The Middle East typically refers to the region stretching from the northern part of eastern Africa all the way to Pakistan. The region is centered around the Arabian peninsula with the Persian Gulf being the critical component of the region.
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53 views
What did the Phoenician sailor trader eat?
I am not a historian my self, but I like to read history, ancient history. I am reading now about Phoenician civilization.
I noticed in Wikipedia :
the Phoenicians were the major naval and trading ...
3
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0answers
21 views
Origin of land-lottery system
A report from 1894 describes the Musha'a land tenure system in the Arab villages of Palestine: the agricultural lands of the village are considered common property, and they are divided each year ...
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2answers
137 views
Why didn't the Arab states industrialize?
Why didn't the states of the Arabian peninsula industrialize around the time that Europe and East Asia were? Was it simply a lack of accessible natural resources? Why not import coal?
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1answer
152 views
Why did the Arabs start the 1973 War during Ramadan, and did it affect their performance?
The Arab-Israeli War in 1973, besides the Jewish Holiday, also took place during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which practicing Muslims observe mandatory daytime fasting. Did this affect ...
5
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3answers
75 views
Military training in the Hijaz during early Islamic era
The expansion of the Islamic rule during early Islamic era was quite impressive. Before 629, Muhammad's rule was limited to one city Medina. 15 years later, at the end of Umar's rule, the Caliphate ...
5
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1answer
80 views
Why did Egypt forbid entry of Israeli ships into the Suez canal in 1956?
In 1956, as a response to withdrawal of American aid for the High Aswan dam, Nasser nationalized the Suez canal giving freedom of transit through it to all countries except Israel. Why did they do ...
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0answers
44 views
How did Bedouins exercise tribal governance?
According to the Wikipedia article Bedouins travel together in groups of 1-2 family units however in the same article it mentions the presence of a Tribe who share common descent and are led by a ...
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0answers
73 views
Can the Quran be a valid historical record on the real life of Jesus? [closed]
Followers of Islam claim that the Quran accurately describes the life of Jesus, however, their motivation for saying this is religious, because they generally believe that the Quran was dictated to ...
2
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1answer
166 views
Could medieval European merchants travel through the Islamic world?
I've heard that the Islamic world was closed to European merchants in the Middle Ages. Is this true? If so, when did it close and when did it open again?
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0answers
34 views
Palestine and Israel [closed]
Is there any good book to read, which is very trusted and contain exact dates and figures concerning Israel Palestine conflict?
6
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0answers
121 views
Why has bidet use not spread to the northern countries of Europe?
As wikipedia states, the bidet is quite common in southern European countries (in Italy for example, it is found in 95% of households), in the Middle East and in East Asia. Conversely, bidets are ...
12
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2answers
131 views
What are the reasons of the ethnical fragmentation of the Caucasus?
While investigating on Albania, I kept finding peoples I never heard of before. Notwithstanding my vast ignorance, this was systematic to the point that I started investigating. Take a look at this ...
8
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1answer
58 views
How were the British and French Mandates in the Levantine area involved in WWII?
We all know the role of Egypt as a British protectorate at the time in WWII and the many battles fought in there. My question is, what is the role of the other British and French possessions in the ...
4
votes
1answer
270 views
Ancient and medieval canteens (water-bottles)
Nowadays, water-bottles, aka canteens, are routinely issued to soldiers who serve in warm climates.
Was it the case in ancient times? In the Middle Ages?
The case I have in mind is the Battle of ...
11
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3answers
227 views
Recognition of Palestine?
What was Palestine before, if not a country? Could you give me some history on this?
Also, the recent recognition of Palestine as a country in the UN could have far reaching implications. Are there ...
7
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4answers
189 views
Who are the modern descendants of the Khazar people?
The Khazars where a people who built an empire centred North of the Caucasus Range, between the 7th and 11th centuries. They are not at all mainstream (at least in Europe), even though, defeating the ...
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2answers
171 views
Middle east and North africa population during the high middle ages
I am looking for this information everywhere, but I can't seem to find the population of anyone else but the Europeans during the middle ages.
We know that the population of the European countries ...
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2answers
121 views
History of the Levant and Israel - 2000 BCE to the bronze age collapse - where to find info?
Where can I find information about the period 2000 BCE - 1300 BCE in the Levant with focus on Caanites and (possibly) proto-Hebrews?
Period from the very beginning of the tribal organization of what ...
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1answer
85 views
isn't islam reason the undevelopment in the middle east? [closed]
Isn't islam reason the undevelopment in the middle east?
if so
Why middle eastern people still wants islam!!?
Isn't it possible Middle East without Islam ?
What western country should to do, to turn ...
3
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1answer
82 views
Pre-islamic cultural inheritance in contemporary Iran
In contemporary Iran, what are the effect of pre-Islamic Persian cultural heritage that are not linked to islamic culture, religion and literature?
In a previous question, I asked about ...
