what empires were in the middle east

The Sumerians, Babylonians

, Assyrians

Assyria

Assyria, also called the Assyrian Empire, was a Mesopotamian kingdom and empire of the ancient Near East and the Levant that existed as a state from perhaps as early as the 25th century BC until its collapse between 612 BC and 609 BC - spanning the periods of the Early to Middle Bronz…

en.wikipedia.org

, Persians, and Phoenicians all built great empires, each of which rose to glory in the Middle East. Abstracted from Akkadian Language by John Heise. A timeline of Mesopotamia history, from the founding of Sumer to the beginning of the Common Era

Full Answer

What empires ruled the Middle East?

The Persian Empire managed to successfully rule much of the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia and Europe for hundreds of years. The empire was founded in 550 B.C.E. by Cyrus the Great, who was notable for establishing some of the policies that made his empire successful.

Why did Middle Eastern empires never wear metal armor?

This notion of the Middle East not using armor has been conjured up by some form of historical misconception. Middle Easterners and Central Asians were using heavy cavalry before the West could even muster up the facilities to breed and tame strong enough horses to even formulate a normal cavalry.

How did the Ottoman Empire affect the Middle East?

What impact did the Ottoman Empire have on the Middle East? The Ottoman Empire had been the leading Islamic state in geopolitical, cultural and ideological terms. The partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after the war led to the rise in the Middle East of Western powers such as Britain and France and brought the creation of the modern Arab world and the Republic of Turkey.

What is the major religion of the Middle East?

Which Religions Are Practiced In The Middle East?

• Islam. The most widespread religion in the Middle East is Islam. ...
• Christianity. Another dominant religion that originated in the Middle East is Christianity, which traces its roots to modern day Israel.
• Judaism. Judaism, which also traces its roots to the region, is also practiced in the Middle East. ...
• Samaritanism. ...
• Shabakism. ...
• Mandaeism. ...

What empires ruled the Middle East?

The ancient Middle East gave rise to some of the greatest empires in human history, including Mesopotamia, Babylonia, the Persian Empire and the Byzantine Empire.

What was the biggest empire in the Middle East?

The Persian Empire was the largest Empire that had ever been established. The Persian Empire spanned from Egypt in the west to Turkey in the north, and through Mesopotamia to the Indus River in the east.

Was Roman Empire in the Middle East?

By 200 BC, the Roman Republic had conquered Italy, and over the following two centuries it conquered Greece and Spain, the North African coast, much of the Middle East, modern-day France, and even the remote island of Britain. In 27 BC, the republic became an empire, which endured for another 400 years.

Who colonized the Middle East?

The European powers colonized one Islamic country after another. France occupied Algeria in 1830, and Britain Aden nine years later. Tunisia was occupied in 1881, Egypt in 1882, the Sudan in 1889 and Libya and Morocco in 1912.

What was the last great empire of the Middle East?

Since the 7th century CE, all Middle East empires, with the exception of the Byzantine Empire, some of them claiming the titles of Islamic caliphate. The last major empire based in the region was the Ottoman Empire.

What was the Middle East called in ancient times?

Mesopotamia was home to several powerful empires that came to rule almost the entire Middle East—particularly the Assyrian Empires of 1365–1076 BC and the Neo-Assyrian Empire of 911–605 BC.

What empires exist today?

Empires drive history. But the empires of the past 100 years were short lived, none surviving to see the dawn of the new century. Today, there are no empires, at least not officially. But that could soon change if the United States -- or even China -- embraces its imperial destiny.

Why did the Middle East fall behind Europe?

The Middle East declined when Europe (around the 1600-1800) started to modernize. Europeans started to colonize, where as the Muslim Empires (Safavids, Ottoman, and Mughals) were limited to the Old World.

What was the largest empire ever?

the British EmpireIn 1913, 412 million people lived under the control of the British Empire, 23 percent of the world's population at that time. It remains the largest empire in human history and at the peak of its power in 1920, it covered an astonishing 13.71 million square miles - that's close to a quarter of the world's land area.

