-
500 BCE
Formation of Judaism
God promises Abraham that his descendants will become a great nation if he spreads god's teachings. Abraham moves to Canaan to start Judaism. He starts to spread knowledge of the 10 commandments etc. -
600
Rise of Islam
Muhammed goes to a cave to pray and Angel Gabriel visits him. Angel Gabriel instructs Muhammad to speak messages from Allah. These messages later became the Quran. -
Period: 632 to 740
Umayyad Dynasty
This was the first dynasty in the Middle East. The dynasty was composed of Sunni Muslims (Muhammad's followers), and used Arabic. Known for building Dome of the Rock and the House of Wisdom, and were tolerant of people of the book. (Jews and Christians) -
Period: 740 to 1000
Abbasid Dynasty
The Abbasid Dynasty (Shia) was very harsh. Women lost their rights, they had to walk with men and had to be fully covered (Sharia Law). The Dynasty was also religiously intolerant, There was killing of Jews, Christians, and Sunni Muslims. -
Period: 1299 to
Ottoman Dynasty
This dynasty was the longest lasting to exist in the Middle East, lasting for 600 years. They were the first to have gunpowder, which helped invade heavily walled cities with cannons that traveled over a mile, which was an advantage that no one else had. The culture was Sunni, and everyone who was not muslim had to pay heavy taxes. The largest battle was "The Fall of Constantinople" - 1453, in which the Ottomans were able to prove they were more powerful in defeating the Christian Europeans. -
Period: 1501 to
Safavids Dynasty
The Safavids Dynasty in the Middle East was known as the "Golden Age" due to the amount of culture that developed during this period. Things like glazed tiles and ceramics, graceful arches, lush gardens domes etc. brought wealth that helped establish the empire as a major Muslim civilization. The dynasty however was very strict while continuing Abbasid policies, and also very religiously intolerant. This Dynasty also won very many battles and claimed very much land. -
WWI
The Ottomans sided with the Triple Alliance and Central Powers (Germany and Austria), who lost the war. Meanwhile, the Triple Entente (France, Britain, the US) promised various ethnic groups that if they fought their own shah and with the Triple Entente, they would get their own land and were promised independence. After the war, the Triple Entente divided the land into mandates regulated by the French and the British. -
WWII
The Great Depression hits Germany the hardest, due to the blame of WWI. Hitler blames these economic problems on the Jews. Anti-Semitism starts occurring, resulting in persecution and massacre of the Jewish. The Jewish moved to Palestine to be safe, and most other countries turned them away. Germany starts WWII and the Holocaust (Killing of over 6 million Jews), and the Allied Powers (US, Russia, France, Britain) won against the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) -
Start of Palestinian and Israeli Conflict
After WWII, the UN votes on whether to make Palestine a Jewish homeland or not. On May 14, 1948 it is decided to make Israel a nation by dividing Palestine. However Arab countries refused to accept it as a real country. Jerusalem was to be an independent/international city, the holy city of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam regulated by the UN, which only created more conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. -
Today
Today, Palestinians and Israelis still have ongoing conflict due to both of the countries claims to the holy land of Jerusalem, both think they have their own rights to the area because of religious beliefs. Also, ISIS and Sunni Muslims fight for their leadership in the Islamic community, against Iraqi government and foreign occupying forces. Syrians have a civil war to demand democratic accountability for their leaders. There is also persecution against Turkish Kurds because they are not Arab.