The removal of the last Ottoman sultan, Mehmed VI Vahideddin (d. 1926), is among history's greatest anti-climaxes. The Ottomans had (obviously) lost World War I, which resulted in the dismantling of their empire under the terms of their 1918 armistice and the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres. Sèvres not only put the empire's Arab dominions under … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the last Ottoman Sultan is deposed (1922)
Tag: middle eastern history
Today in Middle Eastern history: Antioch surrenders to the Arabs (637)
This will be short, since there's very little to say about the Arab conquest of Syria after the Battle of Yarmouk in 636 shattered Byzantine resistance there. But Antioch was one of the great cities of the eastern Roman Empire, and its conquest was significant, if anticlimactic. The city itself put up almost no resistance … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Antioch surrenders to the Arabs (637)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the “People’s Crusade” ends (1096)
The “People’s Crusade” actually preceded the First Crusade, so you could argue that it was sort of a test case for the concept. In hindsight, certainly, European leaders should have treated it as such and scrapped the Crusading enterprise before it really got started. This is just a placeholder. If you’d like to read the … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the “People’s Crusade” ends (1096)
Today in Middle Eastern history: Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim destroys the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (1009)
It would be easy to read the title of this post and think, “See? Muslims persecuting Christians; it’s been going on for over a thousand years!” But that would be unfortunate, because it wasn’t “Muslims” who ordered the destruction of the church that (allegedly) stands on the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial. It was, … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim destroys the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (1009)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Yom Kippur War begins (1973)
On October 6, 1973, Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal in a surprise attack against Israeli positions in the Sinai Peninsula (which was then under Israeli occupation), while Syrian forces attacked Israeli positions in the Golan Heights (which is still under Israeli occupation). Thus began the Yom Kippur War, or the 1973 War if you … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Yom Kippur War begins (1973)
Today in Middle Eastern history: Heraclius becomes Byzantine emperor (610)
Islamic historians didn't get into the habit of discussing Roman or Byzantine emperors at any length, with the exception of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (d. 641). And that makes sense, because Heraclius is actually a pretty important figure in early Islamic history. Without Heraclius, the world in which Muhammad began preaching might have looked considerably different … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Heraclius becomes Byzantine emperor (610)
Today in Middle Eastern history: Saladin takes Jerusalem (1187)
There are plenty of things wrong with Ridley Scott’s 2005 Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven. It completely rewrites the history of the court at Jerusalem, for one thing. In Scott’s story, Princess (later queen) Sybilla (d. 1190) is trapped in an unhappy marriage to malicious idiot (and later king) Guy of Lusignon (d. 1194), leading her … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Saladin takes Jerusalem (1187)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Iran-Iraq War begins (1980)
Apart from the Israel-Palestine conflict and possibly the US invasion of Iraq, it would be difficult to find anything that has defined the course of recent Middle Eastern history as much as the Iran-Iraq War. You could add the 1979 Iranian Revolution to that list, but since this war followed almost immediately on the heels … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Iran-Iraq War begins (1980)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Siege of Damascus ends (634)
Nearly two years before the Battle of Yarmouk broke Byzantine military power south of Anatolia pretty much for good, Arab forces captured the jewel of Roman Syria, Damascus. Looking at how they did so offers some important clues as to how they were able to take the rest of the Levant from the Byzantines so easily. … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Siege of Damascus ends (634)
Today in Middle Eastern history: Jordan’s Black September begins (1970)
Prior to September 1970, tensions between the Hashemite monarchy of Jordan and the country's majority Palestinian population had been on rise for many years. Palestinians had poured into Jordan after the formation of Israel in 1948, which created a lot of Palestinian refugees, and the ensuing Arab-Israeli War resulted in Jordan annexing the West Bank. … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: Jordan’s Black September begins (1970)
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