Who has the biggest empire in history?

1) The British Empire was the largest empire the world has ever seen. The British Empire covered 13.01 million square miles of land - more than 22% of the earth's landmass. The empire had 458 million people in 1938 — more than 20% of the world's population.

Who ruled most of the Middle East?

The 5 Most Powerful Middle Eastern Empires of All TimeThe Assyrian Empire. ... The Achaemenid Persian Empire. ... The Umayyad Caliphate. ... The Seljuk Empire. ... Ottoman Empire.

Which was the largest empire?

Empires at their greatest extentEmpireMaximum land areaMillion km2Million sq miBritish Empire35.513.71Mongol Empire24.09.27Russian Empire22.88.8090 more rows

Which empire ruled the Middle East?

Here are five of the Middle East’s most powerful empires: The Assyrian Empire. The (neo) Assyrian Empire, which lasted from around 900 B.C.E. to 612 B.C.E. ,was the world’s first true empire in the sense that it ruled over a multiethnic population and a vast variety of land. At its peak, Assyrian control extended over the Fertile Crescent ...

Where is the Middle East?

The Middle East is the cradle of civilization, centrally located between all the other major regions of Eurasia and Africa. Trade and conquest have always radiated out of and into this region. It is inevitable, then, that some of history’s most notable and powerful empires were centered in the Middle East. However, the region has always been ...

What was the legacy of the Seljuks?

The legacy of the Seljuks is significant. Under their rule, large parts of the Middle East began to be Turkified or settled by Turks, especially Anatolia (Turkey) and Azerbaijan. Sunni Islam became increasingly dominant throughout the Middle East as Shia power declined.

How did the Persian Empire benefit from the fall of Alexander the Great?

The Persian Empire also benefited from being well-connected by a series of roads, using a standardized official language, having a bureaucracy, and establishing many of the other hallmarks of future empires . However, the fall of the empire to Alexander the Great by 330 B.C.E. was spectacular in its swiftness.

What were the first Islamic states to conquer the Balkans?

The Ottomans were the first Islamic state to conquer and rule the Balkans, defeating the Serbs, Bulgars, Byzantines, and Hungarians. These borderlands represented the first stage of Ottoman expansion. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottomans conquered various Turkish principalities in Anatolia, most Kurds, and even Iraq, after defeating the Safavids of Persia at the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514. However, the major Ottoman triumph came in 1516-1517, when the empire defeated the Mamluks of Egypt. This lead to not only wealthy Egypt and Syria coming under Ottoman control, but also the Hejaz, which included the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Ottoman power continued to expand to include overlordship over Crimea and North Africa. Except for Iran, the Ottomans dominated the Middle East for nearly four hundred years. The Ottoman Empire famously (and unsuccessfully) besieged Vienna in 1529 and 1683, almost breaking into central Europe.

How long did the Ottoman Empire rule?

Except for Iran, the Ottomans dominated the Middle East for nearly four hundred years. The Ottoman Empire famously (and unsuccessfully) besieged Vienna in 1529 and 1683, almost breaking into central Europe.

Where did the Umayyads rule?

The Umayyads ruled from Damascus, shifting Arab power out of Arabia and establishing a permanent Arab presence in the rest of the Middle East. During the Umayyad Caliphate, the empire expanded to include North Africa, the city-state of Samarkand in today’s Uzbekistan, Sindh in today’s Pakistan, and Spain.

What were the rivals in the Middle East?

From around 2000 BC, rival peoples in the Middle East fought to either conquer or defend land. Some, like the BABYLONIANS and ASSYRIANS, were based in magnificent cities. Others, like the HITTITES and HEBREWS, arrived to settle and found new kingdoms.

WHY WAS THE MIDDLE EAST SUCH A RICH PRIZE?

