As I said it came about during the middle ages and during the time of the Crusades.
Crusades were religiously motivated campaigns conducted between the 11th and 16th centuries predominantly but not exclusively against Muslims in the Near East but also against pagans, heretics, and peoples under the ban of excommunication for a mixture of religious, economic, and political reasons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades
The Knights of The Temple or Knights Templar were a wealthy order of monks/priests that the King of France and the pope conspired together to take their wealth. The Catholic Church charged the Temple Knights with heresy and they became one of those persecuted. There is evidence that those that escaped developed Free Masonry to assist others. Hence the reason or secret hand shakes and secret signs that they use to recognize each other. The only requirement to become a member of the order was a belief in one God. So yes, there are Masons in the Middle East
Here's what Wikipedia has to say: Knights Templar
This article is about the medieval military order. For the Knights Templar associated with Freemasonry, see Knights Templar (Freemasonry). For other uses, see Knights Templar (disambiguation) and Templar (disambiguation).
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Knights Templar
Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon
Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici
Seal of Templars.jpg
A Seal of the Knights Templar[1]
Active c. 1119–1312
Allegiance The Pope
Type Western Christian military order
Role Protection of Christian Pilgrims
Size 15,000–20,000 members at peak, 10% of whom were knights[2][3]
Headquarters Temple Mount, Jerusalem
Nickname Order of the Temple
Patron St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Motto Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam (Not to us Lord, not to us, but to Your Name give the glory)
Attire White mantle with a red cross
Mascot 2 Knights riding a single horse
Engagements The Crusades, including:
Siege of Ascalon (1153),
Battle of Montgisard (1177)
Battle of Marj Ayyun (1179)
Battle of Hattin (1187),
Siege of Acre (1190–1191),
Battle of Arsuf (1191),
Siege of Al-Dāmūs (1210)
Battle of Legnica (1241),
Siege of Acre (1291)
Reconquista
Commanders
First Grand Master Hugues de Payens
Last Grand Master Jacques de Molay
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici), commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple (French: Ordre du Temple or Templiers) or simply as Templars, were among the most wealthy and powerful of the Western Christian military orders.[4] The organization existed for nearly two centuries during the Middle Ages.
Officially endorsed by the Catholic Church around 1129, the Order became a favoured charity throughout Christendom and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades.[5] Non-combatant members of the Order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom,[6] innovating financial techniques that were an early form of banking,[7][8] and building fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land.
The Templars' existence was tied closely to the Crusades; when the Holy Land was lost, support for the Order faded. Rumours about the Templars' secret initiation ceremony created mistrust and King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Order, took advantage of the situation. In 1307, many of the Order's members in France were arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and then burned at the stake.[9] Under pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the Order in 1312. The abrupt disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which have kept the "Templar" name alive into the modern day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar
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