Middle East

Ancient Empires of Fertile Crescent

Sumerians

Located in Mesopotamia (Iraq, Kuwait, etc..) 3000 BC Fertile Crescent: Land between Tigris and Euphrates Cuneiform: Sumerian Writing, Arch, Ziggurats (Temples), First to use Wheel Polytheistic: Numerous Gods

Akkadians

2300 BC, conquered the Sumerians Sargon: Powerful King

Babylonians

2000 BC: Invaded the area. Babylon: Main City Hammurabi: King, wrote the Code of Hammurabi, a set of 282 laws (many are

still used today)…eye for an eye

Ancient Empires of the Fertile Crescent

Assyrians

Powerful from 900 BC-650 BC

First Large Empire: King Ruled All, Governors Report to King

Nineveh: Main city (walled)

Epic of Gilgamesh: Story of the Kings

Fell apart due to Civil War Chaldeans

605 BC-562 BC Nebuchadnezzar: King, rebuilt Babylon Made the city and empire very powerful Fell apart after Nebuchadnezzar’s death

Ancient Empires of the Fertile Crescent

Persians Conquered area in 539 BC Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes: Kings that expanded the Persian

Empire into the largest empire ever (at that time) Treated conquered people well, led to more loyalty Eventually lost out to the Greeks

Ancient Empires: Sea People

• Phoenicians• Today: Lebanon, Israel, Syria• Used the Mediterranean Sea to

trade. Peak of power around 1000 BC

• Dyes (Purple), glass, lumber, etc• Phoenician Alphabet: Became

the model for the Alphabets used throughout Europe (due to trade)

• Lydians• First people to use a money

economy (gold and silver nuggets)

• Before everything was off of a barter (trade) economy

Origins of Judaism Beginnings

Canaan: Small strip of land occupied by many different groups of people. Today this area is Israel.

Hebrews: Ancestors of Today’s Jews…claimed Canaan as their holy land.

Abraham: Founder of the Hebrew people Jacob: Abraham’s grandson…who Jew’s trace heritage through Exodus: Hebrew’s left Canaan and went to Egypt. Peaceful at

first, were made slaves later on (starting in 1200 BC..400 yrs) Moses: Led the Hebrews out of Egypt (Exodus)

Judaism Creation of Israel

Yahweh: Name for Hebrew God Ten Commandments: Covenant (agreement) between

Moses and Yahweh. Follow the 10 moral laws and you will get promised land.

Saul: First king to unite all 12 tribes…called it Israel David: Occupied Jerusalem (capital and religious center) Solomon: David’s son..helped Israel reach its peak of power

and wealth After Solomon’s death….kingdom split in two (900 BC)…

Israel and Judah. Conquered by Chaldeans and Persians

Judaism

Religious Beliefs

Torah: First 5 books of Old Testament

Eventually believed that Yahweh lived in hearts of worshipers. And viewed Yahweh as a spiritual force.

Monotheistic: Only one God.

Different than Christianity: Jew’s don’t believe Jesus was the messiah (son of God).

Islam

• Arabia Peninsula• Full of traders and different groups of people• This area was the birthplace of Islam

• Islam• Muhammad: Trader who became the founder of

Islam. 570 AD. • Mecca: City where Islam was founded• Muslims: Name given to the worshippers of Islam• Quran: Holy Book• Jihad: Holy War• Mosques: Places of worship

Islam Beginnings How Islam got started…

Muhammad had a dream…decided to create a new religion. Began to unsuccessfully convert many businesspeople in

Mecca. Hijrah: Muhammad and his followers moved out of Mecca to

a neighboring city (Medina). 622 AD Returned to Mecca in 630 AD and destroyed the Kaaba

(Shrine to all the idols). Made that area the center of Islam. Division: Sunni, Shiah, Sufi Sunni: majority of Muslims 80% believe that Abu Bakr should

be the political and religious leader after Muhammad’s death Shiah (Shiite): make up the minority of Muslims today and

they believed that Muhammad’s son in law, Ali, should be the successor

Islam’s Growth Expansion of Islam

Abu Bakr and Umar became the next caliphs (successor) Sunni’s won.

Within 100 years, Islam had spread all throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa and part of Northern India.

Berbers: People who converted from Northern Africa. Pushed Islam into Spain. (712 AD)

Moors: Muslims that lived in and ruled Spain. Ruled parts of Spain form more than 700 years.

Turks: Group of people from central Asia that began to conquer parts of the Middle East. Many converted to Islam

Sultan: Political Leader of the Turks. Worked with Caliph

Islamic Daily Life

• Lifestyle• Living by the Quran is very important.

• Science/Arts• Al-Razi: Created first hospital• Ibn Sina: Wrote the first medical encyclopedia

(Cannon of Medicine). • Astrolabe: Use the stars to find directions• Algebra: Origins began in the Muslim world• Calligraphy: Art of fine handwriting..(no people

depicted)• Thousand and One Nights: Short stories (Aladdin,

etc)

Ottoman Empire

Beginnings

Osman: Leader of a group of people that were trying to escape the Mongols, originally from present day Turkey.

