middle east key dates and facts

Young Turk Revolution (1908)

Established constitutional rule in the Ottoman Empire, but later devolved into a military dictatorship during World War I.

Ottoman Empire's WWI Alliance

Fought alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Partition of the Ottoman Empire (1918-1922)

Led to the Turkish National Movement's victory in the war of independence against foreign occupation and the Sultan's rule.

Declaration of the Turkish Republic (1923)

The Grand National Assembly declared Turkey a republic, with Kemal Ataturk as president.

Secularization of Turkey (1928)

The clause retaining Islam as the state religion was removed from the constitution.

Death of Ataturk (1938)

Ataturk died and was succeeded by Ismet Inonu.

Turkey in World War II (1945)

Remained neutral for most of the war, then declared war on Germany and Japan but did not engage in combat; joined the United Nations.

First Free Elections in Turkey (1950)

Won by the opposition Democratic Party.

Kemal Ataturk

First president of Turkey. Oversaw the abolishment of the Ottoman Empire, secularization, women's rights, among many other reforms.

October 1918

Arab troops, led by Emir Feisal and supported by British forces, captured Damascus, ending 400 years of Ottoman rule.

1919

Emir Feisal backs Arab self-rule at the Versailles peace conference, following the defeat of Germany and the Ottoman Empire in World War I.

June 1920

San Remo conference puts Syria-Lebanon under a French mandate and Palestine under British control; King Feisal flees abroad ahead of French occupation forces.

1920-21

The French divide Syria into three autonomous regions with separate areas for the Alawis and the Druze. Lebanon is separated off entirely.

1925-6

Nationalist agitation against French rule develops into uprising; French forces bombard Damascus.

1928

Elections held for a constituent assembly, which drafts a constitution for Syria; French High Commissioner rejects the proposals.

1936

France agrees to work towards Syrian independence and dissolves the autonomous regions, but maintains military and economic dominance and keeps Lebanon as a separate state.

1941

British and Free French troops occupy Syria; General De Gaulle promises to end the French mandate.

1943

Veteran nationalist Shukri al-Kuwatli is elected first president of Syria, leads the country to full independence three years later.

1947

Michel Aflaq and Salah-al-Din al-Bitar found the Arab Socialist Baath Party.

1949-1954

Civilian government disrupted by repeated coups.

February 1958

Syria and Egypt form the United Arab Republic; Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser heads the new state and orders the dissolution of Syrian political parties.

September 1961

Discontent with Egyptian domination prompts a group of Syrian army officers to seize power in Damascus and dissolve the union.

March 1963

Baathist army officers seize power.

June 1967

Israeli forces seize the Golan Heights from Syria and destroy much of Syria's air force in the Six Day War.

November 1970

Hafez al-Assad (an Alawite) overthrows president Nur al-Din al-Atasi and imprisons Salah Jadid.

1973

Rioting breaks out after President Assad drops the constitutional requirement that the president must be a Muslim; suppressed by the army.

October 1973

Syria and Egypt go to war with Israel, but fail to retake the Golan Heights seized in 1967.

February 1975

President Assad says he's prepared to make peace with Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal from "all occupied Arab land".

June 1976

Syrian army intervenes in the Lebanese civil war to ensure that the status quo is maintained.

1980

Muslim groups instigate uprisings and riots in Aleppo, Homs and Hama after the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

September 1980

Start of Iran-Iraq war; Syria backs Iran.

December 1981

Israel formally annexes the Golan Heights.

May 1983

Lebanon and Israel announce the end of hostilities; Syrian forces remain in Lebanon.

1990

Iraq invades Kuwait; Syria joins the US-led coalition against Iraq.

June 2000

President Assad dies and is succeeded by his second son, Bashar.

November 2000

The new president orders the release of 600 political prisoners.

April 2001

Outlawed Muslim Brotherhood says it will resume political activity, 20 years after its leaders were forced to flee.

June 2001

Syrian troops evacuate Beirut, redeploy in other parts of Lebanon, following pressure from Lebanese critics of Syria's presence.

May 2002

Senior US official includes Syria in a list of states that make-up an "axis of evil".

March 2011

Security forces shoot dead protestors in southern city of Deraa demanding release of political prisoners, triggering violent unrest.

1922

The year the Council of the League of Nations recognized Transjordan as a state under British supervision.

1946

The year the United Nations recognized Jordan as an independent sovereign kingdom.

1948

King Abdullah made a deal with Israel to invade areas given to Israel in the UN partition plan.

1948

The State of Israel was created in British-mandate Palestine, leading to a large influx of Palestinian refugees into West Bank and Jordan.

January 2011

Tunisian street protests that unseated the president encouraged similar demonstrations in Jordan.

February 2011

King Abdullah appointed Marouf Bakhit as prime minister and charged him with political reforms amidst large-scale street protests.

1950

Jordan annexed the West Bank.

July 1951

King Abdullah was assassinated by a Palestinian gunman due to his perceived collusion with Israel.

