Tuesday, February 25, 2014

History of the Middle East - Timelines

At this website by various means we seek to defend life, to encourage Christian faith, to promote Catholic tradition, to edify Marriage in its link to the Creator, to encourage families and individuals, and to support missionary disciples of Jesus.  G.S.

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History of the Middle East


c. 4000-2000 BC

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Kingdoms in Egypt, Sumer, and Babylonia

New Kingdom in Egypt, Kingdoms in Phoenicia and Assyria. The first thoughts on monotheism emerge.

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c. 1000 BC

500-400 BC

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The Persian empire (Iran) conquers the Middle East.

Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeats the Persians and claims the Middle East.

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334 BC

c. 200-300 BC

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The Romans gain control over all of the Middle East except for Persia.

Life of Mohammed - founds the religion of Islam, and leads the beginning of an Arab-Islamic empire that will soon hold sway over the entire Middle East.

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570-632 AD

661-750

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Umayyad Dynasty gains control over Arab-Islamic empire and greatly expands its territories. The empire spreads westward throughout North Africa, north into Spain, and eastward to the borders of India and China.

The Abassid Dynasty, the second major one of the Arab-Islamic empire, gains control and moves the capital to Baghdad. Middle East enjoys a prosperous period of advances in science and technology.

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759-1258

10th Century

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decline in control of Abassids empire allows the Seljuks, a Turkish people, to gain control over much of Asia Minor and the Persian Empire to break free.

Tales of Middle East riches and desire to reclaim Holy Land for Christianity inspire European kingdoms to proclaim series of crusades against Muslim empires of the Middle East. Though crusades were to have some success in holding Holy Land territory, longest lasting effects - in Europe people exposed to many new ideas.

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11-13th century

13th centuries

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Mongol invasions in the Middle East devastate Iraq and Iran and end remains of the Arab-Islamic Empire.

Ottoman empire gains control over Constantinople renames Istanbul. Earlier Turkish success grew into Ottoman Empire which will continue to expand until it controls nearly all Middle East except for Iran.

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1453

19th century

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MEast Muslim empires decline. The Ottoman Empire loses territory & influence to Russia & Austria

Muhammed Ali westernizes Egypt, asserting some independence from the Ottoman Empire.

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1805-1848

1914-1918

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The Ottoman Empire sides with Germany during World War I. The resulting loss causes the empire to be broken up. Much of its territory is devided between France and Britain, but modern day Turkey successfully defends itself against Greek invasion.

The Sykes-Picot agreement between France and Britain secretly promises to divide Ottoman holdings in the Middle East between the nations.

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1916

July 1915-March 1916

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The McMahon Correspondences between Sir Hanry McMahon, British High Commisioner of Cairo, and the Sherif Hussein of Mecca apparently promise Arab independence in large portions of the Middle East, including Palestine, which is today Israel.

Balfour Declaration by the British clearly expresses support for a Jewish state in Palestine, clearly at odds with the earlier McMahon Correspondences.

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November 2, 1917

Febuary 8, 1922

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Egypt gains its independence.

Turkey gains its independence.

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October 29, 1923

1929

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White Paper, released by British, placed severe limits on Jewish immigration into Palestine and stated the British government did not plan Palestine to become a Jewish state. This proclamation was obviously in contradiction with the Balfour Declaration.

Iraq gains its independence.

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1932

1932

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Saudi Arabia gains its independence.

The Peel Commission from Britain reports that great tension exists between Jews and Muslims and suggests a plan of partition for the region.

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1937

November 26, 1941

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Lebanon gains its independence.

Jordan gains its independence.

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1946

1947

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With the British mandate, a right to administer over the region of Palestine soon expiring, the UN proposes a plan of partition for the region, which would create both a Jewish state and an Arab state when the British mandate runs out.

State of Israel declares its independence immediately following the end of the British mandate. Immediately after, the surrounding Arab nations invaded the new State of Israel. After the war the Arab League placed an embargo, or prohibition against trading, on Israel.

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May 14, 1948

1948-1949

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Following Israel's declaration of independence, forces from surrounding Arab nations, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, launched all out, but uncoordinated attack on vastly outnumbered Israel. However, Israel managed to avoid being driven into the sea and expanded their territory over the original UN partition plan before an armistice was signed.

