Creating the Modern Middle East

For 150 years Islam ruled the region. Diverse Peoples When the followers of Muhammad swept out of the Arabian Peninsula, into the ancient lands of Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Persia in the mid-600`s they encountered a mosaic of cultures. Most of the conquered peoples adopted the Islamic religion and the Arabic Language. Others, mainly Christians and Jews, continued to practice their own religion in peace For 150 years Islam ruled the region.

Diverse Peoples But in the beginning of the tenth century (900s) the Arabs could no longer control their huge empire. The Turkish conquered most of the Middle East, adopting to the religion of Islam, they ruled the region for more than 400 years. Eventually the Turks lost control to the “Last Great Empire Builders” - the Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire through out the Years

Flag of the Ottoman Empire The crescent moon and the star are symbols of Islam, however this was not the meaning behind the flag, it was chosen for the Ottoman Navy. Flag of the Ottoman Empire

The fall of the Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire started collapsing during the mid to late 1600`s because the Ottoman leaders, or sultans, were not strong enough to maintain control of the vast empire. By the mid-1800`s it was referred to as “The sick man of Europe”

World War I The downfall of the Ottoman Empire In 1914 WWI broke out and the Ottoman Empire joined what turned out to be the losing side of the war. After the war ended and The Ottoman Empire was defeated, Great Britain and France divided the land of the Ottoman Empire between the two of them Great Britain got Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq France got Syria and Lebanon.

Other Results for the Ottoman Empire The Arab nation was given its own region of complete control that is now the countries of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Ottoman Empire was reduced to what is now the country of Turkey.

green - their fields, and The star is the star of David, a world wide symbol of Judaism. The colors blue and white come from the colors of the Jewish prayer shawl, the tallit. Jewish Flag The colors are typical for Arab nations. The meaning behind the colors can be found in a poem written by Safi al-Din al-Hill. White -their deeds, black- their battles, green - their fields, and Red -their swords. Arab Flag

The Arabs, who had lived in Palestine for centuries A contested homeland By the mid 1940`s, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon had been established as independent nations. The problem with creating an independent Palestine was that two different groups claimed the region as their homeland: The Arabs, who had lived in Palestine for centuries The Jews, whose ancestors had migrated to the region as early as 1900 b.c.e.

Jewish Persecution and Migration Facing persecution across most of Europe, Jews started migrating back to the country of Palestine in the late 1800`s. Some of these migrants called themselves Zionists named after the hill in Jerusalem to which Jews always prayed to return. The First group of Zionists arrived in Palestine in 1882. By the year 1914, 85,000 Jews had migrated to Palestine.

Two People, One Homeland The Zionist put increasing pressure on Great Britain and other European nations to support their plan for an independent Jewish nation. In 1917, the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration, stating that Britain would support the creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine. This declaration deeply angered the Palestinians that lived in the region.

Because of this, by 1939, 445,000 Jews were living in Palestine. World War II In the early 1930`s, Hitler took control of Germany and Nazi Germany began persecuting the Jews. Because of this, by 1939, 445,000 Jews were living in Palestine. After tensions continued to mount between the Palestinians and Jews, Great Britain was forced to limit Jewish immigration to the region.

The Creation of Israel WWII ended in 1945. In 1947 Great Britain pulled out of Palestine and turned over the problem of what to do with a Jewish homeland to the United Nations. After months of debate, the committee recommended that Palestine be divided into two states, one Arab and one Jewish.

The U.N. Plan of Separation The U.N.`s plan was to create two separate nations within the current country of Palestine, with Jerusalem being designated as an international city. The Arabs were furious because the Jewish state would include most of the coast line and more than half of the land of the country.

The Beginning of an On Going Conflict Arab leaders warned that the dividing of Palestine would result in war. Nevertheless, the United Nations voted to approve the partition of Palestine. In May of 1948, David Ben-Gurion announced the independent nation of Israel. In a matter of hours, several neighboring Arab nations attacked Israel. The nations of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan were involved in this conflict.

The Results of the Invasion