Questions tagged [middle-east]
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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Why was Oslo I Accord so harsh or controversial?
The Oslo I Accord was an attempt in 1993 to set up a framework that would lead to the resolution of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It was the first face-to-face agreement between the ...
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Why did the Arab spring and Iranian Green movement failed for the most part, but the European revolution did not? [closed]
Why did the Arab spring back a few years ago failed for the most part, the Iranian green movement didn't get the result it wanted, but the European revolutions (such as the French revolution, ...
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What happend to the other Kaabas?
According to Muslim historians and others the nowadays known Kaaba/Cube الكعبة wasn't unique, and so apparently there have been many Kaabas around in the Arabic Peninsula, but the one in Mecca ...
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What historical evidence do we have for the existence of Mohammed?
I have been listening to a podcast, called "The History of Byzantium" and in one of the episodes there was a discussion about the lack of reference to Mohammad or Qur'an in the century after ...
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A zoo during the rule of Omayyad or Abbasid dynasty?
I recall that when I was in high school that I read a text -which sounds more like a legend- about an Arabic Sultan/Caliph who on a trip trough his empire passed by an injured (wild) animal (don't ...
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Why did Baldwin of Boulogne proclaim Edessa a County, not a Kingdom?
[Edessa was] ruled by Thoros, who was officially a vassal of the Turks but in reality acted independently. He did not expect that situation to continue for very much longer without help, so he offered ...
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How many stones high are the pyramids of Giza? [closed]
How many stones high are the pyramids of Giza, on the outside?
There are three pyramids, did they have a pre-determined number of stones in height? in that case was it representative of something? ...
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Were the Hashemite kings of Iraq and Transjordan considered foreign?
The British made two sons of Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, rulers of the new political entities of Transjordan and Iraq after WWI. They were both born in the Hijaz (now in West Saudi Arabia), not ...
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In the Palestine Partition Plan, why was Jaffa allocated to the Arab state?
I'm reading through the document, "The Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem, Part II" by the United Nations. Under the provisions of the Palestine Resolution, they note that ...
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When was the weekend changed in Jordan?
I have been researching this (online) for a while with no success. I know for sure that the weekend in Jordan was changed from Thursday/Friday to Friday/Saturday. But I was not able to find any ...
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Any history to the current flag used by ISIL? [closed]
I know the current flag used by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is black with white letters stating: "There is no God but Allah" and in the middle of a white circle in black letters ...
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Is there any record of ancient Israelite contact with Indo-Europeans?
It is well-documented that the ancient Israelite tribes came into contact with Indo-European groups in Canaan such as the Philistines (P'lishtim) (most likely migrants from Crete), and later the ...
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Who owns the Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone after the 1991 Gulf War?
According to Wikipedia, the Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone was created in 1922 by the British-controlled Iraq and the Sultanate of Nejd (the predecessor of Saudi Arabia). The same article continues:
As ...
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How stable was the Middle East under Ottoman rule?
Since the outbreak of WWI, the Middle East has been a strategic area; many powers have vied for control.
How stable was the region under Ottoman rule?
Stable is, for the purposes of this question, ...
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The monumental/architectural sculptures of Petra - has there been any research on the likely craftsmen who executed them?
The Nabatean people who founded Petra are described as a pre-Islamic Arab people. Centrally located on the spice trade routes, they achieved fabulous wealth and settled in the city of Petra.
A recent ...
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How did Urdun come to be called Jordan?
In the Middle East, everybody calls this country something more like "Urdun" or "Ordon". How did it come to be called "Jordan" in the West? What is the history of the name of this country?
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Are these Houthi Rebels in Yemen the same people who ran the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen?
I saw on the news that the area of Houthi control roughly corresponded to North Yemen, which was a kingdom overthrown with Nasser's help in 1962. Are these Houthis the same sort of people who were the ...
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Cultural history of Saudi Arabian rulers' uniform beard style?
Why is it that all Saudi Arabian rulers and princes, both of the present and past generations, apparently wear the same style of chin beards? (Yes, they wear the same styles of headdresses as well.) ...
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Primary sources from Umayyad times
Background
Most narratives about the events during the Umayyad rule come from sources that were compiled during the succeeding Abbasid rule. Since the Abbasids came to power through armed ...
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What responsibility did Golda Meir have for the Yom Kippur war?
I read in the book "The Iron Wall" by Avi Shlaim, there was a description of the Yom Kippur war that happened due to Golda Meir's insistence on keeping parts of Sinai and not trading them to Egypt ...
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Why did Christianity disappear in North-Western Africa?
During Roman times North-Western Africa had a thriving Christian community, giving birth to Saint Augustine and a long lasting heresy. This is similar to many Christian communities of the time, from ...