After breakdowns in talks with Arab nations, Egypt closing Suez Canal and Strait of Tiran, Israel's Red Sea access, to Israeli shipping, Israel invaded Egypt, quickly took control of Gaza & Sinai Peninsula, and was aided by the French and the British angry with Egyptian President Abdel Nasser's handling of the Suez Canal. UN, backed by United States and Soviet Union, ended the war and forced the invading nations to leave Egypt, but Israel only abandoned Gaza when the US promised to help keep the Strait of Tiran open.

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November-October 1956

September 29, 1961

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Syria gains its independence.

Kuwait gains its independence.

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1961

June 5-10, 1967

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Six-Day War between Israel & alliance Egypt, Syria, and Jordan militarily began when Israel launched a pre-emptive air strike that decimated the air forces of opposing nations, but truly began weeks earlier when Egypt began declaring military superiority over Israel and its desire to destroy the nation. Egypt again closed the Strait of Tiran to Israeli ships and ships carrying supplies for Israel = constituting legal grounds to go to war under international law. In the fierce fighting that followed Israel's air strike, the Arab armies were devastated, Israel gaining control of Sinai peninsula from Egypt, West Bank of Jordan River from Jordan, and the strategic Golan Heights from Syria. This short war clearly demonstrated that Isreal was preeminent military power in the Middle East and gained the nation much international attention. It also, however, further entrenched Arab hatred for the State of Israel.

UN Resolution 242 is passed by the United Nations Security Council, and calls for a return of the territory seized by Israel, recognition of Israel by Arab states, a reaffirmation of the principle of free navigation, and for future peace and stability in the region.

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1967

September 1, 1969

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Libya gains its independence.

Qatar and United Arab Emirates gain independence.

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1971

August 14, 1971

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Bahrain gains its independence.

Many Middle Eastern states placed an oil embargo on nations they saw as favoring Israel in their policies, including the United States. The embargo ended early 1974 and while it did not bring about great changes, it was detrimental to the economies of the nations it was placed upon and harmful to their citizens.

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1973-1974

October 6, 1973

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On Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, a day when large portions of the army were on leave to be with their families, the combined armies of Egypt and Syria entered Israel relatively unopposed. Within a week, Israel mobilized its reserve forces and drove the Arab armies back, but not before 2,700 Israeli soldiers were killed, four times the number that had died during the Yom Kippur war.

UN Resolutions 338 and 339 called for an immediate end to the Yom Kippur War, the enforcement of the articles of Resolution 242, and the dispatch of UN observers to oversee the cease fire.

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October 22-23, 1972

September 17, 1978

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Convinced by the 1973 Yom Kippur War that Egypt could never defeat Israel in a war, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat sought peace with Israel, the first Arab nation to do so. Sadat met with US President Jimmy Carter & Israeli Prime Minister Menahem Begin at Camp David. They drew up the Camp David accords which called for peace between Egypt and Israel.

In the Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel drawn up to finalize the actions at Camp David, the nations established normal relations with Israel completely withdrawing from the Sinai.

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March 26, 1979

1979

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Iran forms a new government under the leadership of the Ayatollah Khomeini.

June 1982

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Operation Peace in the Galilee, an Israeli invasion of Lebanon, was Israel's longest and most controversial war. After Israeli ambassador to England wounded in terrorist attack in London, Israel began bombing bases of Palestine Liberation Organization(PLO) in southern Lebanon. PLO had long shelled north Israel and been responsible for various terrorist actions; also primarily based in Lebanon, having been forced out of Jordan in 1970. The PLO increased their shelling in response to the bombing, and Israel invaded Lebanon with hope of destroying the PLO and forming normal relations with the government of Lebanon. After long periods of fighting and the Israeli capture of Beirut, the PLO did leave Lebanon. The operation was not a success though, as the Lebanese president was assassinated, and, in rage, his followers massacred thousands of Palestinian refugees. Israel was held responsible for these massacres and withdrew from much of Lebanon, allowing the PLO to eventually return.

Following the upheaval in Iran, Iraq demanded a renegotiation of the treaty between them, demanding more access to the Persian Gulf and autonomy for the Arab minorities in Iran, a Persian, not Arab, nation. When talks broke down, Iraq invaded Iran making large gains. In 1981 Iran took the offensive and regained most of its territory. The war then continued for seven years as a stalemate with both sides ocurring horrible casualties and attacking neutral shiping in the Persian Gulf. When the war was finally ended by UN Resolution 598, there were an estimated 1 million dead and 1.7 million wounded.