Kings and peoples wanted to live in the Middle East because of its fertile farmland. The best land lay beside the Euphrates and Tigris rivers of Mesopotamia, but there were also fields, forests, and orchards in mountain valleys to the north and south. People also competed to control the long-distance trading routes that passed through the Middle East, linking Europe with Asia.

Why did King Hammurabi conquer Mesopotamia?

King Hammurabi conquered all of Mesopotamia to create a new kingdom, which was named after its chief city?Babylon. He introduced a strict code of law, and many crimes were punished by death. After he died, the empire weakened.

What were the enemies of the Hittites?

The Hittites had two great enemies: the Ancient Egyptians and a war-like people from the state of Mitanni, in Mesopotamia.

When did the Hittites settle in Anatolia?

HITTITES. The Hittites were people who settled in Anatolia (now Turkey), in around 1700 BC. They could smelt iron, so they were able to make stronger weapons than their enemies. Around 1400 BC, Hittite city-states joined forces to create a powerful kingdom.

Where did the Assyrians live?

The Assyrians lived in northern Mesopotamia. They grew crops in irrigated fields and built fine cities. From around 900 BC, they conquered an empire stretching from Egypt to the Persian Gulf. It collapsed when the Babylonians and Medes attacked in 612 BC.

When did Babylon become a king?

Babylon became powerful around 1792 BC, under King Hammurabi. From 1595 BC, its people came under the rule of invaders. In 625 BC, a general called Nabopolassar drove out the foreigners and became king. Under his son, King Nebuchadnezzar (r. 605?562 BC), a great new empire emerged.

The British Empire in the Middle East

The history of Great Britain in the Middle East goes back to “1798 when Napoleon invaded Egypt” (Fieldhouse 2006, 73). British authorities were worried that France would interfere with its trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, the British navy colluded with Ottoman authorities to force French troops out of Egypt.

The American Empire in the Middle East

The American presence in the Middle East rose quickly during the Second World War, and it was affirmed after the war. Between 1920 and 1950, the US embarked on an imperialistic mission to gain control of the Middle East from Britain using “surrogate states such as Israel, Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia” (Berberoglu 1999, 21).

Comparison

Both the American and British Empires sought to promote their interests in the Middle East. For instance, Britain’s initial focus in the region was protecting its trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean. This explains why it collaborated with the Ottoman Empire to achieve its goals.

Conclusion

Both the American and British Empires sought to promote their interests in the Middle East. Britain was drawn into the region after Napoleon attacked Egypt in 1798, and it consolidated its presence by capturing the country from the Ottomans.

Reference List

Ali, Sheikh Rustum. 1976. Saudi Arabia and oil diplomacy. New York: Praeger Publishers.

What is the evolution of Middle Eastern civilizations?

Evolution of Middle Eastern civilizations. The high antiquity of civilization in the Middle East is largely due to the existence of convenient land bridges and easy sea lanes passable in summer or winter, in dry or wet seasons. Movement of large numbers of people north of the Caspian Sea was virtually impossible in winter, ...

What countries did Egypt control?

During these two centuries Egyptian control was established over Nubia, Libya, Palestine, and southern Syria. Soon after 1800 bc the Egyptian Empire fell apart, and c. 1700 Egypt was overwhelmed by the Asian “Hyksos,” who ruled the country for a century and a half.

What ethnic groups were in Babylonia in the 17th century?

In the 17th century new ethnic groups appeared in both Babylonia and Syria-Palestine: Kassites from the Zagros Mountains, Hurrians from what is now Armenia, and Indo-Europeans from Central Asia. This period marked the end of the formative phase of Mesopotamian civilization.

What was the main stream used for in Mesopotamia?

In northern and eastern Mesopotamia, main streams were soon partly diverted during moderate river floods into canals running more or less parallel to the rivers, which could thus be used to irrigate an extensive area. Such deflector dam irrigation avoided the self-destructive weaknesses of large storage dams, in particular the danger of depositing great masses of refractory mud in the storage basin behind the dam. In the north and east considerable urban installations developed at sites such as Ninevehno later than the 5th millennium bc, when southern Mesopotamia was still mostly swampland like the early Egyptian delta. The Euphrates had a much smaller flow of water than the nearby Tigris. The latter was much swifter, however, so that it was potentially more important for irrigation, even though much harder to tame.

