"The region's history started from the earliest human settlements" (Paragraph 1)
Middle Eastern history is complex and multilayered, with empires, wars, and cultural exchange shaping the region over thousands of years. Studying historical events and their impact provides insight into the region's current political and social landscape.
"The Sumerians became the first people to develop complex systems that were to be called 'civilization'" (Paragraph 1)
"Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh" (Paragraph 1)
"Mesopotamia was home to several powerful empires that came to rule almost all of Middle East, particularly the Assyrian Empires of 1365–1076 BC and the Neo-Assyrian Empire of 911–609 BC" (Paragraph 1)
"From the 7th century, a new power was rising in the Middle East, that of Islam" (Paragraph 1)
"A turning point in the region's history came when oil was discovered" (Paragraph 3)
"The Arab-Israeli conflict in Palestine culminated in the 1947 United Nations plan to partition Palestine" (Paragraph 3)
"A combination of factors—such as the 1967 Six-Day War, the 1970s energy crisis, the concurrent Saudi-led popularization of Salafism/Wahhabism, and the 1978-79 Iranian Revolution—promoted the increasing rise of Islamism and the ongoing Islamic revival" (Paragraph 5)
"The Fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought a global security refocus from the Cold War to a War on Terror" (Paragraph 5)
"Starting in the early 2010s, a revolutionary wave, popularly known as the Arab Spring brought major protests, uprisings, and revolutions to several Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries" (Paragraph 5)
"The term Near East can be used interchangeably with Middle East" (Paragraph 6)
"The departure of the European powers from direct control of the region, the establishment of Israel, and the increasing importance of the petroleum industry marked the creation of the modern Middle East" (Paragraph 6)
"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" (Paragraph 3)
"From the 3rd century to the course of the 7th century AD, the entire Middle East was dominated by the Byzantines and the Sasanian Empire" (Paragraph 1)
"A Western dependence on Middle Eastern oil and the decline of British influence led to a growing American interest in the region" (Paragraph 3)
"A turning point in the region's history came when oil was discovered" (Paragraph 3)
"The Byzantine Empire... became increasingly defined by and dogmatic about Christianity and gradually creating religious rifts between the doctrines dictated by the establishment in Constantinople and believers in many parts of the Middle East" (Paragraph 1)
"The wealthiest economies in the region per capita are the small oil-rich countries of the Persian Gulf: Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates" (Paragraph 6)
"In most Middle Eastern countries, the growth of market economies was inhibited by political restrictions, corruption, cronyism, overspending on arms and prestige projects, and overdependence on oil revenues" (Paragraph 6)
"The British, the French, and the Soviets departed from many parts of the Middle East during and after World War II" (Paragraph 3)