Chapter 1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF MIDDLE EAST by Muhammad Nadeem abbas
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Chapter 1
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF MIDDLE EAST
The Middle East has a unique geographical position. It is an
area situated at the junction of Asia, Europe and Africa and
has easy approach in these three continents.
The term of Middle East is invented by the western to
describe the geographical region that lies between Asia
and Africa. There are different theories about the
Origin of the Name of Middle East.
It has been assumed that the “Middle East” originated by the
American, capture “Alfred Thayer Mohan, in 1902- Another
theory is that this used by the British officer “general Sir
Thomas Gordon in 1900 other theory is that, the theory had
been originated in 1850 both widely used in 1902 by Mahan
mean American are considered in the back of this term. The
name of this region is also the Near East, Far East
introduced by British in which especially included the areas
of Ottoman Empire and south East Europe and North Africa.
The “Near East” and Middle East create a question .Both
names or consist of two words. The first which denotes
proximity and other shows the direction.1
Both name raise questions such as near what? Middle of what?
East of what? Actually the Middle East is in the Middle and
Far East for western Europeans. But it is not so for china
and Japan. For whom the Middle East in Middle West and for
soviet it is the South.
This Area also called the Fertile Crescent. The description
Middle East has some confusion Before the world war first,
Near East was used for Balkans and Ottoman Empire, while
Middle East for the Persian and central Asia.2
But with the disappearance of Ottoman Empire, the term of
Near East fell out and the Middle East became common for
reorganizing the Islamic World. According to the most widely
accepted divinations, the region includes Bahrain, cypress
Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordon, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman,1. Bernard Lewis: the Middle East and West, Indiana University Press, 1964, p.95 2 . Elizer Chammou; Near Or Middle East?, Middle east libraries association,1986 –p 6-8
Palestine, Qatar, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, U-A-E (United
Arab Emirate) Yemen, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and the much
part of the Sudan is considered Middle East. Including with
the countries of North African countries on addition has
been occurred in 1996 with name of Greater Middle East.
Geography of Middle East
The areas lying between and including Libya on the west; and
Pakistan on the East: Turkey on the North: and the Arabian
peninsula in the South,” plus the Sudan and Utopia. There
are many deserts and mountains in Middle East that divide
the Middle East into different zones that are geographically
distinct and have influenced the development and maintains
of culture traditions through much of the history of the
region.1
1. RodericH. Davison; Where Is The Middle East?, Council on foreign relation report USA1960.
Bodies of water in Middle East
Nile River
Tigris River
Euphrates River
Persian Gulf
Arabian Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Indian Ocean
Red sea
Black sea
Gulf of Aden
Straits of Hurmuz
Suez carnal
Dardanelles straits
Atlantic Ocean
Gulf of Oman Caspian
Sea, Dead Sea.
Mountains and Plateau
Atlas Mountains
EL Burs Mountains
Taurus Mountains
Zagrus Mountain
Iranian Plateau
Anatolian Plateau
Caucasus Mountains
Hejaz Mountains
Desserts
Sahara Desert
Arabian desert
Negev desert
Sinai Desert
Libya desert Rub-Al-Khali
The first of these zones, the Nile River flows northward
from knourtom, though Sudan and
Egypt. It is the major source of water, food, and fertile
soils well as transportation routes
Taurus Mountains
Pontiac Mountains, Anatolian Plateau Taurus Mountains
The basis for a wet Nubian and Egyptian civilization. Gold
is a very important source from the very history. East of
the Nile valley, across the stern desert and the Sinai
desert is the Eastern Mediterranean coastal plain the Modern
Israel, Lebanon. Western Syria, as well as parts of Jordon
and Turkey. Sometimes this area called Levant. Levant has
fertile land and proper rainfall, Levant considered the area
in which agriculture flourished first time in (11000 Bce)
and ancient cultures developed in this region include.
Canaanite, Amorite, Israelite and Phoenician.
The Levant is bordered on the north by the tours mountain
which separates the Levant from Anatolian plateau in Modern
turkey.
Southern of the Levant is the Arabian Peninsula with its
extensive deserts, oases and coastal regions done the Red
sea, Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf. Today include the
countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and
United Arab Emirates are in this area.
East of the Levant is the area defined by the Euphrates and
Tigris rivers that sometimes raid called the “Mesopotamia”
now include eastern Iran. Ancient language in the area
included Sumerian, Acadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and
Aramaic. Mesopotamia is agricultural zone.
