The current state of climate in the Middle East is investigated with the use of the regional climate model RegCM2. The model domain covers a large predominantly semi-arid to arid region surrounded by the Black and Caspian Seas in the north, the Mediterranean in the West and the Red Sea and Persian Gulf in the south. Model output is verified against climatological monthly precipitation and temperature surfaces created by interpolating FAO/WMO station data using a CRESSMAN technique with a variable radius of influence, precipitation surfaces for the time period in question created using a higher density Syrian station network and snow cover extent in the Zagros and Taurus mountains as determined using 13 years of AVHRR composite data. Several five year model runs were conducted providing the basis to address such questions as: what is the sensitivity of the model's climate to horizontal resolution; what is the role of mountains on precipitation in the area; and what role do the various large water sources (Black, Caspian and Red Seas as well as the Persian gulf and the eastern Mediterranean) play in determining the precipitation distribution in the area.