1250: Mamluks seize power from Ayyubids
1260: Mamluks, under Hulegu, hold back Mongols and claim most of mideast
1265: Death of Hulegu
1268: Mamluks capture Antioch from Crusaders
Ottoman Empire
Also see:
(redesigned, very nice)
1300: Ottoman state founded by Osman
1326: Ottomans take Bursa
1379: Timur enters the scene
1387: Isfahan rebels against Timur (he kills 70,000 and builds towers
with their skulls)
1402: Timur has taken Baghdad, Damascus, New Sarai, Delhi, and Ankara
1405: Timur dies (empire crumbles)
1453: Ottomans take Constantinople under Mehmed II (the Conqueror)
1512: Selim I comes to power, pledges to defend Sunni Islam from
Shi'ite encroachment from the East
1514: Selim defeats Safavids at Caldiran
1517: Ottomans have conquered Syria, Egypt, the Hejaz, and Yemen
1538: Ottomans take Basra to establish port in Persian Gulf
1520: Accession of Suleyman I (the Magnificent)
1526: Defeat of Hungarians at Mohacs
1529: First Ottoman seige of Vienna
1534: Suleyman retakes Bagdad from Safavids
1538: Ottoman navy defeats combined Venetian, Spanish, and papal armada
at Preveza
1565: Ottoman seige of Malta fails
1571: Ottomans take Cyprus from Venetians, but are defeated by Holy
League at Lepanto
Safavids
ERA 1: 1501-1576 The Growth and Establishment of the Empire
1501-76: Ottoman Campaigns
1514: Defeat to Ottomans at Chaldiran
1528: Safavids take Baghdad from Kurdish usurper
1534: Defeat to Ottomans at Tabriz and Baghdad
1501-76: Eastern Campaigns
1506: Safavids battle with Uzbeks at Herat
1507-1622: Battles with Portugese over Hormus
ERA 2: 1576-1587, The Time of Troubles
1576-87: The Time of Troubles
1576-87: Ottoman Campaigns
1578: Defeat to Ottomans at Kars
1501-87: Eastern Campaigns
1588: Safavids take Nishapur and Herat from the Uzbeks
1507-22: Battles with Portugese over Hormus
ERA 3: 1587-1629, The Age of Shah Abbas and Reorganization
1587-29: Ottoman Campaigns
1603: Safavids retake Tabriz
1604: Abbas conquers Erivan, Shirvan, and Kars
1587-1629: Eastern Campaigns
1622: Safavids defeat Portuguese at Hormus
ERA 4: 1629-1725 The Decline of the Empire and the Age of the Afghans
1629-1725: Ottoman Campaigns
1629-1725: Eastern Campaigns
1750: Emergence of Wahhabi Movement in Nejd; Muhammad ibn adb al-Wahab the founder of the Wahabis movement, which postulated a purist vision of the direction Islam should take. The Saudi tribe was won over to the Wahabi’s vision of Islam and around 1774 a formal Saudi-Wahabi union was formed.
1791: French Revolution Grants Jews political equality and citizenship
1795: Russia annexes Poland has control of the largest Jewish population
1796: Napoleon frees Italian Jews from ghetto
1800 – 1914: European Imperialism
From 1800-1914, European interests in the Middle East grew at a steady pace. As the Ottoman Empire, Morocco, and Iran weakened slowly many of the European powers took advantage of these events and were able to gain territorial concession and influence in much of the Middle East.
1805: Muhammad Ali establishes 'virtually' independent Egypt
1806: Wahabbis take Mecca
1811-1818: Egyptian Forces Retake Mecca and Medina; After taking control of the majority of the peninsula in the early 19th century the Saudis were forced back into the Najd by the sons of Muhammad ‘Ali.
