HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE EAST

history of the Middle East

The Middle East is  an area of Asia, located in the west of the continent, with the doors of Africa and Europe. Its history is particularly rich: it is in this area of the world that for example the writing and the three principal religions appeared; it is also on these grounds that brilliant civilizations arabo-Moslem women and current oil the States rich person developed.

The Middle East IS A LARGE HEARTH OF CIVILIZATION

The Middle East very early plays an essential role in the history of humanity. It is indeed in this area that the man  develops agriculture  (hitherto it was hunter or gatherer) and becomes  sedentary  (and either nomad).

The "fertile Crescent"

The first cities appear  in Mésopotamie, an area located between the Tigre rivers and Euphrate: the "fertile Crescent". These cities (sumériennes, babyloniennes then assyriennes) organize and create a beginning of administration.  The first written form  is worked out to keep the commercial accounts (this discovery involves  the passage of prehistory to the history). The first  codes of laws  are made up (the known first being the Code of Hammourabi, to  the xviii ^E century before J-C).

New kingdoms appear towards 1000 before J-C.  The Hebrews  melt the kingdom of Israel to  the xi ^E century before J-C; it reaches its apogee under the reigns of David and Solomon, before being divided into two small kingdoms: the kingdom of Juda and the kingdom of Israel. For their part,  Phéniciens  occupy Eastern banks of the Mediterranean (Lebanon current) and develop an intense trade with Western banks (Greece, Gaule, Spain, etc).  Babyloniens  create a prosperous kingdom at the end of  the vii ^E century before J-C, under the reign of Nabuchodonosor II.

Starting from the VI ^E century before J-C,  Perses  invade and unify all Middle East. They are overcome by the Macedonian  Alexandre the Large one  into 330 before J-C, which conquers in its turn the area. It then passes to the hands  Romans, who found peace ( the pax romana). Starting from the conquest of Alexandre the Large one and during nearly 1 000 years, the Middle East is subject to the Roman influence of civilizations Greek then.

Ground of the three great religions monotheists

The Middle East is also the ground of birth of the three great religions monotheists (which have one god).  The Judaism,  Christianity  and Islam  are all three appeared in this area of the world: 

—towards 1300 before J-C,  Moïse  receives the divine revelation on the Sinai mount (in Arabia) and leads the Hebrews to the promised Earth (Palestine); 
—in the first years of  I ^er century after J-C,  Jesus  grows as a Galileo (today in Israel) and joined the city of Jerusalem where it preaches the divine word; 
—at the beginning of  the vii ^E century,  Mahomet  receives the revelation of God in Mecque (in Arabia), before going to Médine. 

The CONQUEST Arabo-Moslem woman

Omeyyades and Abbassides

Very quickly, the successors of Mahomet gain the territories close to Arabia. As of  the vii ^E century, the dynasty of  Omeyyades  installs its capital in  Damas  (in current Syria) and conquers most of the Middle East. In the medium of  the viii ^E century, the dynasty of  Abbassides  reverses Omeyyades and directs the area from  Baghdad  (today in Iraq). The domination of these two dynasties arabo-Moslem women extends as far as North Africa and part of Spain. This period is prosperous, at the same time from the economic point of view and the cultural level.

Seldjoukides and Christian crusades

At the medium of the xi ^E century, new conquerors arrive of the East, the Turks  seldjoukides, who install their capital with  Ispahan  (today in Iran). These Moslems show themselves less tolerant than their predecessors towards the Christians, which causes in Europe a call to  the crusade. In 1099, the cross ones seize Jerusalem and melt  the Latin States of the East. During nearly two centuries, the crusades follow one another to come to assistance in these Latin States, while Seldjoukides and their allies try to reconquer these territories.

The immense Empire ottoman

Gradually, a new power will dominate the area: the Empire ottoman. In 1453, the Turks ottomans conquer the Christian city of Constantinople (which becomes  Istanbul, today in Turkey). The Empire ottoman reaches its apogee to  the xvi ^E century, under the reign of the Soliman the Magnificent  sultan. This immense empire covers the major part of the Middle East and extends in North Africa and part of Europe. Its European border, with the doors of the town of Vienna, threatens Austria particularly.

