Middle Eastern City Name Generator

Real and invented cities from the Gulf to Anatolia

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Generate Middle Eastern city names drawn from Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Kurdish and Hebrew place-naming: real cities from Damascus to Shiraz, ancient capitals like Babylon and Persepolis, and invented names built from the same roots for fantasy maps, novels and games.

About Middle Eastern city names

Middle Eastern city names come from at least five naming traditions, and a convincing invented one borrows the grammar of the right one. Arabic place names stack a descriptor on a noun: Ras (headland), Wadi (valley), Ain (spring), Bir (well), Tal (mound), Deir (monastery), Umm and Abu (mother and father of), Qasr (castle), Bab (gate), Dar (house) and Madinat (city), usually with the article al-, as in Madinat al-Zahra or Ras al-Khaimah. Persian names favor compounds ending in -abad (settled by), -shahr (city) and Bandar-e (port of), giving Mehrabad, Golshahr and Bandar Abbas. Turkish towns end in -hisar (fortress), -kale (castle), -koy (village) and -sehir (city), Kurdish names carry hard consonant clusters like Halabja and Darbandikhan, and Hebrew uses Kfar, Beit, Tel, Ramat, Kiryat, Ein and Mitzpe as prefixes.

The list mixes real cities (Aleppo, Muscat, Tabriz, Gaziantep, Erbil, Jaffa), ancient ones that still anchor any historical or biblical map (Babylon, Nineveh, Ugarit, Hatra, Megiddo, Caesarea) and invented names assembled from those same parts, such as Qasr al-Rimal, Bab al-Qamar, Kavirshahr, Camlihisar and Kiryat Nahar.

Real names are useful as reference for how the pieces fit together; the invented ones are ready to drop onto a fantasy map, a spy thriller or a historical setting without colliding with an actual place.

How to choose Middle Eastern city names

  • Match the language to the region of your map: Arabic roots for Arabia, Iraq and the Levant, Persian -abad and -shahr for the Iranian plateau, Turkish -hisar and -kale for Anatolia, Hebrew Kfar and Tel for the coast of the Levant.
  • Name the city after what made it exist, as real ones do: a spring (Ain), a well (Bir), a river crossing (Wadi), a gate or fortress on a trade road (Bab, Qasr, Hisn), or a harbor (Mina, Bandar).
  • Ancient mounds are called Tel or Tal, so an old city that was rebuilt many times can carry a Tel name for its ruins and a newer name for the living town beside it.
  • Keep transliteration consistent across your map: pick either Qasr or Kasr, either -abad or -ābād, and stick with it.
  • For fiction set in the real world, check that an invented name is not already a town; for secondary-world fantasy, lean on the invented names so the geography stays yours.

Frequently asked questions

What do common Middle Eastern place-name elements mean?

In Arabic, Ain is a spring, Bir a well, Wadi a valley, Ras a cape, Tal a mound, Deir a monastery, Qasr a castle, Bab a gate and Madinat a city. Persian -abad means built or settled by, -shahr means city and Bandar means port. Turkish -hisar and -kale both mean fortress, and Hebrew Kfar is a village, Beit a house, Tel a mound and Kiryat a town.

Are the cities in this generator real?

Most are real modern or ancient cities, including Damascus, Riyadh, Isfahan, Istanbul, Erbil, Jerusalem, Babylon and Persepolis. Roughly a hundred more are invented names built from authentic roots so they sound right without pointing to an actual place.

Can I use these names for a fantasy world or D&D campaign?

Yes. The invented names are written for exactly that use, and the real ones work as inspiration or as locations in historical, modern or alternate-history settings. Nothing here is trademarked.

Which languages do Middle Eastern city names come from?

Mainly Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Kurdish and Hebrew, with older layers from Aramaic, Akkadian, Greek and Latin surviving in names like Aleppo, Nineveh, Antioch and Caesarea. Many cities carry two names, one in each tradition, such as Urfa and Edessa or Amida and Diyarbakir.

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All 500 Middle Eastern city names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 74 names

  • Abadan
  • Abha
  • Abu Dhabi
  • Abu Ghadir
  • Abu Kamal
  • Abu Rumman
  • Acre
  • Adana
  • Aden
  • Afrin
  • Afyonkarahisar
  • Ahlat
  • Ahmadi
  • Ahvaz
  • Ain Bardi
  • Ain Dhiba
  • Ain Halwa
  • Ain Tamar
  • Ain Thurayya
  • Ain Zubaida
  • Ajloun
  • Ajman
  • Akkale
  • Aksuhisar
  • Al Ain
  • Al Khor
  • Al Rayyan
  • Al Wakrah
  • Al-Baha
  • Al-Bireh
  • Al-Bukamal
  • Al-Hasa
  • Al-Jubail
  • Al-Karak
  • Al-Kharj
  • Al-Mafraq
  • Al-Mayadin

