The first Western Asia meeting for the International Heliophysical Year took place on 15 August 2006 at the University of Al-al-Bayt in Jordan. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Hamid M. K. Al-Naimiy, Dean of the College of Sciences at University of Sharjah, and 50 participants representing 13 countries from Iraq, Palestine, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, UAE and Yemen.

Participants gave summaries for their activities in their countries such as :

• Iraq: Professor Rashid Al-Naimi and his group conducting research and study Sunspots, Ionosphere, Climate change and develop devices for measuring Solar Radiation.
• Palestine: Prof. Imad Al-Barghouthi and his graduate students conducting research and study Space Plasma.
• Lebanon-Syria-Jordan are planning to install a 2-meter optical telescope.
• Libya and Egypt: Many Astronomers and Solar Physiciste from all over the world observed the March 29, 2006 total solar eclipse before hitting Mediterranean Sea.
• Kuwait: Dr. I. Sabbah installed the First Cosmic Rays Muon Telescope in the Middle East at Kuwait University in order to predict the time of arrival of Coronal Mass Ejections: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu/spaceweather/. He also installed a robotic Sun photometer to monitor Aerosol to study desert dust and its effect on Climate in collaboration with NASA: http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/
• Saudi Arabia: Dr. Basurah and his group: Delay Sunspot observations (Monthly sunspot analysis to SIDC - Belgium) .They installed recently a Cosmic ray muon observatory and observed stellar occultation.
• Jordan: Dr. Hanna Sabat with his colleagues and graduate students uses a16-inch reflector telescope Al al-Bayt University to observe some variable Stars.
• Oman: Dr. Saleh Al-Sheethani installed a 14" RCX400 telescope for site testing, a Portables telescopes: 12", 11" and 5" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes and a 16" Newtonian reflector.
• Qatar: Sheikh Salman Bin Jabor Althani, head of Astronomical Department at Qatar Scientific Club is planning to install Solar observatory consists of Coronado Solarmax 40 telescope, Coronado Solarmax 90 telescope and Coronado Solarmax 90 CaK telescope; and Optical observatory (20" RCX400 on MAX Robotic German Equatorial Mount) in Jordan near Al-Betraa.