arabic word for "western isle".