the Ottoman Empirethe Ottoman Empire before World War One — a dominance that had prevailed for half a millennium. 

Who 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 first empire to control the Middle East?

The first empires



The first of these to appear was the large but relatively short-lived empire of Sargon and his successors. This state covered most of Mesopotamia and some of Asia Minor and Syria, reaching as far as the Mediterranean Sea. It clearly had a major cultural influence on Middle Eastern history.

Did the British control the Middle East?

Britain took on a more formal role, although one short of full colonial control, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and its Middle East territories were parcelled up into League of Nations Mandates, most of which were granted to the British (in Palestine, Trans-Jordan and Iraq).

How did ww1 affect the Middle East?

The losses in the Middle East were staggering: the war not only ravaged the land and decimated armies, it destroyed whole societies and economies. In this way, the experience of World War I in the Middle East is perhaps more akin to the experience of World War II in Europe.

Who owned the Middle East first?

the Arab Empire

At its greatest extent, the Arab Empire was the first empire to control the entire Middle East, as well three-quarters of the Mediterranean region, the only other empire besides the Roman Empire to control most of the Mediterranean Sea.

Who ruled the Middle East before Islam?

Parthian and Sassanid



From the 3rd century BCE to arrival of Islam in the 7th century CE, Eastern Arabia was controlled by two other Iranian dynasties of the Parthians and Sassanids.

Did Europe ever colonize 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 empire ruled most of the Middle East?

The Persian Empire, begun by the ruler Cyrus the Great, was the largest empire of the ancient Middle East. Persian control extended from the Mediterranean and Egypt in the west to much of modern Iran in the east. It also included Anatolia.

Which countries fell under British control?

The fourteen British Overseas Territories are:

  • Anguilla.
  • Bermuda.
  • British Antarctic Territory.
  • British Indian Ocean Territory.
  • British Virgin Islands.
  • Cayman Islands.
  • Falkland Islands.
  • Gibraltar.

When did Europeans gain control over the Middle East?



In 1916, French and British diplomats secretly reached the Sykes-Picot agreement, carving up the Middle East into spheres of influence for their respective countries. That agreement was superceded by another which established a mandate system of French and British control, sanctioned by the new League of Nations.

Why did Britain want to control the Middle East?

Britain’s original motive for wanting to control the Middle East was primarily strategic: by dominating a belt of territory stretching from Egypt to Iran it could control the route between Europe and India.

What country does the Middle East belong to?

A variety of countries make up the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Who ruled the Middle Kingdom?

The Middle Kingdom (1975-1640 BC)



Mentuhotep II is considered the founder of the Middle Kingdom. Mentuhotep II was part of Dynasty XI (11), which ruled Upper Egypt from the city of Thebes. He defeated the last of the rulers of the Dynasty X, who ruled Lower Egypt, and re-unified all of Egypt.

Who ruled the Arab world?



Ottoman Empire (1299–1922/1923)



From 1517 to 1918, much of the Arab world was under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire.

Who were the first Arab people?

The Arabs were originally the people of the Arabian desert. Converted to Islam in the 7th century A.D., they conquered the Middle East from the Sassanian and Byzantine empires and established a succession of Arab-Islamic Middle Eastern empires from Spain to Central Asia and from the Caucasus to India.

Are Egyptians considered Arabs?

The Egyptians are not Arabs, and both they and the Arabs are aware of this fact. They are Arabic-speaking, and they are Muslim—indeed religion plays a greater part in their lives than it does in those either of the Syrians or the Iraqi.