The Ottoman Era From the 14th century, the Ottoman Turks gradually took control of the Middle East, ruling for over 600 years. The empire was a multiethnic and multireligious polity with a complex administration. The Ottomans controlled much of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeastern E

The Middle East has been dominated by successive empires that shaped its culture, borders, and political systems. The Persian Empires The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550–330 BCE), founded by Cyrus the Great, was the largest empire the world had seen and established an efficient administra

One of the most significant aspects of the Middle East’s special history is its role as the birthplace of three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Judaism: The Ancient Monotheistic Tradition Judaism, the oldest of the Abrahamic religions, originated in the ancient L

Mesopotamia: The Land Between Two Rivers Mesopotamia, meaning “between rivers” in Greek, is widely regarded as the birthplace of civilization. Around 3500 BCE, the Sumerians established some of the earliest known cities, such as Uruk and Ur, in southern Mesopotamia. They invented cune