Was Africa and the Middle East ever one land mass?

Yes, Africa and the Middle Eastern countries of Asia (Arabia, Turkey and Iran) were joined as one landmass known as the mega continent of Afro-Eurasia. The Afro-Eurasia landmass was comprised of the separate continents of Africa, Europe and Asia. Due to the sea level drops associated with the Quaternary ice age some 12,000 years ago, the three continents merged. The Bering land bridge which once facilitated the migration of hominids from Siberia to the Americas was uncovered exposing a land connection between Asia and North America. The Sahara desert in Africa was covered in lakes and grasslands at the time and supported dense populations of humans and animals as was most of the Middle East.

About 10,000 years ago, the Mediterranean Sea rose again flooding the Isthmus of Gibraltar, separating Europe from Africa and creating the Mediterranean as a separate body of water. During this same time, the Red Sea was formed following a series of great ruptures in Earth’s crust.