West Asia, also known as Southwest Asia or the Middle East, has cultural roots in the ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent and Mesopotamia, which gave rise to the Persian, Arab, Ottoman empires, as well as the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
wˈɛst ˈeɪʒə, ˈɔːlsoʊ nˈoʊn æz saʊθwˈɛst ˈeɪʒə ɔːɹ ðə mˈɪdəl ˈiːst, hɐz kˈʌltʃɚɹəl ɹˈuːts ɪnðɪ ˈeɪntʃənt sˌɪvɪlᵻzˈeɪʃənz ʌvðə fˈɜːɾəl kɹˈɛsənt ænd mˌɛsəpətˈeɪmiə, wˌɪtʃ ɡˈeɪv ɹˈaɪz tə ðə pˈɜːʒən, ˈæɹəb, ˈɑːɾəmən ˈɛmpaɪɚz, æz wˈɛl æz ðɪ ɐbɹɐhˈæmɪk ɹᵻlˈɪdʒənz ʌv dʒˈuːdeɪˌɪzəm, kɹˌɪstɪˈænᵻɾi ænd ɪslˈɑːm.