1812: Egyptian forces retake Mecca and Medina
1818: Wahhabi resistance crushed by Egypt
1821: Greek War of Independence
1826: Massacre of Janissaries; Ottoman fleet is sunk at Navarino
1829: Treaty of Adrinople (Ottoman)
1830: Algiers occupied by France
1839-61: Sultan Abdul Majid I makes series of liberal Tanzimat decrees
1840: Empire under threat from Egypt; saved by British and Austrian
intervention
1843: Fortunes of Saud family restored by Faisal
1853: Russians defeat Turkish navy at Sinop
1854: Crimean War; British and French aid Turks against Russians
1869: Suez Canal opens
1875: Britain pays the bankrupt Khedive of Egypt 4M pounds for
controlling interest (securing lifeline to empire in East)
1878: Cyprus occupied by British, Independence of Serbia, Montenegro,
and Romania recognized by Berlin Congress
1808-1871: Jews receive emancipation throughout most of Europe
1880: 4,900,000 Jews living in “Pale of Settlement” in Russia
1881: Assassination of Tsar Alexander II provokes first of pogroms
against Russian Jews
1882: Jews expelled from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Karkov
1881-82: Arabi Pascha leads nationalist uprising
1880: Birth of Abd al-Aziz Ibn Saud in Kuwait
1881: Tunisia occupied by French
1882: Egypt occupied by British
1887: Riyadh taken by Rashidis, who dominate Nejd
1891: The Saudis defeat Rashidis; The major rivals of the Saudis in Arabia were the Rashidis, who were supported by the Ottomans, but the Rashidis were definitively defeated by the Saudis in 1891.
1900: Baku oil feilds in Azerbaijan produce half the world's oil
1902: Ibn Saud reclaims his patrimony by capturing Riyahd; Ibn Saud was able to take control of Ryadh in 1902 and by 1906 the whole of the Najd was ruled by the Saudis. On the eve of WWI, while the Ottoman Empire was engaged in the Balkan Wars, the Saudis were able to capture al- Hasa and thus have an outlet to the Persian Gulf.
1903: Pogrom at Kishinev
1905: Jewish National Fund established to buy land in Palestine
1905-09: Persian revolution
1906: Dinshaway incident (watershed moment in Egyptian National
struggle against Britain)
1908: Bosnia-Herzogovinia annexed by Austro-Hungarian Empire; Bulgaria
declares independence
1909: Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later BP) founded in Iran
1911: Libya occupied by Italy
1912: Balkan Wars
Modern World
1914-1919: WWI in Middle East
1915: Algerian rebellion against French
1915: The Armenian Massacre
1919: Greek forces land at Smyrna, Kemal Pasha breaks away from
authority of Istanbul government
1919: French and English Mandates; After the Ottoman Empire entered WWI on the side of the Central Powers, the Allied powers began to launch plans for the dismantling of it’s territories; After the war the British took control of Palestine, Transjordan, and Iraq, the French took control of Syrian and Lebanon
1919: Balfour Declaration
1920: Treaty of Sevres, Armenia cedes half territory to Turks
1921: Turkish National Government established at Ankara
1922: Turks recapture Smyrna
1923: Treaty of Lausanne recognizes Turkish sovereignty over Smyrna and
eatern Thrace, Turkish Republic proclaimed with Kemal Pasha as first
president
1925: Druze Rebellion in Syria
1926: Ibn Saud crowns himself King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd
1926: The Pahlavi Era begins in Iran
1927: Oil discovered in Iraq
1932: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia proclaimed; In 1932, after the conquest of the majority of the Arabian peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is officially proclaimed.
1933: US company, Standard of California, granted oil concession in
Suadi Arabia
1936: Arab revolt in Palestine against Jewish immigration
1938: Saudi’s first oil exported; In 1936 oil was first discovered in Saudi Arabia and in 1938 it was exported under the auspices of the Arab-American Oil Company. These commercial ties were the initially basis for the Saudi-American alliance.
1938-45: Middle East in WWII
The Middle East, with exception was not the scene of any serious fighting in WWII. There were a few Pro-Axis rebellions in Syria and Iraq, but these were quickly put down. Iran was coerced into being occupied by Britain and the Soviet Union in order to keep a supply line open after the German invasion of the Soviet Union. In North Africa the Italians in Libya and the Germans in the occupied French colonies of North Africa did battle with British, American, and Free French forces until in 1943 the Axis were forced from North Africa.
Turkey: The Republic of Turkey maintained strict neutrality throughout the war until 1945 when it declared war on Germany
Iran: The British and the Soviets occupied Iran in order to supply the Soviets with American and British goods. Teheran was also the site of an inter-Allied council in 1943. Iran in fact became known to the Allies as the “Bridge of Victory”, across which immense quantities of arms and other supplies were delivered to the Soviet Union, thus facilitating the ultimate Allied victory. Meanwhile, Iran’s development plans came to a complete’ halt and the country was racked by famine, insecurity, economic stagnation and galloping inflation. Although Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill were preoccupied with post-War European problems when they met a the Teheran Conference in 1943, the Shah succeeded in obtaining guarantees that their troops would be withdrawn from Iran after hostilities ended and full compensation paid for the use of Iran as a supply route. This was never done by the victorious allies.
