Self-propagating high temperature synthesis combined with direct consolidation technique was used to synthesize high density Al 2 O 3 /TiC composites from mixture of TiO 2 , Al and graphite powders. The effect of controlled amount of zirconia and iron addition on the density, microstructure and the mechanical properties of the composites was investigated. The results revealed that, addition of either 1.0 mole zirconia or 5.0 wt% of iron metal powder led to a significant decrease in the sample porosity from 7.0 to less than 1.0 vol% together with a remarkable enhancement in the microhardness from 6.0 to 11.0 and 12.0 GPa with 1.0 mole zirconia and 5.0 wt% iron additions, respectively. Moreover, the fracture toughness increased from 3.5 to 6.0 and 7.0 MPa.m 1/2 with 1.0 mole zirconia and 15 wt% iron additions, respectively. However, addition of 1.0 mole zirconia with 5.0 wt% iron powder led to a composite with higher porosity and reduced mechanical properties.