Food
Which sweet dessert is made of layers of filo dough, nuts, and honey syrup?
Baklawa
What country is most often credited with the invention of baklawa?
Turkey
Which Egyptian singer, called "The Planet of the East," influenced generations of musicians?
Umm Kulthum
What 2020 Netflix drama series was the first to feature an all-Jordanian cast and setting?
Al-Rawabi School for Girls
Which internationally recognized Palestinian poet wrote "Identity Card" and is considered the national poet of Palestine?
Mahmoud Darwish
Qatayef, the stuffed pancake eaten during Ramadan, is traditionally filled with two main options. What are they?
Cheese and nuts (walnuts, pistachios, etc.)
What drink is traditionally served with Turkish delight?
Coffee
What string instrument, similar to a lute, is famous in Middle Eastern music?
Oud
What city is known as the "Hollywood of the Middle East" because of its huge film industry?
Cairo, Egypt
What traditional Arabic folk dance is performed at weddings and celebrations, often in a line or circle?
Dabke
The Jordanian dish, mansaf, is traditionally served on what type of flatbread?
Shrak bread
which cheese, originally from Syria, is used in desserts like knafeh and is known for its stretchy texture?
Nabulsi (or Akkawi)
What musical scale, featuring quarter tones, gives Arabic music its distinct sound?
Maqam
What long-running Syrian TV drama, first aired in 2006, is set in 1930s Damascus, and became a Ramadan favorite across the Arab world?
Bab El-Hara
The Palestinian national dish, musakhan, is made with chicken, onions, nuts, and what key spice that gives it its red color and tangy flavor?
Sumac
Which fruit, common in Middle Eastern cuisine, is often used in stews, salads, and desserts and symbolizes fertility?
Pomegranate
In traditional Bedouin culture, how many times must a guest's coffee cup be refilled before it is considered polite to stop offering?
Three times
The Armenian duduk, an ancient double-reed woodwind, is traditionally made from the wood of what tree?
Apricot tree
Which Lebanese filmmaker, known for Caramel and Where Do We Go Now?, became the first Arab female director to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film with Capernaum (2018)?
Nadine Labaki
Who was the Palestinian intellectual and literary critic who authored Orientalism and is considered the founder of postcolonial studies?
Edward Said
The Ottoman dish Hünkar Beğendi (meaning “the Sultan liked it”) is made of lamb served over a puree of what vegetable?
Eggplant
What traditional art of intricate geometric tilework, found in mosques and palaces across the Middle East, is known for its mathematical precision?
Zellij (Islamic geometric tilework)
The 9th-century philosopher and musician Abu Nasr al-Farabi wrote an influential book on music theory. What is it called?
Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir (The Great Book of Music)
Which Egyptian director is often called the "founding father of Arab cinema," known for films like Cairo Station (1958)?
Youssef Chahine
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem features a famous golden dome. In what century was it originally completed?
7th century (691 CE)