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Early Civilisations
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The Middle East region was in
advance of western Europe for
all but the last five hundred of
the five thousands or so years
for which human history can be
traced back.
Hammurabi, King of Babylon in
the eighteenth century BCE,
formulated the first
comprehensive code of law
The history of the region is
characterized by successive
waves of settlement, dispersal
and integration
Sumerians from Mesopotamia
dominated Syria for about 1000
years from 3500BC.
Region of multiple histories
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They were driven out by the Semitic Amorites, who were nomads from
central Arabia.
Those who settled in Syria and Palestine were known as Canaanites
from about 1600BC.
Phoenicians also settled on the coastal areas of the Levant from about
1400BC.
The Aramaeans, who gained control of Damascus in about 1200BC,
made their language – Aramaic – the lingua franca of the region.
A century after the arrival of the Phoenicians, the Hebrews who had
escaped from Egypt invaded the land of Canaan and seized Jericho.
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In 720 BC a new power in the region, the Assyrians, emerged
from northern Iraq and took control over large parts of the
Middle East.
In 71 BC the Roman Empire under Caesar invaded Syria and
took over Jerusalem, inaugurating several centuries of Roman
dominance in the region.
It was into this world that Christianity was born and which, over
time, became the official religion of the empire under
Constantine.
Arabian Peninsula
The Rise of Islam
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The Prophet Muhammad lived from 570 to 632
He began to experience revelations in 610, which formed the
core a new scripture, the Quran.
Muhammad became concerned about the decline in moral values
as the Quraysh pursued wealth at the expense of the well-being
of the community (Ummah), especially the poor.
Thus his teachings emphasised justice, morality, sacrifice and
compassion.
Muhammad and his followers were forced to leave Mecca and
settle in Medina where the united various tribal groups and built a
substantial following and army.
From this base they were able to take control of Mecca.
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After Muhammad’s death in 632, the leadership of the
Muslims was taken over by Abu Bakr.
Within in two years the Muslim armies succeeded in subduing
and uniting the various tribes of Arabia.
Muslim armies first conquered Jerusalem in 638.
By 650 Muslim control stretched from Tripoli in North Africa to
Cyprus.
Wars of economic expansion, often under the guise of
spreading religion.
Islam – the great split
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In the late 650s a division occurred over who should lead Islam.
One group believed the leadership should fall to one of the
Prophet’s relatives, his cousin Ali. They became known as the
Shia (partisans of Ali).
The majority supported the idea that the caliphate (particularly
the Rashidun – the four main companions of the Prophet)
should assume the leadership. They were known as the Sunni.
Dynastic Rulers
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The Umayyads, who were responsible for the assassination of
both Ali and his son Hussein, became the first major dynasty
that ruled in the name of Islam.
In 750 they were eclipsed by the Abassyds, who ruled from
Baghdad. This was, according to Karen Armstrong, the ‘the
Goldern Age of Islam – one of the highest peaks of human
civilization.’
The decline of the Abassyds gave way to the emergence of
regionally based powers, located in Egypt, Baghdad &
Damascus
Only under the Ottoman Empire did there emerge some
semblance of political unity for large parts of the Islamic world.