Iraq & Syria: Pro-Axis rebellion
Aden: The port of Aden was used by the British to launch an attack on the Italians in Somalia and Eritrea, which results in the defeat of the Italians and the destruction of the Italian colonial empire in East Africa.
Egypt: Occupied by the British attack by the Germans and the Italians several times in order to sever the Suez Canal
Libya: Base from which the Italians and Germans launched their attack on the British in Egypt
Tunisia & Algeria: Occupied by the Germans after the fall of France
Morocco: Occupied by the Germans after the fall of France, it is where allies first engage the Germans
1944: Standard reformed as ARAMCO (Arabian American Oil Company)
1945–1963:Post War Struggles for Independence; After World War II, European imperialism was slowly replaced by independent Arab Nations. Through direct conflict or negotiations, western powers relinquish most of their colonial possessions in the region. New Arab leaders struggle to balance national needs with the demands of foreign oil interests.
1945:The Arab League was formed by seven Arab states in Cairo as a counter balance to the rising power of the Soviet Union and the United States. It increased its mandate once Israel was formed. Through out the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s it gained members until it had 22 members.
1947: UN partition of Palestine
1948: UK was blockading seas around Israel to blockade Jewish refugees
from landing. 700 Jews swim to shore to reach Haifa.
1948: Invading Arab armies repulsed, 725,000 Arabs flee Palestine
1951: Iran; Mohammed Mosadeq’s attempt to nationalize Iranian oil resources is stopped by a British blockade and subversion by the CIA.
1953: Prime Minister Mossadeq of Iran is overthrown; The Shah is reinstated and negotiates a deal with the western controlled oil companies. Western interests ultimately modify agreement to gain larger royalties and greater control.
1956: Suez crisis; Israel, France, Britain invade Egypt; After the nationalization of the Suez Canal in 1956, Britain and France with Israel launched an attack on the canal. Swift condemnation from the US forced British-French withdrawal and left the canal nationalized
1958: Oil strikes in United Arab Emirates
1960: OPEC established; Formed in Baghdad with 5 members it expanded later 13. OPEC is made up of both Middle Eastern and non-Middle Eastern members.
1963: Kuwait resolves border issue with Iraq
1964: Sudanese civilian rule was restored in 1964-1969, when another
military government came to power from 1969-1985.
1967: Six Day War; Israel takes Sinai, Gaza, Golan Heights, West Bank,
and Jerusalem
1968: After a coup in 1968 the Baath party is firmly placed in power,
the leadership of this party eventually passes to Saddam Hussein.
1970s: Syria (Beirut?)After the dissolution of the UAR, Syria is
wracked by coups and counter coups. Defeat by Israel in in 1967 and a
botched attempt in the Jordanian civil war in 1970 seriously undermined
support for the Syrian government. In Hafiz al-Assad took control of
the government. In 1973 Syria fought another war with Israel. In 1976
Syria intervened into Lebanon in an attempt to stabilize the situation.
Jordan endured a brief civil war in 1970, when they attacked Palestinian extremists.
Oman After a coup in 1970 a new Sultan came to power an initiated many
reforms, the Dhofar rebellion backed by South Yemen 1964-1976, was
finally suppressed with the help of Iran and other Gulf states.
1971: Bahrain and Qatar declare independence
1972: The United Arab Emirates was formed from several small
principalities. After some squabbling the UAE was confirmed.
1973: Yom Kippur War
1973: OPEC raises the price of crude oil by 200%
1979: Egypt and Israel sign peace treaty (Camp David accords)
1979: Revolution in Iran; proclamation of Islamic republic; US embassy
taken hostage
1980: US CIA funds and trains Osama Bin Laden and fellow terrorists to
fight Soviets in Afganistan
1980 – 1988 Iran Iraq War
20th Centuries longest convention war.
Was Iran’s reason for starting the war religious (Sunni vs. Shi’ite) or economic (control over gulf resources)? Both?
1980 Sep-Nov: Iraqi campaign captures ground in Southwestern Iran
1984: Iranian invasion force captures ground in Northeastern IraqAir
strikes cause damage in just about every city along the Iran Iraq
border and reach as far as Tehran on the Iranian side. War turns into deadly stalemate. UN brokers cease fire in 1988.