Why was the Egyptian Nilehad more predictable than the Mesopotamian rivers?

The Egyptian Nilehad a much more predictable water flow than the Mesopotamian rivers because it flowed through hundreds of miles of swamp, where unusually high annual floods spread out, interfering with navigation but averting the danger of the occasional destructive inundations of Mesopotamia.

When did Mesopotamia become swampland?

In the north and east considerable urban installations developed at sites such as Nineveh no later than the 5th millennium bc, when southern Mesopotamia was still mostly swampland like the early Egyptian delta. The Euphrates had a much smaller flow of water than the nearby Tigris.

Who were the Semitic Aramaeans?

From the south and west came the Semitic Aramaeans. The Aramaeans and Medes were to transform the ancient Middle East. The Assyrian state suffered an eclipse in the 11th century bc, when the Aramaeans and related tribes occupied most of its territory.

Which empire controlled the Middle East?

Byzantium, as the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire, continued control of the latter's territories in the Middle East. Since 527, this included Anatolia, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Egypt. But in 603 the Sasanians invaded, conquering Damascus and Egypt.

Which empires were in Mesopotamia?

Mesopotamia was home to several powerful empires that came to rule almost the entire Middle East—particularly the Assyrian Empires of 1365–1076 BC and the Neo-Assyrian Empire of 911–609 BC .

What was the first civilization in the Middle East?

Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh. Mesopotamia was home to several powerful empires that came to rule almost the entire Middle East—particularly the Assyrian Empires of 1365–1076 BC and the Neo-Assyrian Empire of 911–609 BC. From the early 7th century BC and onward, the Iranian Medes followed by the Achaemenid Empire and other subsequent Iranian states and empires dominated the region. In the 1st century BC, the expanding Roman Republic absorbed the whole Eastern Mediterranean, which included much of the Near East. The Eastern Roman Empire, today commonly known as the Byzantine Empire, ruling from the Balkans to the Euphrates, became increasingly defined by and dogmatic about Christianity, gradually creating religious rifts between the doctrines dictated by the establishment in Constantinople and believers in many parts of the Middle East. From the 3rd century up to the course of the 7th century AD, the entire Middle East was dominated by the Byzantines and the Sasanian Empire. From the 7th century, a new power was rising in the Middle East, that of Islam. The dominance of the Arabs came to a sudden end in the mid-11th century with the arrival of the Seljuq dynasty. In the early 13th century, a new wave of invaders, the armies of the Mongol Empire, mainly Turkic, swept through the region. By the early 15th century, a new power had arisen in western Anatolia, the Ottoman emirs, linguistically Turkic and religiously Islamic, who in 1453 captured the Christian Byzantine capital of Constantinople and made themselves sultans .

What was the Middle East warground?

Large parts of the Middle East became a warground between the Ottomans and the Iranian Safavid dynasty for centuries, starting in the early 16th century. By 1700, the Ottomans had been driven out of the Kingdom of Hungary and the balance of power along the frontier had shifted decisively in favor of the Western world.

How did the Middle East shape the world?

The modern Middle East was shaped by three things: departure of European powers, the founding of Israel, and the growing importance of the oil industry. These developments led increased U.S. involvement in Middle East. The United States was the ultimate guarantor of the region's stability as well as the dominant force in the oil industry after the 1950s. When revolutions brought radical anti-Western regimes to power in Egypt (1954), Syria (1963), Iraq (1968), and Libya (1969), the Soviet Union, seeking to open a new arena of the Cold War, allied itself with Arab socialist rulers like Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt and Saddam Hussein in Iraq .

What was the new power in the Middle East?