Ottoman Empire was in conflict with the neighboring Byzantine Empire

Sultans: Political leader of the Ottomans Much early conflict about who should be in charge and who

should control what land. Some members of the Ottoman Empire were not very loyal

Ottoman Empire

Expansion

Mehmed II: Became Sultan, captured Constantinople in 1453.

Suleyman: Greatest Sultan (1520-1566). Nicknamed the “magnificent” or “lawgiver”. Expanded the Ottoman Empire all the way into Austria.

At the peak of expansion, Ottomans controlled Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa.

All sorts of different people lived under the Ottoman Empire (Christians, Jews, Turks, Muslims, etc)

Ottoman Empire Decline

After Suleyman’s death, Ottomans were defeated by European Armies

Government lost control of the spice and silk trade that used to go through the area.

Lost control of North Africa to France (1798) Revolts were common throughout much of the 1800s Treaty of San Stefano: Turks had to give independence to

Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro. Lasted until 1923 when the Empire fell and became the

Republic of Turkey.

Persia

Persia

Never apart of the Ottoman Empire

Great Britain and USSR started to show great interest around 1900 (oil????)

Reza Shah

Took control of government in 1921

Modernized area, just like Kemal in Turkey

Renamed the country Iran

Ran a very strict government, put down all opposition

Iran Iran

Post WWII, GB and USSR occupied Iran. USSR eventually was forced to leave Iran, GB remained.

GB controlled most of the oil companies in Iran, really made the people of Iran mad.

Mohammad Mosaddeq Became Iran’s first prime minister (1951) Wanted a constitution and to get rid of outside influence Limited the power of Shah (monarchy) and nationalized the oil

industry (took charge of it) Response

GB organized a worldwide boycott of Iranian oil USA did not want Mosaddeq siding with USSR, helped organize a

military coup in 1953. Restored power of Reza Pahlavi. Pahlavi: Modernized and ran Iran as a dictatorship

Iranian Revolution Iran

Most powerful Middle East country after GB left in 1971.

USA and others hoped the Shah would continue to lead Iran as a powerful ally to the West.

Problems

Socialist and Islamic fundamentalists in Iran did not like to close relationship with the West.

Economic troubles of the 1970s caused people to become poor and more upset.

The Shah tried to use violence to stop the protests.

Iranian Revolution Ayatollah Khomeini

Leader of the conservative Islamic movement, opposed the Shah. Been exiled by the Shah since 1964. Returned in 1979 when the Shah was forced out of Iran by the people. Made Iran into a Islamic Republic

Iranian Hostage Situation Islamic militants stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took 60 Americans hostage.

Held them for 444 days. (ARGO) Bad relationship with USA since

War with Iraq Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980. Wanted control of a waterway to Persian Gulf. Bloody War ended in 1988 with no real clear winner

Today USA and Iran don’t have great relations…mostly due to Israel and threat of nuclear

weapons

Israel

Balfour Declaration

Pledge to secure a Jewish Homeland Ignored by Great Britain in 1939

Problem

Hundreds of thousand Jewish European refugees were looking for a place to live (Holocaust)

Palestine: Arab country in the Middle East…located where Israel was and is today.

Zionist: Jews that wanted a homeland; began to use violence against Great Britain

Israel United Nations

Decided to divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states.

Arabs unanimously rejected this; Jews accepted it and Israel was recreated in 1948.

Conflict

Once British troops left Israel, armies from neighboring Arab countries moved to attack Israel.

Israel won (US help) and gained more land in the process

Over a million Palestinians had lost their land and were refugees…basically they had nowhere to go.

Middle East Political and Social Change

Post WWII Middle East

Most Middle Eastern States became independent under more traditional, upper class rulers (handpicked by GB)

Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia all became Arab Kingdoms Syria and Lebanon were ruled by wealthy elite ruling class

Socialist Reforms

Old Way: Wealthy landowners lived in city while poor tenants farmed the land

Egypt changed this: Government took control of most industries and business. Government also began controlling working conditions, minimum wage, education, etc

Ba’ath Party: Embraced these changes, spread throughout Middle East. (Iraq, Lebanon, Syria)

Pan-Arabism: Middle Eastern countries uniting together; not overly successful…too much fear of Egypt’s dominance

Egypt Independence

Gamal Nasser: Political leader that won Egypt’s independence from GB Nasser wanted to modernize Egypt (like Turkey)..played both the USA

and USSR for money. Suez Canal: Connected Mediterranean Sea to Red Sea. Critical to

shipping…why both countries cared. Suez Crisis

Weapons agreement with USSR…US responded by funding a project to create a giant dam on the Nile

Nasser hesitated, finally went with the US offer but the offer no longer existed.

Nasser became mad; nationalized the Suez Canal…this made him a hero amongst the Arab world because he stood up to the Europeans/Americans.

GB, France and Israel felt threatened by Egypt taking control of the canal (no Israeli ships allowed)

Egypt Conflict

Israel, GB, France wanted to overthrow Nasser.

