HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Middle East in Brief:
The Middle Eastern region is a place which is mostly rich in politics as well as history. The area in and around the Arabian Peninsula is termed as the “Middle East”. The word “Middle East” was coined by the Britishers somewhere around 1900s. The Middle East encompasses the North African regions and also the regions in Southwest Asia. Middle Eastern History is very ancient. Since olden days, the Middle Eastern region was the core of the affairs of the world. The climate of the Middle East is mostly hot and arid. Though the arable land in the Middle East is limited, irrigation is mainly provided in regions of major rivers for supporting agricultural activities. Large amounts of crude oil are found in countries surrounding the Persian Gulf. At present, the Middle East is a culturally, economically, strategically and religiously sensitive area.
Miscellaneous:
The Middle East region lies in between Africa and Eurasia and in between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The Middle East is the origin and the center of spirituality of Islam, Judaism, Orthodox Christianity, Yezidi, Druzes and also Zoroastrianism, Baha’I Faith, Mithraism and Manichaeism in Iran. Current Middle East had its origins subsequent to the First World War during the division of the Ottoman Empire into separate nations. Another defining moment was the founding of a nation of Israel in the year 1948 and also the exit of of France and Britain from the region. They were somehow superceded due to the growing influence of United States.
Transformation of Middle East:
Significant discovery of crude oil in the 20th century turned out to be a major transformation for the Middle East. Crude Oil largely enhanced the economic importance of the Middle East. The year 1945 witnessed the mass production of oil. Oil reserves in Iran and Saudi Arabia are the highest in the world and the OPEC, the international oil trust is controlled by the countries of the Middle East. Recently, the middle East region is experiencing unstability, thanks to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the war in Iraq and the Nuclear Programme in Iran. It is hoped that the Middle East region treads on the path of prosperity and world peace in the near future. |
