|
Date
|
Event
|
|
10000 BC
|
|
10000 bc
|
Development of intensive flock management in Zagros Mountains
[Iraq]
|
|
7500 BC
|
|
7500 bc
|
First manufacture of textiles in the Middle East using flax
|
|
1800 BC
|
|
1800 bc
|
Earliest prohibitions against pork among shepherd tribes in Middle East
|
|
1200 BC
|
|
1200 bc
|
c. 1200-1100; Judaism established in Palestine
|
|
1200 bc
|
c. 1200-1100; Hebrews begin to settle in Canaan
|
|
1006 BC
|
|
1006 bc
|
c. 1006-965; David becomes king of Israel and conquers Jerusalem
|
|
957 BC
|
|
957 bc
|
Solomon builds first Jewish temple in Jerusalem
|
|
850 BC
|
|
850 bc
|
c. 850; Medes migrate into Iran
[Persian Empire]
|
|
587 BC
|
|
587 bc
|
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon destroys Jerusalem; Babylonian Captivity of the Jews begins
|
|
539 BC
|
|
539 bc
|
Babylonian empire conquered by Cyrus the Great of Persia
|
|
312 BC
|
|
312 bc
|
Seleucus establishes Seleucid Empire in Mesopotamia
|
|
167 BC
|
|
167 bc
|
Mattahias the Hasmonian begins Maccabean Revolt against Seleucid rule in Judea
|
|
165 BC
|
|
165 bc
|
Judas Maccabeaus restores the Temple of Jerusalem
|
|
144 BC
|
|
144 bc
|
Mithridates I of Parthia conquers Babylonia, Media, and Persia
[Persian Empire]
|
|
142 BC
|
|
142 bc
|
Simon Maccabeus creates Hasmonean Dynasty in Judea; Independent Jewish state until 63 BCE
|
|
37 BC
|
|
37 bc
|
Herod the Great confirmed as King of Judaea
|
|
4 BC
|
|
4 bc
|
c. 4; Approximate date of the birth of Jesus
[Israel]
|
|
27
|
|
27
|
c. 27; Jesus is baptized and begins ministry
|
|
30
|
|
30
|
c. 30; Crucifixion and death of Jesus
[Israel]
|
|
70
|
|
7 September 70
|
Roman army under Titus captures Jerusalem and destroys Jewish Temple
[Rome]
|
|
132
|
|
132
|
c. 132-135; Jewish Rebellion in Jerusalem
|
|
622
|
|
16 July 622
|
Muhammad forced to flee Mecca for Medina; Becomes basis for Islamic tradition of the hijra
[Saudi Arabia]
|
|
630
|
|
630
|
Muhammad returns to Mecca with the Koran
|
|
632
|
|
7 June 632
|
Muhammad dies; Abu Bakr becomes caliph in Medina
|
|
634
|
|
23 August 634
|
Abu Bakr dies; Umar becomes caliph
|
|
636
|
|
15 August 636
|
Battle of Yarmuk; Islamic forces under Khalid ibn al-Walid conquer Syria and Palestine
|
|
637
|
|
637
|
Islamic armies invade Mesopotamia
|
|
638
|
|
638
|
Islamic forces capture Jerusalem
|
|
641
|
|
641
|
Founding of Fostat (Cairo) in Egypt
[Egypt]
|
|
644
|
|
7 November 644
|
Caliph Umar assassinated; Uthman becomes caliph
|
|
661
|
|
661
|
Caliph Ali assassinated; Muawiyah moves capital to Damascus and founds Umayyad Dynasty
|
|
670
|
|
670
|
Kallikinos invents Greek fire in Constantinople
|
|
678
|
|
678
|
Umayyad forces forced to lift siege of Constantinople after decisive naval defeat at the battle of Syllaeum
[Byzantine Empire]
|
|
692
|
|
692
|
Dome of the Rock is completed by Caliph Abdel-Malik
|
|
695
|
|
695
|
First Islamic coins minted in Damascus
|
|
701
|
|
701
|
Arab sailors visit Moluccas and Indonesia for the first time
|
|
710
|
|
710
|
Islamic forces conquer Tangiers; Caliphate controls entire North African coast
|
|
750
|
|
750
|
Abu al-Abbas as-Saffah overthrows Umayyad Caliphate and establishes Abbasid Dynasty
|
|
762
|
|
762
|
Caliphate moved to Baghdad
|
|
820
|
|
820
|
Islamic law school established in Medina
|
|
833
|
|
833
|
Al-Mamun founds observatory in Baghdad
|
|
837
|
|
837
|
Carrier pigeon services established in Arab lands
|
|
872
|
|
872
|
Ahmad ibn Talun establishes first hospital in Cairo; Hospitals now common throughout Arab world
[Egypt]
|
|
909
|
|
909
|
Said ibn Hussein establishes Fatimid caliphate in Tunis
|
|
969
|
|
969
|
Fatimids conquer Egypt and move capital to Cairo
[Egypt]
|
|
1040
|
|
1040
|
Seljuk Turks conquer territories in Persia
|
|
1048
|
|
1048
|
Seljuk Turks sack Erzurum; Maintain presence in Anatolia
[Byzantine Empire]
|
|
1050
|
|
1050
|
Tughril Beg conquers Isfahan and establishes Seljuk capital there
|
|
1090
|
|
1090
|