Mesopotamia is bordered on the East by the Zagorsk Mountains
of western Iran and eastern Turkey.
The climate of the Middle East ranges from the warm summers
and Gold winters of high and of turkey and Iran, hotter
summer and Cool winters of northern Mesopotamia and the
Mediterranean coast and extremist the hottest place of the
world is situated in Libya the name is Azizabad.”
The Middle is a home of many different people with a variety
of language, religions and traditions. Arabs are the
majority group in the Middle Eastern countries but the
middle. East is also home to other group such as Iranians
Turks, and Kurds.
Languages
Arabic
Turkish
Kurdish
Persian
Hebrew
Persian.
English and French are also used in some upper class people.
Middle East has connected major trade routes between Asia
and Europe over land and seas. Caravans from Indian and
China brought the goods in the busy market of Middle East.
The shortest and more convenient our and water routs from
Asia to Europe go through the Middle East. The Middle East
commands vital sea routs especially for oil transportation.
Even it has very importance for Russia the area on which can
obtain success to warm water.1
In addition to geographical uniqueness, it is the center of
Islamic world. It has the holiest place of Islam Makkah and
Madina. The Muslim learning center Jamia-tul-Azhar. Even the
Joint holy land for Muslims Christian and the Jews is
situated there.
In the Holy land of Palestine the Middle East Possess of a
focus of aspirations of Jews and christen alike. Middle East
is full of Mercurial sources. Especially it has the major
oil reserves in it land. It has very much importance that no
one can avoid in foreign policy from Middle East.2
Early Civilization
Middle East is considered the house of early civilization,
the Motherland of humanity and the center of early
1. Languish George, The Middle East World, Barkley, California-1971. 2 . Languish George, The Middle East World, Barkley, California-1971 Barkley. California UNO press-3rd edition.
agriculture. The world earliest civilization and ancient
Egypt originated in this area of Fertile Crescent and in the
Nile valley. The other letters and oration of Asia Minor,
Levant, Persian and Macedonian Civilization of Iran, North
Africa and the Arabian Peninsula were situated there.
The Near East was first largely unified no Assyrian Empire,
then Achaemined Empire and after it the Macedonian empire
and in Persian Empire, Sassanid empire. The Arab or Islamic
conquest started in 7th century AD and unified the entire
Middle East. The Mongols, the Turkish suljokes, Ottoman and
safvaid also dominated this area.1
ROMAN ERA
Alexander the Great of Macedonia crossed into Asia Minor and
in nice years conquered the entire Middle East (Persian
Empire). After his death it was divided into two of his
Syria, and the Ptolemaic kingdom centered. “It is also
described many historians that the Alexander was married
1. Betbaso porter, brief history of Assyrian, Assyrian International News Agency 2007
with the daughter of Dara who was emperor of Persia at that
time. The name of the bridle was Rukhsona and a story of her
is famous with Hakeem who considered the lover of Rukhsona.
The dominion of this era called holistic kingdom due to
their Greek origin established the Greek culture throughout
the Middle East, Alexandria, Egypt become the center of
Greek learning. During the Roman Era Christianity was found
in Jerusalem, Asia Minor and Alexandria. Emperor Constantine
the great made the Christianity the official religion of his
new Eastern capital. The factions started between Jews and
Christians in this area even the Jerusalem was destroyed but
the Judaism banished from there.1
Religious Conflict
1. Jones Kneth Ramond; Provincial Reaction to Umperialism 1979, Uno of California,p-174.
The Muslim or Islamic religion was founded in Arabia early
in the 7th century by Mohammad S.A.W. soon the Muslims
quickly was to his cause that the Islam should be spread in
all over the world. Muslims Invaded in Persian and Byzantium
Empires and by hundred years all the Middle East and Asia
Minor was conquered. Arabic become the common language.
During the period of pious caliphate the capital was Medina,
during the Omayyad’s Damascus and under the Abbasside rules
the Baghdad and then Al-samara. During the Abbasside the
Arab control defined and the Muslim world influenced by the
Persian whom a brilliant Islamic culture developed. But
internal conflict brought division in Mix faith. During this
period, the Turks known as Seljuk’s were converted to Islam
and become the rulers of all central Middle East in 11th
century and the areas of Byzantine empire was also include
under their rule.1
1. Khalid Yahya, The Jihad State, 1994, STATE UNI of New York p-37.
The crusades
[1]The war between the Muslims and Christian on the Holy
land of Jerusalem called the crusades. There are many
political, social, religious and economic reasons of these
wars. Pope innocent III want to control over the Eastern
Church also so, the suffered the Christians to these wars
and million people were killed in these wars. This was the
period in which Muslims dynasties were going to downfall
like Abbaside, Fatimid, saljukes and the Omayyad. Therefore
war was occurred in 1097 and the Bait-ul-Muqqadas underwent
the Christian on 15 June 1099.