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Baldwin IV, the Leper King
Baldwin IV was crowned King of Jerusalem, from 1174 until his death in 1186 at the ripe old age of 24. As a child, his tutor, William of Tyre, discovered he had leprosy.
Understanding that he was the ...
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What property relations existed between peasants and those who took from peasants in early Ottoman rule in Anatolia?
What property relations existed between peasants and those who took from peasants in early Ottoman rule (1300-1450) in Anatolia?
How was social surplus extracted from peasants, by who, with what ...
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Why did Nebuchadnezzar keep King Jeconiah alive?
When Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem he appointed Zedekiah as his puppet-king and took King Jeconiah and his sons home with him.
For what reasons would the king of a large empire of antiquity, ...
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Is there a correlation between modern Middle East uprisings/wars and Ramadan?
One cannot help but notice that the current shelling of Israel by Hamas has started in the month of Ramadan. So did the war of 1973 and a few other troubles. Is this just a coincidence, or is there ...
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How many Jewish refugee have been expelled out of Arab lands and when?
Were the Jews in Arab countries driven out after the Six Days War or in 1948 like some Palestinians in Israel? Did they lose their land?
I checked this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_refugees
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Which is the Historical Khorasan [closed]
The word Khorasan finds mention in many ancient texts pointing to a place in Middle east to Afghanistan . The question is what were the boundaries of the historical Khorasan which parts of the Middle ...
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Why didn't Turkish become an official language in former Ottoman colonies in the Middle-East and North Africa?
The main language in the Middle East is Arabic, however English and French considered as a secondary language.
Especially in Algeria, Morocco and Lebanon (there are other countries..) people still use ...
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What historical evidence do we have for the Prophet Muhammed? [closed]
In the Sahih-Bukhari, a generally accepted collection of the times and sayings of the Prophet, there are a number of reports of contacts with other nations & empires; for example:
Allah's ...
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What is the origin of the Arabs in pre-Islamic Yemen and Arabia?
Genetically speaking, who are the pre-Islamic Arab tribes who lived in Yemen and Arabia in many centuries B.C. closest to? Where did the first Arab settlers in Yemen come from? I know that Arabs claim ...
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Did Arab policymakers have plans for the Jewish population, in case of victory in 1948 War?
Presumably the Arab goal in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war was to defeat Israel. Total victory would probably mean the total control of the whole Mandatory Palestine, which at this point already contained ...
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Josephus' writings about Kafr Yasif
I was reading the Wikipedia page on Kafr Yasif where it is stated that:
Kafr Yasif appears in the writings of the Roman Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.
without providing a reference. I googled ...
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Why does the map of Jordan look as it does?
Most countries land borders are somewhat rounded, and it's easy to guess why - it's eazy to defend a rounded shape, and it's hard to defend "bulges" because it can be easily surrounded and occupied.
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Is there any evidence of STD's in ancient times?
Are there any ancient texts that show or imply that their authors knew that certain diseases were spread through sexual activity? It seems like sexual contagion was recognized in the 16th century ...
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Has there been other settlements in occupied territories in recent history?
The issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank (and other territories) is quite controversial, including its legality and its impact on the peace process. I'm wondering if there was any similar ...
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What was Asir's role in the Arab Revolt?
The Arab Revolt against the Ottomans is portrayed as being primarily a Hejazi phenomenon but I have read (briefly) that Asir (now part of Saudi Arabia), a territory between Hejaz and Yemen revolted ...
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How did Saudi Arabia become and remain strongly Wahhabi?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia staunchly follow Wahhabism, a very conservative and strict brand of Islamism that probably is the major factor of Saudi's strict policy and harsh implementation of Sharia. ...
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Why didn't the European Christians take back Constantinopole?
Constantinople was the focal point for the Fourth Crusade. The Christians lost and Constantinople went to the Ottoman Empire. Then, the European Christians became stronger and went about colonizing ...
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What evidence is Chomsky alluding to when he states the US is preventing a settlement between Israel & Palestine?
Chomsky in his book Neccesary Illusions, published in 1989 says:
U.S. ... efforts to prevent a political settlement of the Arab–Israeli conflict over many years, readily documented, but unwelcome ...
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How prevalent was pork in Arabia before Arabs conversion to Islam?
Before Islam and its prohibition of pork, was it a commonly eaten food? Or was it already prohibited by other religions/cultures? Or was it a kind of uncommon food, which was then prohibited? We also ...
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When and why was Seleucia ultimately abandoned?
The ancient Seleucia was founded along the Tigris river around the year 305 BC, and abandoned in 165 AD, due to the river mutating its course (Wikipedia).
However in 780 AD the Catholicos (=Patriarch)...
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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 ...
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What are the earliest accounts of the Musha 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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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 did? Was it simply a lack of accessible natural resources? Why not import coal?
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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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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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Why has bidet use not spread to the northern countries of Europe? [closed]
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 ...
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