Yusuf ibn Tasfin founds Almoravid Dynasty in Granada
|
|
1092
|
|
1092
|
Sultan Malik Shah dies; Seljuk empire collapses into civil war
|
|
1099
|
|
1099
|
Godfrey of Bouillon founds Kingdom of Jerusalem from crusader conquests in Palestine
|
|
1145
|
|
1145
|
Pope Eugene III proclaims Second Crusade to recapture Crusader Kingdom of Edessa
|
|
1169
|
|
1169
|
Saladin becomes vizir of Egypt
|
|
1171
|
|
1171
|
Last Fatimid caliph of Egypt dies leaving Saladin as effective ruler
|
|
1175
|
|
1175
|
Saladin recognized as sultan of Egypt and Syria
[Egypt]
|
|
1183
|
|
1183
|
Saladin captures Aleppo; Moves his capital to Damascus
|
|
1193
|
|
4 March 1193
|
Saladin dies
[West Bank and Gaza Strip]
|
|
1324
|
|
1324
|
Ghazi Orkhan succeeds Osman I as Ottoman sultan
|
|
1331
|
|
1331
|
Ottoman Turks capture Nicaea, the last remaining Byzantine territory in Asia
[Byzantine Empire]
|
|
1501
|
|
1501
|
Safavid dynasty rules Iran (1501 - 1722)
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
1521
|
|
1521
|
Portugal rules Bahrain 1521 - 1602
[Bahrain]
|
|
1602
|
|
1602
|
Persia rules Bahrain 1602 - 1783
[Bahrain]
|
|
1744
|
|
1744
|
Mohammed Ibn Saud founds first Saudi State
[Saudi Arabia]
|
|
1783
|
|
1783
|
Sheikhs of Khalifa begin rule of Bahrain
[Bahrain]
|
|
1796
|
|
1796
|
Qajar dynasty rules Iran (1796 - 1925)
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
1822
|
|
27 September 1822
|
Jean-François Champollion announces the deciphering of the Rosetta stone
[Egypt]
|
|
1872
|
|
1872
|
Qatar occupied by Ottoman Turks
[Qatar]
|
|
1881
|
|
1881
|
1881 - 1882 First wave of Zionist immigration (aliyah) into Palestine
[Israel]
|
|
1896
|
|
1896
|
Theodore Herzl writes Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State)
[Israel]
|
|
1897
|
|
1897
|
First Zionist Congress starts program to resettle Jewish people in Palestine
[Israel]
|
|
1904
|
|
1904
|
1904 - 1914 Second wave of Jewish immigration into Palestine
[Israel]
|
|
1908
|
|
3 July 1908
|
Young Turk Revolution of 1908 attempts to reform government institutions of the Ottoman Empire
[Ottoman Empire]
|
|
1910
|
|
1910
|
First Jewish kibbutz -- Kibbutz Degania -- is founded
[Israel]
|
|
1916
|
|
1916
|
British forces invade Mesopotamia (Iraq)
[Iraq]
|
|
1917
|
|
2 November 1917
|
The Balfour Declaration expresses official British support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine
[United Kingdom]
|
|
1918
|
|
1918
|
World War I ends; Allies carve up the Middle East; Britain takes control of Palestine
|
|
1920
|
|
25 April 1920
|
Mesopotamia becomes a British mandated territory under Article 22 of the League of Nations
[Iraq]
|
|
1921
|
|
1921
|
Reza Khan siezes power during a military coup
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
1922
|
|
1922
|
Kuwait-Saudi border negotiated
[Kuwait]
|
|
1924
|
|
1924
|
Oil exploration begins in Oman
[Oman]
|
|
1925
|
|
15 December 1925
|
Reza Kahn establishes the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran and institutes a policy of modernization, secularization, and anti-communism
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
1932
|
|
1932
|
Iraq becomes an independent country
[Iraq]
|
|
1936
|
|
1936
|
1936 - 1939 Arabs revolt across Palestine
[Israel]
|
|
1939
|
|
1939
|
British issues paper promising an independent Arab state in Palestine within ten years.
[Israel]
|
|
1941
|
|
1941
|
Reza Shah abdicates; his son Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi becomes ruler
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
1943
|
|
22 November 1943
|
Lebanon Becomes Independent
[Lebanon]
|
|
1945
|
|
1945
|
Turkey joins the United Nations
[Turkey]
|
|
1947
|
|
1947
|
UN takes over Palestinian issue from Britain. UN votes to divide Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state; Jerusalem is to be an international city.
[Israel]
|
|
1948
|
|
14 May 1948
|
First Arab-Israeli Wars begins
[Israel]
|
|
14 May 1948
|
Britain mandate of Palestine ends.