However, the Empire ottoman declines starting from  the xvii ^E century. Taken in the quarrels of dynasties, incompetent to modernize his economy and its army, it must be denied against  the attacks the European powers: France (in Lebanon and in Syria), England (in Egypt), Austria (in Balkans) and Russia (in the Caucasus).It must to also grant significant commercial advantages them.

During the First World War (1914-1918), the Empire ottoman (ally in Germany) exterminates most of  the Armenian population, which resists its domination for a long time; it is true  a génocide. The defeat of Germany in 1918 involves the bursting of the Empire ottoman. Under the impulse of Mustafa Kemal Pasha (the Atatürk future),  Turkey  is created in 1923 on the remainders of the empire.

The Middle East Today

In the years 1920, the Middle East consists of a multitude of States, often under the authority of the European powers. As from the years 1930, the area knows a nationalist agitation in favour of an Arab unit. It is at that time that the Arab States reach independence.

The israélo-Palestinian conflict

The shortly after the Second World war (1939-1945), the general assembly of UNO decides to give a ground to the Jewish people which have just undergone a génocide. She votes a plan of division of Palestine, which allows  the creation of the State of Israel  in May 1948. However, the Palestinians react to the loss of part of their country and they are constant in their claim by the countries  of the Arab League  (an organization created in 1945). Thus the conflict  israélo-Arabic in  1948 begins.

In 1964, the Palestinians organize their claim of a Palestinian State around the PLO  (the Palestine Liberation Organization), carried out by Yasser Arafat. The conflict israélo-Arabic becomes  the israélo-Palestinian conflict. Since 1987, the occupied Palestinian  —territories since 1967 by the Israelis — are raised: it is Intifada, i.e. "the war of the stones". Israel and the PLO recognizes officially the existence of the other in 1993; the creation of a Palestinian State is then possible. However, the process of peace does not manage to succeed, and second Intifada is launched in 2000. In 2005, a new  process of peace  is set up, Israel agreeing to withdraw its colonies of the occupied Palestinian territories.

An international stake

As from the years 1950-1960, the Middle East is marked by the rise of the panarabism  (the defense of a unit of the Arab world). The exploitation of  the oil reservoirs  makes it possible the countries of the Gulf (countries of the Arabique peninsula) to experience a spectacular economic development. But oil is also the principal  source of conflicts  in the Middle East. It is coveted by foreign oil companies, which leads the intervention of the Western countries  to obtain an access to these oil reserves. With the centre even of the Middle East, certain States try to dominate the area, like Syria de Hafez el-Assad (between 1970 and 2000) or Iraq de Saddam Hussein (between 1979 and 2003).

In second half of  the xx ^E century, the Middle East also makes  great strides of Islam. Thus, in 1979, the Shah of Iran (the sovereign) is reversed by  an Islamic Revolution; a religious dignitary, the ayatollah Khomeiny, becomes the supreme guide of the country until his death (in 1989). Fearing an expansion of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Saddam Hussein enters in war against Iran in 1980. After having fought Iran during eight years, Iraq is opposed to Koweït about the price oil and invades the country (in 1990). Starting from this event, several  international coalitions  intervene in the area, under pretext of protect the oil resources or to defend the freedom of oppressed people: in 1990, at the time of the war of the Gulf against Iraq; in 2003, at the time of the war in Iraq which sees the fall of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.

TO GO FURTHER

? the Middle East

? the old Middle East
? Mésopotamie
? medieval Islam
? crusades
? colonizing Europe to  the xix ^E century
? the First World War
? the Second World war
? decolonization

? characters:  Cyrus the Large one –Nabuchodonosor II –Darios the Large one –Artaxerxès I ^er –Alexandre the Large one –Saladin –Soliman the Magnificent

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