var arrayFacts = [ "Saudi Arabia is the world's leading producer of oil.

The entire Middle East is known for producing oil, but no one comes close to matching Saudi Arabia, though some geologists think that Russia might have more, but no one can be sure until Siberia is mapped out.", "Souq is a common term for market in Saudi Arabia.

Most specifically, a souq is a market that sells pots, pans and cooking utensils.", "The Rub Al Khali Desert covers an area about five times the size of England.

It is known as the Empty Quarter in English and covers southern Saudi Arabia.", "Oman is ruled by a Sultan.

Sultan is a well known term for ruler, though many people assume incorrectly that it refers to Saudi Arabia.", "The world's 2nd largest cave system is found in Oman.

The Al Fallah Caves is a huge system of caves that has beautiful grand chambers, and plenty of chambers that make this place popular with spelunkers (cave explorers).", "Yemen grows Mocha, a very distinctive type of coffee.

It was in this region that coffee was first cultivated. Mocha has a reputation for being a very strong coffee.", "Only 20% of Qatar's population is Qatari.

The population of Qatar is 610,000 and of this only 20% are actually Qatari. The rest are foreign workers, many from other Arab countries.", "Al-Jazeera is broadcasted from Qatar.

Al Jazeera was launched in 1997 as an Arabic news station and has become famous, or infamous (depending on the person you talk to) across the world for its controversial reporting.", "Nebuchadnezzar II constructed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

This was done in the 6th century BC, in Babylon, which is in current day Iraq along the Euphrates River.", "The small Middle East country of Kuwait holds 10 percent of the world's proven oil reserves.

The first Gulf War resulted after Iraq invaded Kuwait and the United States, along with many other nations, stepped in to intervene.", "Modern day Iran was once the heart of the Persian Empire, one of the earliest, largest, and greatest empires ever.

Persia stretched from present day Afghanistan and Pakistan all the way through Turkey and Egypt. Darius II, or Darius the Great, was their greatest ruler.", "Babylon was perhaps the cradle of Western civilization.

Babylon is one of the earliest cities, had one of the earliest alphabets, the earliest known written code of laws, one of the earliest money systems, and one of the wonders of the Ancient World. Rising from the Fertile Crescent, Babylon invented many of the ideas that we associate with the word civilization today.", "Jerusalem is considered an important holy city for three different major religions.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all claim Jerusalem as a holy city important to the history of their faith.", "Damascus, Syria, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.

Damascus was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was even founded.", "The country you have to visit to see the ruins of Troy is Turkey.

Thought to be merely a legend for centuries, the remains of the city of Troy were discovered in Turkey, and although the Trojan Horse story was probably still made up, at least proves that the city, and the war, did indeed exist.", "The Dead Sea is bordered by the countries of Israel and Jordan.

The Dead Sea is not only the lowest point in Asia, but the lowest in the world, and sits on the border of the two nations.", "The Arabic name for Lebanon is 'Lubnan' which means white - the color of the Lebanese mountains covered in snow.

A country that has been torn apart by war, Lebanon was known for its amazing natural beauty.", "Early inhabitants of Lebanon were Phoenicians who were also known as Canaanites.

Canaanites appear in the Old Testament, and the Phoenicians were early sea-faring people who invented one of the first known alphabets.", "The famous Cedars of Lebanon were valuable as building materials in the ancient world.

Solomon's temple and palace were built using Lebanon's cedar trees, and the cedar tree actually appears on Lebanon's flag.", "As well as being one of the oldest cities in the world, Damascus is also famous for its religious significance.

Damascus is famous for its association with the conversion of St. Paul to Christianity. Its focal point is the Great Mosque, the center of the city, and though mostly Muslim, ten percent of the population are still Christian.", "Syrian cuisine is well known for 'mezze' which consists of a number of small dishes, sometimes up to thirty or even forty.

These include salad and herbs (especially mint and parsley), nuts, vegetables, and dips.", "Israel is the only nation in the world with Hebrew as its official language.

This is because Israel was founded as a Jewish state after World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust.", "Jerusalem is the site of important religious monuments for three of the world's largest religions.

For Judaism the Western Wall and the site of Solomon's Temple, for Christianity the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and for Islam the Dome of the Rock.", "Israel has been forced to fight many wars to keep its independence.