A, continued

  • Al-Qatif
  • Al-Qusayr
  • Al-Salt
  • Al-Tafilah
  • Al-Ula
  • Al-Wajh
  • Alanya
  • Aleppo
  • Alexandria
  • Amarah
  • Amasya
  • Amman
  • Amol
  • Amran
  • Ani
  • Anjar
  • Ankara
  • Antakya
  • Antalya
  • Antioch
  • Apamea
  • Aqaba
  • Arad
  • Arak
  • Ard Zahran
  • Ardabil
  • Artvin
  • Ashdod
  • Ashkelon
  • Ashur
  • Aspendos
  • Astara
  • Aswan
  • Asyut
  • Ataq
  • Aydinhisar
  • Azraq

B: 44 names

  • Baalbek
  • Bab al-Qamar
  • Bab al-Rih
  • Bab Zuhur
  • Babylon
  • Bagh-e Naran
  • Baghdad
  • Baghestan
  • Bahla
  • Bam
  • Bandar Abbas
  • Bandar Lengeh
  • Bandar-e Anzali
  • Banias
  • Basra
  • Batman
  • Batroun
  • Bcharre
  • Beersheba
  • Beirut
  • Beit Amra
  • Beit Dhiya
  • Beit Jala
  • Beit Luban
  • Beit Nahal
  • Beit Sahour
  • Beit She'an
  • Beit Shemesh
  • Bethlehem
  • Bint Jbeil
  • Bir Aswad
  • Bir Ghanam
  • Bir Hakim
  • Bir Qamar
  • Bir Zahab
  • Bitlis
  • Bodrum
  • Bosra
  • Buraidah
  • Burj Amal
  • Burj Salwa
  • Bursa
  • Bushehr
  • Byblos

C: 10 names

  • Caesarea
  • Cairo
  • Camlihisar
  • Canakkale
  • Carchemish
  • Chalus
  • Chamchamal
  • Chesmeh Sefid
  • Cizre
  • Ctesiphon

D: 33 names

  • Dahab
  • Damascus
  • Damietta
  • Dammam
  • Dar al-Nakhil
  • Dar al-Qamar
  • Dar Rayhan
  • Daraa
  • Darbandikhan
  • Darreh Gol
  • Dasht-e Laleh
  • Dedan
  • Deir al-Qamar
  • Deir ez-Zor
  • Deir Maryam
  • Deir Nakhla
  • Deir Salam
  • Demirhan
  • Demirkent
  • Denizli
  • Dezful
  • Dhahran
  • Dhamar
  • Dimona
  • Diriyah
  • Diyarbakir
  • Doha
  • Dohuk
  • Douma
  • Dubai
  • Dumat al-Jandal
  • Duqm
  • Dura-Europos

E: 11 names

  • Ebla
  • Ecbatana
  • Edessa
  • Edirne
  • Ehden
  • Eilat
  • Ein Gedi
  • Ein Sahar
  • Erbil
  • Erzurum
  • Eskisehir

F: 6 names

  • Fallujah
  • Fayoum
  • Fethiye
  • Firuzabad
  • Firuzkuh
  • Fujairah

G: 9 names

  • Gadara
  • Gaza
  • Gaziantep
  • Gezer
  • Givat Alon
  • Goreme
  • Gorgan
  • Gulhisar
  • Gunesehir

H: 24 names

  • Haditha
  • Haifa
  • Hail
  • Hakkari
  • Halabja
  • Halfeti
  • Hama
  • Hamadan
  • Harran
  • Hasakah
  • Hatra
  • Hawalli
  • Hazor
  • Hebron
  • Hegra
  • Herzliya
  • Hisar-e Kohan
  • Hisn Dhahab
  • Hisn Kaylan
  • Hisn Qarawi
  • Hodeidah
  • Hofuf
  • Homs
  • Hurghada

I: 12 names

  • Ibb
  • Ibri
  • Idlib
  • Ilam
  • Incekoy
  • Irbid
  • Isfahan
  • Ishkarun
  • Iskenderun
  • Ismailia
  • Istanbul
  • Izmir

J: 15 names

  • Jabal Fajr
  • Jabal Hilwa
  • Jabal Mansur
  • Jabal Qurtubi
  • Jableh
  • Jaffa
  • Jahra
  • Jeddah
  • Jenin
  • Jerash
  • Jericho
  • Jerusalem
  • Jezzine
  • Jizan
  • Jounieh

K: 36 names

  • Kafr Misk
  • Kafr Sinan
  • Kafr Zayd
  • Kahramanmaras
  • Kalar
  • Karahisar
  • Karbala
  • Kars
  • Kas
  • Kashan
  • Kavirshahr
  • Kawkaban
  • Kayseri
  • Kazerun
  • Kerman
  • Kermanshah
  • Kfar Saba
  • Khan Nassar
  • Khan Younis
  • Khasab
  • Khirbet Dawud
  • Khobar
  • Khorramabad
  • Khorramshahr
  • Khoy
  • Kirkuk
  • Kiryat Gat
  • Kiryat Nahar
  • Kiryat Shmona
  • Kish
  • Kizilkale
  • Konya
  • Kufa
  • Kuh-e Zard
  • Kumkale
  • Kuwait City