1981: Anwar Sadat Assasinated
1982: Israel invades Lebanon
1982: US provides aid to Saddam Hussein to fight Iran
1981-92: Hezbollah campaigns in Beirut
1982: Syrian troops kill around 5000 fundamentalists in battle at Hamah
1983: US secretly gives Iran weapons to fund Contras
1983: Islamic law imposed in Sudan
1987: At Mecca 400 hundred die in riot invoked by Iranian
Fundamentalists
1989: Fundamentalists seize power in Sudan
1990 – 1991 Gulf War I
1990 Aug 2: Iraq invades Kuwait presumably to gain control of oil
resources and use funds to rebuild war machine.1990 Aug 7: US sends
troops to Gulf in what the pentagon labels “Operation Desert Shield”. A blockade and economic sanctions are placed on Iraq.
1990 Nov 29: UN authorizes an “all means necessary” attack on Iraq.
1990 Jan 15: UN deadline for Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait passes
without compliance.
1990 Jan 17: A seven-nation army led by the US and British forces
attack Iraq. Operation Desert Storm began with a severe bombing of
Iraqi troops and installations that lasted for over a month. When the UN forces rolled tanks and troops into Iraq and Kuwait on the 24th of February, they met little resistance and Kuwait was liberated three days later on the 27th of February.1991: Azerbaijan (cap. Baku) Became independent from the Soviet Union; Fights war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabagh.
1991: Georgia became independent from the Soviet Union
1991: US invades Iraq; Bush reinstates un-democratic government of
Kuwait
1991: Islamic Salvation Front poised to win Agerian general election;
army cancels second round of voting
1992-98: Conflict between the Islamic Salvation Front and Algerian
government leads to 75,000 deaths
1993: Islamic countries issue Cairo Declaration to curb fundamentalism
1997: Massacre of 62 tourists in Luxor Egypt
1999: Turkey is locked in a struggle with the PKK until 1999. There was
a military coup in 1980 and Turkey applied for EU membership in 1988.
2001(9/11): Al Queda attacks US
2003 Gulf War II
In 2003 a U.S.-British coalition attacks after UN violations and
alleged nuclear and chemical weapons. Iraq is defeated, Saddam Hussein
is driven from power and the U.S.-British coalition occupy Iraq.
Additional info (by country):
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Iran (Tehran):On 25th April, 1926, the Pahlavi era officially began. Symbolically placing the crown on his head with his own hands, Reza Shah the Great formally ended a sad period of national weakness and humiliation and ushered in a new age. The events leading up to this transformation began five vears earlier. On February 22nd, 1921, Reza Khan Mir Panj, as he then was called, staged a coup d'état. A military commander of exceptional genius, he had risen from the ranks to command the Cossack Division, the country's, only efficient military force.
Marching his troops from Qazvin, 150 kilometres to the west of Teheran, General Reza Khan seized key parts of the capital almost without opposition and forced the weak and inefficient government of the day to resign. His first post was as army commander, which he later combined with the post of Minister of War, taking at the same time the title Sardar Sepah. Until 1923 there were civilian prime ministers, but the future monarch soon realized that to carry out his task of national salvation he needed wider powers. In 1923 he became Prime Minister, and soon afterwards Ahmad Shah Qajar left for Europe, never to return. On 12th December, 1925, theMajlis, convening as a constituent assembly, voted to vest the crown of Iran "in the person of His Majesty the Shahanshah, Reza Shah Pahlavi... and in his male progeny generation after generation". The following April the formal Coronation took place, and at the same ceremony Mohammad Reza, Reza Shah's eldest son, was proclaimed Crown Prince.
Reza Shah had already undertaken the momentous task of unifying the country, extending the power of the central government and instituting a series of administrative reforms. These tasks completed, he then embarked on the creation of a modern economic infrastructure, building roads and railways, power stations and factories. When Iran became embroiled against its will in the events of World War II, this great monarch's plans were still far from fully implemented, but the foundations of modern Iran, on which today's impressive edifice has been built, had been securely laid till 1979.
After the War, Stalin reneged on his promise to withdraw Soviet troops. Instead he used them to support secessionist regimes in Azerbaijan and Kurdestan. When Iranian public opinion, backed by international diplomacy and United Nations pressure, forced the Red Army to withdraw, Iranian forces under the command of the Shah marched to these north-west provinces, and in December, 1946, the secessionist movements abruptly collapsed.
Political instability continued in Tehran, however, and the government of Dr. Mossadegh, a nationalist Iranian to be sure, became embroiled with the still all-powerful Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Efforts to create a new and vigorous society where blocked. Because of continuous quarrels with Britain over the nationalization of our oil industry. This period of tension and instability ended in 1953. Much of Iran still remained firmly in the grip of absentee feudal landlords, determined to keep the rural population in ignorance and economic serfdom, while in the towns industrial workers were often exploited, and corruption in government circles was rampant.