Turning Points in Middle Eastern History

Go beyond the headlines to reveal the true Middle East. Gain surprising insights about the world today based on this dramatic history led by a professor, US Consultant, and explorer.

• By This Professor
• 01: Muslim Empires: Land, Language, Religion
• 02: Muhammad and the Dawn of Islam - 622
• 03: Arab Invasion of North Africa - 639
• 04: Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus - 661
• 05: Battle of Karbala - 680
• 06: Arab Invasion of Andalusia - 711
• 07: Battle of Talas - 751
• 08: The Founding of Baghdad - 762
• 09: Islamic Golden Age Begins - 813
• 10: Qairouan University - 859
• 11: The Fatimids of Cairo - 969
• 12: Umayyad Exile in Cordoba - 784 - 1031
• 13: Al-Ghazali and Orthodoxy - 1090
• 14: Crusaders Capture Jerusalem - 1099
• 15: Muslims in the Court of Roger II - 1130
• 16: Saladin: Chivalry and Conquest - 1187
• 17: The Egyptian Mamluks - 1250
• 18: Mongols Sack Baghdad - 1258
• 19: Ottoman Empire Rises - 1299
• 20: Mansa Musa, Richest Man - 1324
• 21: Ibn Khaldun's Masterpiece - 1377
• 22: Ottomans Seize Constantinople - 1453
• 23: Fall of Granada - 1492
• 24: Safavid Dynasty of Persia - 1501
• 25: Selim the Grim - 1512
• 26: Suleiman the Magnificent - 1520
• 27: Second Siege of Vienna - 1683
• 28: The Saud-Wahhab Pact - 1744
• 29: Napoleon Invades Egypt - 1798
• 30: Murder at the Citadel - 1811
• 31: French Invasion of Algeria - 1830
• 32: East India Company in Yemen - 1839
• 33: Egypt, Europe, and the Suez Canal - 1869
• 34: Discovering Middle East Oil - 1908
• 35: World War I in the Desert - 1914
• 36: The Last Caliphate Falls - 1924