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1980-July 20, 1987

A popular uprising of Palestinian refugees living in Israel, known as the Intifada caused much distress for Israel. Intifada had no leaders that could be tracked down or bases that could be bombed, for it was made up primarily by young boys and their most common activity was throwing rocks. Intifada was a symbol of the plight of the Palestinian refugees in Israel.

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1987-1989

May 23, 1990

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A unified Yemen is formed.

After Iraq revived a dispute with Kuwait and declared that Kuwaiti overproduction of oil was damaging Iraq's economy, Iraq invaded and quickly took over Kuwait. There was international outcry, and the UN demanded that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991.

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August 2, 1990

1991

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After Iraq refused to comply with UN demands, a multi-national force of some 500,000 men from Arab and Western nations launched major air offensive against Iraq. The Persian Gulf War went badly for Iraq, and they were soon forced from Kuwait and lost large portions of their army. Following the war, Iraq's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons were destroyed, UN observers were placed in the nation, and it was put under economic sanction.

After a long history of distrust and hatred between Israel and the PLO, the two groups finally made a breakthrough after nearly two years of negotiations when Yasser Arafat of the PLO sent his Declaration of Principles to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The declaration acknowledged the right of Israel to exist, accepted UN Resolution 242 and 338, renounced the use of terrorism, and promised to remove from the Palestinian National Covenant the clauses calling for the destruction of Israel.

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September 13, 1993

May 4, 1994

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The Gaza-Jericho Agreement signed between Israel and the PLO, followed up on the Declaration of Principles with a concrete agreement that would establish a Palestinian Authority and Police force with partial authority over Gaza and Jericho, and the withdrawal of the Israeli military from that region. The powers of the Authority were further spelled out in the Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities in August 29, 1994.

Washington Declaration was produced out of the first public meeting of Prime Minister Rabin of Israel and King Hussein of Jordan. This ended the state of hostility between them, affirmed a peace based upon UN Resolutions 242 and 338, and established more open borders between the two nations.

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July 25, 1994

October 26, 1994

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A Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty is signed following the Washington Declaration, making Jordan only the second Arab nation to sign a treaty with Israel.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, is assasinated by a Jew who is opposed to his liberal policies on the peace process. Rabin is succeeded by Shimon Peres who promises to continue the work that Rabin had pioneered.

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November 5, 1995

May 21, 1996

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The UN agrees to allow Iraq to sell some oil, despite the embargo, so long as all of the profits go towards humanitarian purposes and to relieve the suffering that the economic strangulation has placed upon Iraq. Iraq opposed the clause in the resolution that required UN monitoring of the sales, but eventually submitted.

Benyamin Netanyahu is elected Prime Minister of Israel by a slim margin over Shimon Peres. Netanyahu promises a hard line towards future peace negotiations, and is less anxious to give up land than Peres and Rabin were. This promises to stall negotiations with Syria, who refuses to accept anything but the full return of the Golan, and the Palestinians who feel threatened by a return to Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

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May 31, 1996

http://library.thinkquest.org/3526/facts/timeline.html

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Timeline for the History of Judaism 
(Follow instructions to expand each section.) 

History: Timeline for the History of Judaism

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/timeline-for-the-history-of-judaism

Dawn of History                                         (3800-2001 BCE)

Ancient Israelite Religion                                      (2000-587 BCE)

After the Babylonian Exile                                      (538 BCE-70 CE)

Rule of Rome                                         (230 BCE-400 CE)

Rabbinic Period of Talmud Development                    (70 BCE-500 CE)

Consolidation & Dominance of Christianity                 (325-590 CE)

Medieval Period in the West                                 (600-1500 CE)

Development of Muhammad's Islamic Message             (570-1258 CE)

The Crusades                                       (1095-1258 CE)

Transition & Rebuilding of Political Islam                 (1258-1500 CE)

Mamluk Rule                                              (1291-1516 CE)

Christian Reformation Period                                 (1517-1569 CE)

Dominance of Ottoman Muslim Empire                    (1500-1920 CE)

Jewish Contemporary Period                                 (1700-1917 CE)

Unrest & Realignment in the Middle East                 (1914-1918 CE)

British Rule in Palestine                              (1918-1947 CE)

Modern Israel & the Diaspora                                    (1948-Present)

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Middle East Timeline - Oxford Art Online 

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At this website by various means we seek to defend life, to encourage Christian faith, to promote Catholic tradition, to edify Marriage in its link to the Creator, to encourage families and individuals, and to support missionary disciples of Jesus.  G.S.

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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
 

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