1957

British troops completed their withdrawal from Jordan.

1967

Israel took control of Jerusalem and the West Bank during the Six-Day War; this caused a large influx of refugees into Jordan.

1970

Major clashes occurred between government forces and Palestinian guerrillas which resulted in the civil war remembered as Black September and the PLO being forced out of Jordan

1994

Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel, ending a 46-year official state of war.

August 2008

King Abdullah visited Iraq, becoming the first Arab leader to do so since the US invasion in 2003.

October 2011

King Abdullah replaced Prime Minister Bakhit with Awn al-Khasawneh amidst ongoing protests.

1926 May

Unified Lebanese Republic under the French mandate is declared.

1943 March

The foundations of the state are set out in an unwritten National Covenant, distributing seats in parliament on a six-to-five ratio in favour of Christians.

1982 June

Israel launches a full-scale invasion of Lebanon following the attempted assassination of the Israeli ambassador to Britain.

1982 September

Pro-Israeli president-elect Bachir Gemayel is assassinated, leading to the Sabra and Shatila camps massacre and the arrival of a peacekeeping force.

1920 September

France is granted the mandate for Lebanon and Syria by the League of Nations, creating the State of Greater Lebanon.

1944

France agrees to transfer power to the Lebanese government.

1945

Lebanon becomes one of the founding members of the Arab League.

1948

Lebanon is one of the countries to invade Israel after its independence.

1967 June

Lebanon is affected when Palestinians use it as a base for attacks on Israel.

1975 April

Phalangist gunmen ambush a bus, killing 27 Palestinians, starting the civil war.

1976 June

Syrian troops enter Lebanon to restore peace but also to curb the Palestinians.

1978

Israel launches a major invasion of southern Lebanon in reprisal for a Palestinian attack.

1985

Most Israeli troops withdraw, leaving the SLA "security zone" in the south.

1990 October

The Syrian air force attacks the Presidential Palace, formally ending the civil war.

1991

The National Assembly orders the dissolution of all militias, except Hezbollah.

1996 April

Israel bombs Hezbollah bases in southern Lebanon, southern Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley, hitting a UN base at Qana.

2006 July-August

Israel attacks after Hezbollah kidnaps two Israeli soldiers, leading to a 34-day war.

2011 January

Government collapses after Hezbollah and allied ministers resign.

1958 Coup

Overthrow of the monarchy in Iraq led by Abd-al-Karim Qasim.

Baath Party Coup (1963)

The Baath Party ousted Prime Minister Qasim in a coup.

Saddam Hussein

Takes over as President of Iraq in 1979.

Iran-Iraq War

Conflict between Iran and Iraq from 1980-1988, resulting in a stalemate.

Halabjah Attack

Iraq attacks the Kurdish town of Halabjah with poison gas in March 1988, killing thousands.

Invasion of Kuwait

Iraq invades and annexes Kuwait in 1990, leading to the first Gulf War.

Weapons Inspection Programme (Iraq)

Iraq subjected to weapons inspection programme starting in April 1991.

No-Fly Zone (Iraq)

A no-fly zone is set up in southern Iraq in August 1992, prohibiting Iraqi planes.

Oil-for-Food Programme

UN allows partial resumption of Iraq's oil exports to buy food and medicine starting in April 1995.

British Mandate in Iraq

League of Nations approves British mandate in Iraq in 1920, leading to nationwide revolt.

Feisal

Appointed as king of Iraq by Britain in 1921.

Iraqi Independence

Mandate ends, and Iraq becomes independent in 1932, but Britain retains military bases.

Iraq Petroleum Company Nationalization

Iraq nationalizes the Iraq Petroleum Company in 1972.

George W. Bush's UN Address (2002)

US President George W Bush tells UN Iraq poses 'grave and gathering danger'.

US-led Invasion of Iraq (2003)

US-led invasion topples Saddam Hussein's government, starting years of conflict.

Governing Council (Iraq)

US-appointed Governing Council meets for first time in July 2003.

Capture of Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein captured in Tikrit in December 2003.

Execution of Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein is executed for crimes against humanity in December 2006.

US Troop Pull-out from Iraq

US completes troop pull-out in December 2011.

Reza Khan

Military commander who seized power in Iran in February 1921.

1951

The year the Iranian parliament voted to nationalize the oil industry.

Mohammad Mossadeq

Prime Minister of Iran overthrown in a 1953 coup engineered by British and US intelligence.

1979

The year the Islamic Republic of Iran was proclaimed.

52

The number of Americans taken hostage in the US embassy in Tehran in November 1979.

Abolhasan Bani-Sadr

First president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, elected in January 1980.

Reza Shah Pahlavi

Reza Khan's title after being crowned in April 1926.

Shah's pro-Axis allegiance in WWII

The reason for the Anglo-Russian occupation of Iran in 1941 and the deposition of the Shah.

White Revolution

The Shah's program of land reform and modernization launched in January 1963.