Chapter 1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF MIDDLE EAST by Muhammad Nadeem abbas

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

1Ahsan Ahrari, MIDDLE EAST Asia times,July 10,2004