The interference of this type continued for next 200 years.
Within the 5o years, the Muslim had begun wining back the
territory. The Muslim had regain the Middle East under the
leader Saladin.
In 1258, the Mongols of Gengiz khan invaded there and
destroyed the learning center Baghdad but failed to defeat
the Mamluke. Mongol authority soon wounded. The ottoman
absorbed the Seljukes and began conquering the remainder of
the Byzantine Empire. Beginning in1310, the Tatar commander
Tamerlane reconquered much of Middle East in a long campaign
but could not survive it, with the death of Tamerlane in
1405. The ottoman took Constantinople in 1453, ended the
Byzantine Empire.
[1] Mark, k Vaughan, A NEW HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES,2007,
Naval war College Review.P-159.
Ottoman Empire
When the ottoman was establishing their dimension which
extended through balkons, memluke. .Egypt was the center of
Middle East trade and of Islamic culture. The crusaders
fighting and due to the devas did of Mongols, Much area of
Fertile Crescent converted in desert. Because the population
is migrated from that place and new settlement was also
disturbed by the Nomadic people. In that period many of Jews
returned to Palestine especially from the Spain after their
expelled. The Portuguese opened the trade root around North
Africa and towards Indies the economy of Memaluke Empire was
collapse during that period. [1] The ottomans entered in
Syria in 1516 and in a few months conquered the Levant and
Egypt.
With 25 years, they had gained control of Mesopotamia, much
of the Red sea, and Persian Gulf coastline .Constantinople
become the center of trade of the world.
Growth of European
[2]After the period of expansion, Ottoman sultans gradually
lost control of their vast territories. Many local rulers
become autonomous and most of the empire divided in economy.
European were permitted to trade with eastern countries.
[1] Bruce master, CHRISTIAN AND JEWS IN ARABWORLD, 2007,
Cambridge Uni press.
[2] Anderson A.D. THE STRUCTER OTTOMAN DYNASTY, New York -
1956.
France and Britain used the way to Suez. In 1798, Napoleon
Bonaparte armies seized Egypt for France but the French were
expelled in three years. In this period British made the
arrangements for trade along the Arabian coast.
The French constructed the Suez canal, 1859-69, but the
British gained the financial control and by the mid of 1880,
had established Military control over Egypt.
France gained influence with the ottoman sultan’s and was
given special place in Levant. Russia controlled some
northern part of Iran and Britain discovered oil in south of
Persia in 1908. Germany, seeking to become a colonial power,
had gained a favored position with the ottomans by start of
world war.
At the outbreak of first world war in 1914, ottoman turkey
formed an alliance with Germany, Turkish force saw in action
against the Britain and Russia with British support, the
Arabian formed several independent domains with the rule of
“Laurence of Arabia” in this same is very important.
After the victory of western front, Syria (Including modern
Jordan) became a league of Nation Mandate of France’s
Palestine and Mesopotamia mandates of Britain. Egypt re-
established its monarchy, but British troops remained.
Turkey becomes a republic.
The Modern Middle East
Most of the Mandate continued until the World War II.
Although the people of these countries have started the
independent movement. The major European countries were on
concerned to establish a homeland for Jews. In response to
Zionism, the movement devoted to this cause, Britain
declared a Balfaur declartion in 1917, favoring
establishment of Jewish homeland in Palestine. But Arabian
perused it consideration of a British plan of 1939 for a
Palestine nation to be shared by Arabs and Jews was
interrupted by World War II.
[1]In 1945, the Arab countries founded the Arab league. When
the nation of Israel was established in the portions of
Palestine in 1948, League members want to war. After the
World War II, Britain gradually started to with draw from
there and Russia tried to gain the controlled there. Middle
East became the most attractive place due to the petroleum
and warm trade routes the oil industries were largely owned
by western companies.
From 1950, the role of France and Britain was supplanted by
rising influence of U.S
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