Large parts of the Middle East became a warground between the Ottomans and Iranian Safavids for centuries starting in the early 16th century. By 1700, the Ottomans had been driven out of Hungary and the balance of power along the frontier had shifted decisively in favor of the West. The British also established effective control of the Persian Gulf, and the French extended their influence into Lebanon and Syria. In 1912, the Italians seized Libya and the Dodecanese islands, just off the coast of the Ottoman heartland of Anatolia. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Middle Eastern rulers tried to modernize their states to compete more effectively with the European powers. A turning point in the history of the Middle East came when oil was discovered, first in Persia in 1908 and later in Saudi Arabia (in 1938) and the other Persian Gulf states, and also in Libya and Algeria. A Western dependence on Middle Eastern oil and the decline of British influence led to a growing American interest in the region.
The street called straight, Damascus, Holy Land, (Syria)
Wall over which St. Paul escaped, Damascus, Holy Land, (Syria)
General view, with Lebanon in the distance, Beyrout, Holy Land, (Beirut, Lebanon)
General view, Tyre, Holy Land, (Lebanon)
Bedouins of the Jordan District, Holy Land
The River Jordan, Holy Land
Vieux Caire et Citadelle
Kairo, marchands de victuailles
Kairo, Shepheard’s Hotel, concert militaire
Kara-Keui (Galata) bridge, Constantinople, Turkey
Cook in the rue de Stamboul, Constantinople, Turkey
Yeni Cami mosque and Eminönü bazaar, Constantinople, Turkey
Kara-Keui (Galata) and view of Pera, Constantinople, Turkey
Téhéran. Famille Persane
Femme Persane
Port Said, grande rue dans l’Arabie