Israel declared war and advanced into Egypt. GB and France joined the fight against Egypt.

USA did not like what GB was doing b/c it feared the USSR would get involved on the side of Egypt. GB decided to stop.

Results Egypt and Israel continued to make each other mad over shipping

and other issues

Nasser became the dominant leader in the Arab world…someone had finally stood up to European Imperialism

Six-Day’s War Start

Syria and Jordan were mad at Israel, asked Egypt to help. Egypt demanded the UN troops leave Egypt/Israel border and they

blocked Israel’s direct route to sea Six Day’s War

Realizing that they were at danger, Israel launched a attack In 6 days, Israel captured Golan Heights from Syria, West Bank of

Jordan River from Jordan and East Jerusalem. Results

Many Palestinians began to lose faith in Arab ability to fight against Israel and recapture their lost land, Palestine.

PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization): Guerilla fighters, led by Yasir Arafat….group of Palestinians fighting to regain lost land

Post Six Day’s War

• USA/USSR• Both countries wanted a peace in the Middle East

• Egypt• Anwar Sadat replaced Nasser after his death. • Egypt and Syria secretly planned a war against

Israel in 1973 (starting on the Jewish Holiday of Yon Kippur)

• Yon Kippur War• Egypt had caught Israel by surprise.• Golda Meir: Israeli Prime Minister• Eventually Israeli troops pushed Egyptians back

across the Suez Canal.

Lasting Peace??

• Egyptian/Israeli Peace Negotiations • November of 1977, Sadat went to Israel to talk

peace with new Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.

• Camp David Accords• Negotiated by US President Jimmy Carter in Sept

1978• Sadat and Begin agreed on a framework for peace

• Continued Problems• Sadat was assassinated in 1981• Palestinians felt like Egypt and the rest of the

Arab world had sold them out.

Israel/Palestine Problems Israel/Palestine Problems

Palestinians began to attack Israel more Israel continued to resist a Palestinian State and invaded Lebanon

in 1982 (home to the PLO) Caused much suffering; which only strengthened the PLO

Intifada

Violent uprising by Palestinians living in the restricted areas towards Israeli’s in those areas. Began in 1987

Israel responded with violence towards the protestors, which caused debate. Some Israel’s thought that the Palestinians should be able to control the lands they lived in, others did not.

Israel/Palestine Problems• Yitzhak Rabin

• Elected Prime Minister in 1992• Peace Attempts

• Rabin and Arafat met to discuss peace• Settled on allowing Palestinians to self govern

themselves in the West Bank and Gaza Strip• Extremists on both sides fought this peace

agreement, eventually Rabin was assassinated• Ariel Sharon: Elected Prime Minister of Israel in

2001, noted for being anti-Palestinian• Today: Attempts at peace between Hamas (violent

Palestinians), Israel and Palestinian Authority have slowed

Middle East Oil• Discovery

• Oil was discovered by US and GB prospectors in the early 1900s.

• Important because of the increase in machines, ships, cars, etc

• Post WWII• Many countries and rules became very wealthy off of oil

money.• Many countries wanted to nationalize oil production,

meaning they would control more of it, not foreign countries.

• OPEC• Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries• Arab countries worked together to control oil production

and price• 1973: Decided to cut off supplies to USA for helping Israel

in wars against Arab countries• Result: Gas shortages and quadrupled price of oil per

barrel

Syria

Syria

General Hafiz Assad took power in 1970 Began to help the Palestinians and took a powerful position in

the Arab world. Against Iraq in Persian Gulf Wars

Bashar Al-Assad

Syrian President today. Terrible Civil War USA and Russia have been trying to get a peace

Syrian Civil War Started in 2011 under Assad

Very strict and oppressive. Teens were arrested for writing political graffiti and violence in protest against this led to dozens of people killed after security forces cracked down on the demonstrators

Protests continued against the government’s restricting rule. Assad abolished the right for people to peacefully protest. The US sanctioned them.

Evidence pointed to government use of chemical weapons on the Syrian civilians.

More than 100,000 Syrians have been killed

Nearly 7 million people displaced

Till no resolution, the fighting continues

Iraq

Saddam Hussein

Took complete control of government in 1979

Used chemical weapons against the Kurds, people who lived in Northern Iraq and wanted freedom.

Post Iran/Iraq War

Iraq had the most powerful army among Arab countries

Also had a ton of debt

Iraq invaded oil rich Kuwait to get more production of oil in 1990.

Iraq Operation Desert Storm

About 30 countries, led by the USA were against Iraq invading Kuwait.

After Iraq ignored demands to leave Kuwait. US forces were quickly able to get Iraq out of Kuwait but did not

force Saddam Hussein to step down.

Post September 11th

Iraq was accused of having weapons of mass destruction US invaded Iraq in March of 2003….able to gain control of country

in 21 days. Saddam was captured and eventually executed on Dec 30, 2006. US withdrawal from Iraq began in 2009 and complete in 2011.