War actually followed immediately after Israel's foundation: the War of Independence (15 May, 1948); the Suez-Sinai War (1956); the Six Day War (1967); the War of Attrition (1967-71) and the Yom Kippur War (1973).", "The United Arab Emirates is a federation of the seven Persian Gulf States.

This makes the nation unique, as it is actually a group of self-governing states ruling together by agreement. The UAE is governed by the Supreme Council of Sheikhs.", "The capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, is one of the world's most modern cities.

Abu Dhabi is one of the world's wealthiest states, but may be better known to Garfield fans as the city where he always tried to mail Nurmal.", "Wedding celebrations in Yemen last three days to a week.

Many marriages are still arranged, and the large celebration is seen in part as appropriate since the wedding signifies the joining of two families.", "Mount Agri is the highest peak in Turkey.

Mount Agri, also known as Mount Ararat, is the place where it is said, according to legend, that Noah's Ark came to rest.", "The Anatolian city of Troy was first excavated in 1871.

The siege of Troy by the Greek armies inspired Homer's 'Iliad' (the story of the Trojan War) and 'The Odyssey' (the story of the legendary travels of Odysseus after the Trojan War), two of the oldest and most famous epic works.", "Two wonders of the ancient world were located in modern day Turkey.

The Temple of Artemis (Diana), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was built at Ephesus which was part of the Greek Empire. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, built around 353 BC, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Unfortunately both were destroyed by natural disasters.", "Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, was an important capital city for many hundreds of years.

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire, and the name change led to a popular 1980s pop song.", "The Turkish carpet has been made in Turkey for centuries and is one of its most well known art forms.

Like Persian rugs, Turkish carpets can go for small fortunes.", "Saudi Arabia's most important cities are Mecca, birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed and Medina, to which the Prophet moved in 622 AD.

These are the two holiest cities of Islam, and help to give Saudi Arabia special status with its neighbors.", "Saudi Arabia has established eleven wildlife reserves and plans to create one hundred and three in all.

Wildlife found in the desert include antelopes, gazelles, hyenas, lizards and snakes.", "Saudi Arabia is a monarchy, ruled by the House of Saud.

Ibn Saud founded the kingdom in 1932, and because of the nation's great wealth, every member of the Saud family is exceedingly wealthy.", "The King Fahd Causeway, linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, the second longest causeway in the world.

It is fifteen and a half miles long and is the only thing linking the two nations.", "Saudi Arabia is the world's largest producer of desalinated water (water made drinkable by removing the salt).

Thirty-three plants produce nearly two million cubic meters of fresh water from the sea for drinking and other essential use.", "Many of the words we use today originate from Arabic.

Some of the words English has borrowed include alcohol, alkali, admiral, and alchemy.", "The Cradle of Gold was once the greatest gold mine in all of Africa and the Middle East.

For thousands of years the Saudis have been mining gold, silver and copper.", "Herod the Great had a palace at Mukawir, in present day Syria.

It is said that John the Baptist was imprisoned at Mukawir.", "The epic 'Gilgamesh' is a poem from Mesopotamia dating back more than four thousand years.

This makes Gilgamesh the oldest known epic, and one of the oldest pieces of known literature period. ", "Iraq has the world's second largest oil reserves.

Only their southern neighbor, Saudi Arabia, has more.", "Mount Damavand, a volcano which last erupted in 500 AD, is the highest peak in Iran.

While Iran has some mountains, none of them top this dormant volcano.", "The name 'Iran' was derived from Aryan (or Irani) tribes who originally came from the Russian steppes.

The nation's previous name of 'Persia' was derived from the ancient province of Persis (south west Iran), the home of the Parsa people.", "Before the Romans, Persians The Persians built the world's longest road (1,500 miles), known as the Royal Road.

Postmen could make a journey along the road in six to nine days instead of the previous three months.", "Darius the Great of Persia introduced one of the first systems of common coinage.

It was known as the darik and used as currency throughout the empire.", "Palestine had its first free elections in 2006.

The nation is currently the youngest, having only come into official existence within the last couple years.", "Qatar has an interesting tradition, where every citizen has the right to appeal a decision to the Emir, or ruler.

The Emir, while directly accountable to no one, cannot violate Islamic law and, in practice, must consider the opinions of leading notables and of the religious establishment.", "Bahrain is predicted to be the first country in the heavy oil producing area of the Middle East to run out of oil.

Bahrain was one of the first areas to discover oil, and because of its small size, it will also be one of the first to run out, though the government is already preparing the economy for life afterwards."];