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2answers
187 views
Iran: Zoroastrianism and Islam
If Zoroastrianism is so strong in Iran, why was there an Islamic revolution? Why is it proclaimed as the Islamic Republic of Iran?
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votes
3answers
820 views
What was President Jimmy Carter's role in the Iranian Revolution?
Iran was a friend to the USA until Carter traveled to Iran and immediately afterwards Iran faced revolution. Khomeini went to Iran from France.
On November 4, 1979, an angry mob of young Islamic ...
4
votes
1answer
110 views
Are there any existing foreign language teaching texts from the Ancient Near East?
The various cultures of the Ancient Near East spoke a wide array of languages and we know that there was plenty of communication between cultures. We even have a language like Akkadian that served as ...
14
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1answer
366 views
Any notable battles fought with steel vs. bronze weapons?
In answering the question Was the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age violent I found out a few facts that I hadn't expected. Namely, that the early iron weapons weren't necessarily much ...
13
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3answers
446 views
What do I need to know about Syria's history to understand the 2011-2012 uprising?
Syria is in the news a lot lately due to the current uprising, but it's not a country that many people know much about. It can trace its history back to the origins of civilization, and as a result ...
8
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1answer
140 views
What is the history of the legality of polygamy in Arab states?
In what Arab states having multiple wives legal and where it is not? How this changed over time and what countries were pioneers in the reforms?
7
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1answer
350 views
Israel/Palestine: Who really attacked first in 1948?
That is when Israel declared independence?
Were the Jews hungry for land and started kicking Arabs out, or did the Arabs attack first, or is it sort of a mixed bag?
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7answers
576 views
Why didn't Russia help Saddam Hussein as it is helping Syria now?
Wasn't Saddam an ally of Russia?
If Russia wasn't his ally, who was his ally?
Syria is looking like a strong ally of Russia as it was the case of Serbia. Russians played direct roles to save these ...
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2answers
209 views
If the Iraq War was because of their oil, has the US achieved their war aims
Let's assume:
The United States of America started the 2003 Iraq war to obtain Iraqi oil.
The Iraq war was very costly for the Americans, and a long and unfinished war has always made the ...
5
votes
2answers
136 views
What was the response of the general Iranian public to the modernization policies of Reza Shah?
I have been reading the fascinating study on Iran by Nikki R. Keddie, "Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution", Yale University Press, 2006. In it she outlines the dramatic modernizing policy ...
6
votes
5answers
383 views
What incentives are in place for American soldiers to go fight in Iraq?
I am from Brazil, a country that has not fought any war since WW2. If you join the army, go fight in Iraq and then return, what will the USA pay you? Is there a health plan for life, a pension, or ...
12
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5answers
341 views
What was the significance of changing the name of “Persia” to “Iran”?
As best as I understand it, the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 was when Persia became Iran. What was the motivation for changing the name?
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vote
1answer
145 views
Does prohibition of polygamy always correlate well with democracy?
There are only 2 countries in the Middle East where polygamy is illegal: Israel and Turkey.
There are only 2 countries in the Middle East that are true democracies: Israel and Turkey. Lebanon is ...
9
votes
1answer
196 views
What do “zones of influence” mean, according to the Treaty of Sevres after WWI?
After its defeat in World War I, European powers partitioned the Ottoman Empire, annexing some of its territories, and setting up other territories as their "zones of influence". What do the zones of ...
12
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5answers
684 views
How well can cavalry fight infantry?
In the Battle of Pharsalus, Caesar's infantry won by throwing their spears at the horsemen's faces.
So how come in Battle of Zama and many other battles, including the battle where Khalid ibn ...
7
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1answer
163 views
What is the source of the error regarding the origin of the number zero?
What is the source of the historical error that the zero was from the Middle East and not where it is really from, namely India?
13
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2answers
208 views
What was Libya's form of direct democracy (Jamahiria) like in practice?
I've been following the recent events in Libya and I learned about the Green Book, which outlines Gaddafi's vision for a democratic socialism. Published in 1975, it proposed a form of direct democracy ...
21
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1answer
587 views
What knowledge may have been lost at the Library of Alexandria?
Of course we'll never know for sure, but do historians have some reasonable ideas about what knowledge may have been lost at the Library of Serapeum of Alexandria, when it was destroyed by the Decree ...
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3answers
356 views
What factors contributed to Jews moving out of the Middle East?
History shows that the Jews started moving out of the Middle East in the 1000s? Until then there were no major Jewish centers outside the Middle East (Babylon, Egypt, etc.) except for Rome. By the ...
10
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5answers
385 views
Why did Jews not immigrate to the Muslim world?
Throughout most of history, Jews lived significantly better in the Muslim countries than in Christian ones. Moreover, after the expulsion from Spain, many Spanish Jews moved to the Muslim world (from ...
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2answers
1k views
How did Israel win the Six-Day War?
Considering Israel fought several Arab countries, which had troops largely outnumbering the Israeli, how did they manage to win the war decisively, with much fewer casualties than the Arab countries?
...
