Honorary membership is awarded by the Board of Directors of MEM to a few senior medievalists who have distinguished themselves in their teaching and research. Honorary membership is for life and is gratis. MEM's honorary members are:

David Ayalon (d. 1998)

Robert S. Bell, Jr.

Claude Cahen (d. 1991)

`Abd al-`Aziz al-Duri

Oleg Grabar

Ann K.S. Lambton

Bernard Lewis

George A. Makdisi (d. 2002)

Franz Rosenthal (d. 2003)