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HistoryCentral · World History

The Modern Middle East

A century of upheaval — from the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the European mandates through the birth of Israel, the Arab–Israeli wars, the Iranian revolution, and the conflicts that still shape the region. The major events, year by year.

The Mandate Era · 1917–1939

1917Britain Captures Palestine 1920Palestine Becomes the British Mandate 1920Syria Becomes a French Mandate 1921Faisal Becomes King of Iraq 1921Transjordan Is Established 1922Egypt Given Limited Independence 1925The Druze Revolt Against the French 1929Riots in Palestine 1936Oil Is Found in Saudi Arabia 1936The Arab Revolt in Palestine 1937The Peel Commission Recommends Partition 1939The British White Paper

Independence & Upheaval · 1947–1964

1947The UN Votes for Partition 1947Unrest in Palestine 1948The State of Israel Is Declared 1951King Abdullah Is Assassinated 1952King Farouk Abdicates 1953Mossadegh Is Ousted in Iran 1956The Sinai-Suez Campaign 1958Egypt and Syria Form the United Arab Republic 1958US Troops Land in Lebanon 1959De Gaulle Agrees to an Algerian Vote 1961Kuwait Gains Independence 1962Algeria Is Granted Independence 1962Israel Finds Eichmann Guilty 1964Faisal Becomes King of Saudi Arabia

The Arab–Israeli Wars · 1967–1979

1967The Six-Day War 1969The War of Attrition 1970Black September 1973The October War 1974The Disengagement Agreements 1975Civil War Erupts in Lebanon 1975The Suez Canal Reopens 1976The Entebbe Rescue 1977Sadat Comes to Jerusalem 1979Peace Treaty Between Israel and Egypt 1979The Shah of Iran Is Ousted 1979Militants Seize the US Embassy in Tehran

Conflict & Terror · 1980–1999

1980The Iran-Iraq War 1981Israel Destroys Iraq's Nuclear Reactor 1981Anwar Sadat Is Assassinated 1982Israel Invades Lebanon 1983The Massacre at Sabra and Shatila 1983US Peacekeepers Killed in Lebanon 1986US Planes Attack Tripoli 1987The USS Stark Is Attacked by Iraq 1988US Downs an Iranian Passenger Jet 1990The Gulf War 1993The Israel-PLO Accord 1995Yitzhak Rabin Is Assassinated 1997The Khobar Towers Bombing 1999Barak Is Elected Israeli Prime Minister

The Twenty-First Century · 2002–2018

2002The Bali Nightclub Bombing 2005Israel Withdraws from Gaza 2011Mubarak Resigns in the Arab Spring 2012Morsi Is Elected President of Egypt 2015The Iran Nuclear Deal 2018Jamal Khashoggi Is Killed

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