[Israel]
|
|
15 May 1948
|
The State of Israel is officially created; David Ben Gurion becomes first Prime Minister.
[Israel]
|
|
1949
|
|
1949
|
Egypt, Lebanon, Transjordan, and Syria sign armistice agreement with Israel
[Israel]
|
|
1952
|
|
1952
|
Turkey becomes a member of NATO
[Turkey]
|
|
1956
|
|
1956
|
Gamal Abdel-Nasser Becomes President of Egypt
[Egypt]
|
|
26 July 1956
|
Egypt Nationalizes Suez Canal
[Egypt]
|
|
1969
|
|
1969
|
Yasser Arafat becomes head of the Palestine Liberation Organization
[West Bank and Gaza Strip]
|
|
1970
|
|
1970
|
Hafez al-Assad becomes President of Syria
[Syrian Arab Republic]
|
|
28 September 1970
|
President Gamal Abdel-Nasser Dies, Anwar Sadat becomes president of Egypt
[Egypt]
|
|
1971
|
|
August 1971
|
Bahrain declares its independence from Britain
[Bahrain]
|
|
2 December 1971
|
Zayid bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan Becomes President of UAE
[United Arab Emirates]
|
|
1973
|
|
1973
|
Iraq joins Arab coalition against Israel during the October War
[Iraq]
|
|
1974
|
|
1974
|
Turkey starts occupying northern Cyprus to prevent Greek takeover of island
[Turkey]
|
|
1975
|
|
April 1975
|
Civil war breaks out in Lebanon
[Lebanon]
|
|
1976
|
|
January 1976
|
Syrian army enters Lebanon
[Lebanon]
|
|
1978
|
|
March 1978
|
Israeli troops invade Lebanon
[Lebanon]
|
|
27 October 1978
|
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
[Israel]
|
|
1979
|
|
January 1979
|
Shah of Iran flees country
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
1 April 1979
|
Iran declared an Islamic republic by Ayatollah Khomeini
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
16 July 1979
|
Saddam Hussein Becomes President of Iraq
[Iraq]
|
|
4 November 1979
|
Iranian Militants Seize U.S. Embassy in Tehran
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
1980
|
|
September 1980
|
Iran-Iraq War begins
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
1981
|
|
20 January 1981
|
Iran Releases U.S. Hostages
[Iran (Islamic Republic of)]
|
|
7 June 1981
|
Israel Bombs Iraqi Nuclear Reactor
[Israel]
|
|
17 July 1981
|
Israeli troops bomb the PLO headquarters in Beirut
[Israel]
|
|
6 October 1981
|
Anwar Sadat assassinated; Mohamed Hosni Mubarak becomes president of Egypt
[Egypt]
|
|
1982
|
|
1982
|
Yasser Arafat and PLO leadership exiled to Tunis
[West Bank and Gaza Strip]
|
|
6 June 1982
|
Israel invades Lebanon
[Israel]
|
|
13 June 1982
|
Fahd bin Abd al-Aziz Saud Becomes King of Saudi Arabia
[Saudi Arabia]
|
|
1986
|
|
1986
|
Sultan Qaboos University founded
[Oman]
|
|
1987
|
|
1987
|
Palestinian uprising 'Intifada' breaks out in Gaza strip
[West Bank and Gaza Strip]
|
|
17 March 1987
|
Iraqi Exocet missile hits American Destroyer USS Stark; 37 crewmen are killed.
[United States]
|
|
1988
|
|
3 July 1988
|
The USS Vincennes shoots down Iranian Airbus Flight #655; 290 civilians are killed
[United States]
|
|
August 1988
|
Iran-Iraq War ends
[Iraq]
|
|
1990
|
|
2 August 1990
|
Iraq invades Kuwait, beginning the Persian Gulf War
[Kuwait]
|
|
1991
|
|
26 February 1991
|
Kuwait Liberated
[Kuwait]
|
|
1994
|
|
1994
|
Yasser Arafat returns to Palestinian soil
[West Bank and Gaza Strip]
|
|
26 October 1994
|
Jordan and Israel sign peace treaty.
|
|
November 1994
|
Iraq formally accepts the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait
[Kuwait]
|
|
1998
|
|
24 November 1998
|
Emile Lahud Becomes President of Lebanon
[Lebanon]
|
|
1999
|
|
7 February 1999
|
King Hussein of Jordan Dies
[Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of]
|
|
6 March 1999
|
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Assumes Power in Bahrain
[Bahrain]
|
|
2000
|
|
16 May 2000
|
Ahmet Necdet Sezer Becomes President of Turkey
[Turkey]
|
|
25 May 2000
|
Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon
[Israel]
|
|
10 June 2000
|
President Hafez al-Assad Dies
[Syrian Arab Republic]
|
|
12 October 2000
|
USS Cole Attacked in Aden
[Yemen]
|
|
2002
|
|
7 November 2002
|
U.N. Security Council passes resolution demanding that Iraq disarm
[United States]
|
|
2003
|
|
20 March 2003
|
United States and allied forces invade Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom
[United States]
|
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