L: 6 names

  • Lachish
  • Lagash
  • Lar
  • Latakia
  • Lusail
  • Luxor

M: 41 names

  • Ma'ale Sela
  • Ma'an
  • Maaloula
  • Madaba
  • Madain Salih
  • Madinat al-Zahra
  • Madinat Fida
  • Madinat Hilal
  • Madinat Shams
  • Malatya
  • Manama
  • Manbij
  • Mansoura
  • Maragheh
  • Mardin
  • Mari
  • Marib
  • Marivan
  • Marj Bahar
  • Marmaris
  • Marsa Alam
  • Marsa Matruh
  • Mashhad
  • Mecca
  • Medina
  • Megiddo
  • Mersin
  • Midyat
  • Mina Reem
  • Mina Salwa
  • Mina Zayed
  • Minab
  • Minya
  • Mirbat
  • Mitzpe Ramon
  • Mocha
  • Modi'in
  • Mosul
  • Muharraq
  • Mukalla
  • Muscat

N: 20 names

  • Nabatieh
  • Nablus
  • Nahariya
  • Najaf
  • Najafabad
  • Najran
  • Narenjabad
  • Nasiriyah
  • Nazareth
  • Netanya
  • Neve Shemesh
  • Nevsehir
  • Neyshabur
  • Nimrud
  • Nineveh
  • Nippur
  • Nisibis
  • Nizwa
  • Nur al-Bahr
  • Nusaybin

P: 8 names

  • Palmyra
  • Pella
  • Penjwin
  • Persepolis
  • Petah Tikva
  • Petra
  • Pinarbasi
  • Port Said

Q: 21 names

  • Qadesh
  • Qaladze
  • Qalat Marjan
  • Qalat Marwan
  • Qaleh Now
  • Qaleh Sorkh
  • Qalqilya
  • Qamishli
  • Qaryat al-Faw
  • Qaryat Nur
  • Qaryat Yasmin
  • Qasr al-Rimal
  • Qasr Amra
  • Qasr Nujum
  • Qasr Saqr
  • Qazvin
  • Qena
  • Qeshm
  • Qom
  • Qumran
  • Quneitra

R: 22 names

  • Rafah
  • Ramadi
  • Ramallah
  • Ramat Gan
  • Ramat Sharon
  • Raqqa
  • Ras Al Khaimah
  • Ras al-Jabal
  • Ras Hilal
  • Ras Nahar
  • Ras Tanura
  • Rasht
  • Rawanduz
  • Rehovot
  • Ribat Safa
  • Ribat Sidra
  • Riffa
  • Rishon LeZion
  • Riyadh
  • Rize
  • Rosetta
  • Rosh Pina

S: 49 names

  • Saada
  • Safed
  • Safranbolu
  • Sahil al-Lulu
  • Sahl Nahar
  • Salalah
  • Salamiyah
  • Salmiya
  • Samaria
  • Samarra
  • Samawah
  • Samsun
  • Sana'a
  • Sanandaj
  • Sanliurfa
  • Sarab-e Gol
  • Sarab-e Nil
  • Sardasht
  • Sari
  • Sderot
  • Sebastia
  • Seiyun
  • Selvikale
  • Shabwa
  • Shahara
  • Shahr-e Rey
  • Shaqlawa
  • Sharjah
  • Sharm El Sheikh
  • Shechem
  • Shibam
  • Shiraz
  • Shush
  • Shushtar
  • Side
  • Sidon
  • Siirt
  • Sinjar
  • Sivas
  • Siwa
  • Sohag
  • Sohar
  • Suez
  • Sulaymaniyah
  • Suq al-Layl
  • Suq al-Tibn
  • Sur
  • Susa
  • Suwayda

T: 28 names

  • Tabriz
  • Tabuk
  • Taif
  • Taiz
  • Tal Afar
  • Tal Khamis
  • Tal Nahla
  • Tal Sahar
  • Tal Ward
  • Tanta
  • Tarim
  • Tarsus
  • Tartus
  • Tatvan
  • Tayma
  • Tazmara
  • Tehran
  • Tekoa
  • Tel Aviv
  • Tel Rimon
  • Tel Shalev
  • Thula
  • Tiberias
  • Tikrit
  • Trabzon
  • Tripoli
  • Tulkarm
  • Tyre

U: 10 names

  • Ugarit
  • Umm al-Tuyur
  • Umm Dalia
  • Umm Qais
  • Umm Qasr
  • Umm Sahab
  • Ur
  • Urgup
  • Urmia
  • Uruk

W: 6 names

  • Wadi Musa
  • Wadi Nur
  • Wadi Rum
  • Wadi Rumman
  • Wadi Sabah
  • Wadi Zaman

Y: 5 names

  • Yanbu
  • Yasuj
  • Yazd
  • Yildizhisar
  • Yildizkoy

Z: 10 names

  • Zabadani
  • Zabid
  • Zahedan
  • Zahle
  • Zahrat al-Sahra
  • Zakho
  • Zanjan
  • Zarqa
  • Zawiyat Hamad
  • Zikhron Ya'akov