The Greatest West Asian Literature
This selection of West Asian literature encompasses all literary forms, genres and periods. It includes works acclaimed by readers, writers, critics and scholars in West Asia and around the world.
Countries represented include Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and their historical predecessors. The region is often glossed as the Near East or Middle East but is more correctly termed West Asia.
Egypt, often considered part of this area, is more accurately grouped with African countries.
The Greatest West Asian Literature focuses on major creative works—such as novels, novellas, plays, long poetry and collections. You may also be interested in The Greatest African Literature, The Greatest Israeli Literature or The Greatest South Asian Literature.
It is continually updated as new works are discovered and appreciation of older works evolves. Please note the revision date when citing the list.
Latest update: July 24, 2025
The 66 greatest works of West Isian literature
c.2100–2000 BCE
Descent of Inanna into the Underworld
Anonymous, Sumer
Epic poem, also known as Descent of Ishtar into the Underworld or Angalta
c.2100–1200 BCE
Gilgamesh
Epic poem, also known as
The Epic of Gilgamesh or
He Who Saw the Deep
It's maybe not the oldest story in the world, as The Epic of Gilgamesh is sometimes called. There had been other stories floating around the ancient world before the various versions of Gilgamesh, and who knows.... Critique • Quotes • Translations • Buy
c.2030 BCE
"A Love Song of Shu-Suen"
Anonymous, Sumer
Poem, also known as "Bridegroom" or "Spend the Night in Our House Till Dawn"
c.1800 BCE
Enuma Elish
Anonymous, Babylon
Epic ooem, originally Enūma Eliš
c.1200 BCE–100 CE
The Hebrew Bible (The Old Testament)
by various authors, Israel and Babylon
Prose and poetry anthology includes books "Genesis", "Exodus", "Leviticus", "Numbers", "Deuteronomy", "Job", "Psalms", "Song of Songs", and others.
What wrecks the Bible as literature is too much God. On the surface this may sound like an odd comment, prompting the response, "Well, what did you expect? It's a religious text and isn't religion all about gods?" But.... Critique • Quotes • Text • Buy
c.48–110 CE
The New Testament
anthology, Middle East and Greece
Prose and poetry collection
It's often called "the greatest story ever told". But is the New Testament—or more precisely the gospel story within the New Testament—even one of our best stories? Of course, when they make that "greatest" claim.... Critique • Quotes • Text • Buy
c.160
A True Story
by Lucian, Syria
Novel
c.220
Aethiopica
by Heliodorus of Emesa, Syria
Novel, originally Aithiopiká (Ethiopian Stories), also known as Theagenes and Chariclea
c.650
Qur'an
by various authors, Arabia
Prose and poetry collection, also known as Koran
c.799
Epistle on the Singing Girls
by Al-Jahiz, Iraq
Story collection
c.800
The Khamriyyat
by Abu Nuwas, Iraq
Poem
Book of Misers
by Al-Jahiz, Iraq
Story collection
c.800–1200
The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor
Anonymous, Persia
Story collection
c.800–1400
One Thousand and One Nights
Anonymous, Persia
Story collection, also known as Arabian Nights, includes "Tale of the Fisherman and the Jinni", "The Tale of the Three Apples", "The Barber's Tale of Himself", and others.
977–1010
The Book of Kings
by Abolgasem Ferdowski, Persia
Epic poem, originally Shahnameh
c.1050
Layla and Majnum
by Nizami Ganjavi, Persia
Epic poem
c.1100
Assemblies of Hariri
by al-Hariri of Basra, Iraq
Story collection
Rubaiyat
by Omar Khayyám, Persia
Poetry collection
1177
The Conference of the Birds
by Farid od-Din Attar, Persia
Poem, originally Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr
1257
The Orchard
by Saadi Shirazi, Persia
Poetry collection, originally Bustan
1258
The Garden
by Saadi Shirazi, Persia
Poetry and story collection, also known as The Rose Garden, originally Gulistān or Golestan
1258–1273
Masnavi
by Rumi, Persia
Poem, also known as Mathnawi
c.1335
Tales of a Parrot
by Ziya'al-Din Nakhshabi, Persia
Story collection, also known as The Tootinameh
c.1350
The Divān of Hafez
by Hafez, Persia
Poetry collection
1891
The Fleeing Mamluk
by Jurji Zaydan, Lebanon
Novel
1892
The Captive of the Mahdi Pretender
by Jurji Zaydan, Lebanon
Novel
1899
Virgin of Quraish
by Jurji Zaydan, Lebanon
Novel
1901
Shirot Bialik
by Hayim Nahman Bialik, Israel
Poetry collection
1931
A Bridal Canopy
by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israel
Novel
1933
In the Heart of the Seas
by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israel
Novel
1937
The Blind Owl
by Sadegh Hedayat, Iran
Novel, originally Boof-e Koor
Ali and Nino
by Kurban Said, Azerbaijan
Novel
1943
Madonna in a Fur Coat
by Sabahattin Ali, Turkey
Novel
1955
Memed, My Hawk
by Yaşar Kemal, Turkey
Novel
1961
The Time Regulation Institute
by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar, Turkey
Novel
1945
Only Yesterday
by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israel
Novel
1955
Memed, My Hawk
by Yaşar Kemal, Turkey
Novel
1968
Selected Poetry
by Yehuda Amichai, Israel
Poetry collection
1968–1994
The Palace of Shattered Vessels
by David Shahar, Israel
Novel series
1970
Twenty-One Stories
by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israel
Story collection
1977
The Lover
by A.B. Yehoshua, Israel
Novel
1978
Past Continuous
by Yaakov Shabti, Israel
Novel
A Dress of Fire
by Dahlia Ravikovitch, Israel
Poetry collection
1983
At the Stone of Losses
by T. Carmi, Israel
Poetry collection
1984
Cities of Salt
by Abdul Rahman Munif, Saudi Arabia
Novel
1986
See Under: Love
by David Grossman, Israel
Novel
Black Box
by Amos Oz, Israel
Novel
Arabesques
by Anton Shammas, Palestine
Novel
The Poems of Nâzim Hikmet
by Nâzim Hikmet, Turkey
Poetry collection
1989
Mr. Mani
by A.B. Yehoshua, Israel
Novel
1991
The Book of Intimate Grammar
by David Grossman, Israel
Novel
Twilight and Other Stories
by Shulamith Hareven, Israel
Story collection
1997
A Journey to the End of the Millennium
by A.B. Yehoshua, Israel
Novel
1998
My Name Is Red
by Orhan Pamuk, Turkey
Novel, originally Benim Adim Kirmizi
2000
We Disappear in Flight
by Asef Soltanzadeh, Iran
Novel, originally Dar Guraiz Gum Mishavim
2000–2003
Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi, Iran
Graphic novel series includes Persepolis and Persepolis 2.
2002
Dancing Arabs
by Sayed Kashua, Israel
Novel
Snow
by Khaled Khalifa, Syria
Novel
2006
In Praise of Hatred
by Orhan Pamuk, Turkey
Novel, originbally Madih al-karahiya
2009
The Forty Rules of Love
by Elif Shafak, Turkey
Novel
2011
Osama
by Lavie Tidhar, Israel
Novel
2012
The Colonel
by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, Iran
Novel
2014
A Horse Walks into a Bar
by David Grossman, Israel
Novel
2015
Pain
by Zeruya Shalev, Israel
Novel
2018
Celestial Bodies
by Jokha Alharthi, Oman
Novel
2020
Poems of Nathan Zach
by Nathan Zach, Israel
Poetry collection
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