The Middle East and its History
The modern borders of the Middle East began taking shape after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early twentieth century. In this episode, we will focus on the history of this region along with exploring the countries that lie within the borders of the modern Middle East.
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The modern border of the Middle East was carved during the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Much of modern Middle Eastern borders were created by Britain and France based on their own goals.
Constantinople, now Istanbul, was the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The empire controlled much of the modern Middle Eastern territories from Istanbul; however, after being defeated in World War I, the empire collapsed. The losing side signed various treaties beginning with the Sykes-Picket Agreement in 1916. Following the treaties, the winners of the war, namely Britain and France, took control of the region. Britain and France began drawing borders in the Middle East based on their own goals, such as oil and trade routes.
An article published on World 101 mentions the following:
“The modern borders of Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey remain largely the same as those the British and French drew a century ago, to this day dividing people with common histories and shared identities and combining diverse ethnic and religious groups to create states with fragile national identities.”
The countries within the borders of the Middle East
The Middle East is a place of significance for most Western and Eastern countries. The Middle East is home to oil and other natural resources that have made various countries of the world interested in the region.
The following 18 countries make the modern Middle East:
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia
- Bahrain
- Cyprus
- Egypt
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Oman
- Palestine
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- Yemen
While the colonial control over the region is long gone, the borders created by the British and the French have left the people of the region divided. While it is true that the region shares a common history and religion, the division made by the colonial powers created “states with fragile national identities.”
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