The Siege of Acre marks both the end of Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem and the beginning of the Third Crusade, which was supposed to undo that conquest. When it concluded in 1191, after Philip II of France and Richard I of England had arrived and assumed command, it also marked the beginning of the end … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Siege of Acre ends (1191)
Tag: middle eastern history
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Köse Dağ (1243)
When the Mongols expanded west in the 13th century, they were certainly not the first steppe people to make that journey. In fact, it was a group of ex-slaves who’d already come from the Eurasian steppe (albeit involuntarily), the Mamluks, who eventually ended the Mongols’ westward expansion at the Battle of Ayn Jalut in 1260. And … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Köse Dağ (1243)
The Rihlah: Who was Ibn Battuta?
I'm kicking off my new "Ibn Battuta's Journey" project over at TheRihlah.com this weekend, and our first serious post talks about who Ibn Battuta was and what he did. Please check it out: Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Lawati al-Tangi ibn Battuta, or “Ibn Battuta” for short, was born in the Moroccan city of Tangier … Continue reading The Rihlah: Who was Ibn Battuta?
Today in European/Middle Eastern history: Frederick Barbarossa drowns (1190) and more
Some days there are a bunch of little historical anniversaries to commemorate, but none that of themselves seem to warrant their own post. June 10 is one of those days. We’ve got four different anniversaries to note, so let’s take them in chronological order. This is just a placeholder. If you’d like to read the … Continue reading Today in European/Middle Eastern history: Frederick Barbarossa drowns (1190) and more
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Sack of Damietta (853)
The city of Damietta, located in Egypt’s Nile Delta, became quite important during the later Crusades, as the Crusaders began to see that capturing Jerusalem was irrelevant so long as Muslims ruled Egypt. Its location made it the ideal beachhead for both the unsuccessful Fifth Crusade and the ridiculously unsuccessful Seventh Crusade, both of which sought … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Sack of Damietta (853)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Badr (624)
The Battle of Badr was a small affair, involving maybe around 1250 combatants in total, but seeing as how it was the the first military victory by a Muslim army (of sorts), I suppose you could say it's pretty important. It was the first of three named battles (amid what were probably many more very … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Badr (624)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the 8 March Revolution (1963)
As with Iraq’s 1963 “Ramadan Revolution,” which preceded and helped to inspire the event we’re here to discuss today, Syria’s “8 March Revolution” is a military coup that got rebranded by the successful coup plotters. However, just as the “Ramadan Revolution” had a fair amount of civilian support—mostly from middle class Iraqis who were displeased … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the 8 March Revolution (1963)
Today in Middle Eastern history: Iraq’s Ramadan Revolution (1963)
The Ramadan Revolution—don’t let the name fool you, it’s really a coup that got good branding—is the middle chapter in a trilogy of coups, from 1958 to 1968, that collectively transitioned Iraq from a Hashemite-run monarchy to a Baathist-run republic. Obviously the third one is beyond the scope of this essay since it hadn’t happened … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Iraq’s Ramadan Revolution (1963)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Assassin imam surrenders to the Mongols (1256)
If we're going to talk about the end of the Assassin order, we should probably talk about who they were first. You may already know something about them--of all the topics one can cover in Islamic history, they're one of the most provocative and interesting to Western audiences. There's even a whole video game series … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Assassin imam surrenders to the Mongols (1256)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Heliopolis (640)
The Arab conquest of Egypt can be considered the third stage of the early caliphate’s expansion, after its early successes against the Byzantines and the Persians. It also presented a different challenge for the caliphate and its armies. While Egypt may be home to more Arabs than any other country in the world today, in … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Heliopolis (640)
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 