In the Middle East, Armenians are mostly concentrated in Iran, Lebanon, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem, although well-established communities exist in Iraq, Egypt, Turkey and other countries of the area including, of course, Armenia itself.

There were Armenian communities (in the form of well-established quarters in major cities) in the Edessa region, Northern Syria, Jerusalem, Egypt, and have played a direct role in many key events, such as the Crusades.

However their presence notably significantly strengthened in 1604–1605, when Shah Abbas of the Safavid Empire deported 250,000–300,000 Armenians deeper into Persia.

As a result of the Treaty of Turkmenchay, Iran irrevocably lost Eastern Armenia to neighboring Imperial Russia,[16] while the terms stipulated the rights of the Tsar to make a call for Iran's very large Armenian community to settle in the newly conquered Caucasian territories of Russia.

As a result of this, the number of Armenians in the Middle East, who all lived either in Qajar Iran, or the Ottoman Empire, became reduced.

Because of political turmoil and tension in the region (such as the Lebanese Civil War and the Islamic Revolution), many Middle Eastern Armenians have emigrated to the Western Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and the Persian Gulf states.

They come from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, attracted by the economic opportunities provided by the country.

The Catholicossate of the Great House of Cilicia (also known as the Holy See of Cilicia) has established the "Diocese of Kuwait and the Persian Gulf Countries" headquartered in Kuwait, but also serving the Armenians in the Persian Gulf including Bahrain.

Armenians maintain a notable presence of about 3,500 people in Cyprus, mostly centered in Nicosia, but also with communities in Limassol and Larnaca.

After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the establishment of the State of Israel, several Armenians residing in what had been the British Mandate of Palestine took up Israeli citizenship, whereas other Armenian residents of Old City of Jerusalem and the territory captured by Jordan took on the Jordanian nationality.

There are around one thousand Israeli-Armenians with Israeli citizenship, residing mainly in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Haifa.

[21] But after the Iraqi invasions, the number of Armenians resident in Kuwait greatly diminished to just 500[21] as they left the country.

While there has not been a census for a few decades, because the balance between Christians and Muslims is considered to be a volatile subject, it is estimated that there are approximately 150,000 Armenians in Lebanon, or around 4% of the population.

[22] Before the Lebanese Civil War, the number was higher, but the community lost a portion of its population to emigration.