From the 7th century, a new power was rising in the Middle East, that of Islam. The dominance of the Arabs came to a sudden end in the mid-11th century with the arrival of the Seljuq dynasty. In the early 13th century, a new wave of invaders, the armies of the Mongol Empire, mainly Turkic, swept through the region.

How did Islam influence the Middle East?

Religion always played a prevalent role in Middle Eastern culture, affecting learning, architecture , and the ebb and flow of cultures. When Muhammad introduced Islam, it jump-started Middle Eastern culture, inspiring achievements in architecture, the revival of old advances in science and technology, and the formation of a distinct way of life. Islam primarily consisted of the five pillars of belief, including confession of faith, the five prayers a day, to fast during the holy month of Ramadan, to pay the tax for charity (the zakāt ), and the hajj, or the pilgrimage that a Muslim needed to take at least once in their lifetime, according to the five (or six) pillars of Islam. Islam also created the need for spectacularly built mosques which created a distinct form of architecture. Some of the more magnificent mosques include the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the former Mosque of Cordoba. Islam unified the Middle East and helped the empires there to remain stable. Missionaries and warriors spread the religion from Arabia to North and Sudanic Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Mesopotamia area. This created a mix of cultures, especially in Africa, and the mawali demographic. Although the mawali would experience discrimination from the Umayyad, they would gain widespread acceptance from the Abbasids and it was because of this that allowed for mass conversions in foreign areas. "People of the book" or dhimmi were always treated well; these people included Christians, Jews, Hindus, and Zoroastrians. However, the crusades started a new thinking in the Islamic empires, that non-Islamic ideas were immoral or inferior; this was primarily perpetrated by the ulama (علماء) scholars.

Who was the first Persian Empire?

The first Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great around 550 B.C., became one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Europe’s Balkan Peninsula in the West to India’s Indus Valley in the East. This Iron Age dynasty, sometimes called the Achaemenid Empire, was a global hub of culture, religion, science, ...

When did the Achaemenid Empire fall?

The Achaemenid dynasty finally fell to the invading armies of Alexander the Great of Macedon in 330 B.C. Subsequent rulers sought to restore the Persian Empire to its Achaemenian boundaries, though the empire never quite regained the enormous size it had achieved under Cyrus the Great.

Where Is Persia?

Map entitled 'Persian Empire in the Time of Darius and Xerxes,' shows territories in Asia and the Middle East during the 330s.

What was the Persian art style?

Early Persian art included large, carved rock reliefs cut into cliffs, such as those found at Naqsh-e Rustam, an ancient cemetery filled with the tombs of Achaemenid kings.

What religion was the first to form the Persian Empire?

The first Persian Empire was shaped by a different religion: Zoroastrianism. Named after the Persian prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra), Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. It’s still practiced today as a minority religion in parts of Iran and India..

What is the Persian culture?

Persian Culture. Persepolis. Persian Religion. Fall of the Persian Empire. Sources. The Persian Empire is the name given to a series of dynasties centered in modern-day Iran that spanned several centuries—from the sixth century B.C. to the twentieth century A.D.

What was the name of the battle that led to the fall of the Persian Empire?

The Battle of Issus between Alexander the Great and Darius III in 333 BC, leading to the fall of the Persian Empire.

Which empire was founded by Cyrus the Great?

Iran. Pasargadae, Ecbatana, Persepolis, Susa, Babylon. 550 BC. 330 BC. 220. The first Persian empire , and the fourth largest List of largest empires (after Xiongnu Empire, Han Dynasty and the First Turkic Khaganate) in classical antiquity time period, founded by Cyrus the Great . Cyrus the Great.

What was the Romanian imperialism?

The issue of "Romanian imperialism" (as Romanian leading politician Iuliu Maniu put it) was further exacerbated by the 1941 creation of the Romanian Transnistria Governorate from parts of the Ukrainian SSR, under the rule of " Conducător " Ion Antonescu. These new borders lasted until 1944.