People are paying attention to the Middle East today. It's a land that is could break out into war at any time, and it is also a land that contains a highly prized resource- oil. It's a land of significant religious importance for Christians, Jews and Moslems, and that adds to the instability of the region.

I happen to know a little about the region of the Middle East. I also know a little about creating video presentations, so I thought that I would put the two together. The graphics are not great, I know, but they're my own creation so I don't have to worry about royalties. I plan to create more of these presentations, so hopefully I will learn how to make them better as I go along.

The “Table of Contents” for these presentations is as follows:

#1 – The Start of Western Civilization

#2 – The Great Ancient Empires

People who lived in the Middle East long ago ruled the world, but their crumbling ruins serve to remind people how far the Middle East of today has fallen.

#3 – Greek Civilization

#4 – Roman and Christian Civilization

The Greeks developed a wondrous new society, and when Alexander the Great conquered the Persians, he brought this new society to the Middle East. 

The Romans established their empire upon the shattered Greek Empire.  When the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, they established a Christian tradition that still exists today.

#5 – Mohammad and the Start of Islam

#6 – The Moslem Empire

In the 600’s, Mohammed started a new religion in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula.  The new religion of Islam energized the Arabs until they conquered the Middle East and enjoyed a golden age of prosperity.

#7 – Mongols, Turks and Crusaders

The Chinese Mongols devastated the Middle East in a series of invasions.  Christian Crusaders controlled the Mediterranean coast for a couple hundred years.  A new Asiatic tribe of Turks gained power and took control for about four hundred years. 

This gets us into modern times, where I plan to make another dozen or so presentations.  I look to explain the creation of the Arab states of the Middle East, how the state of Israel was created and how it has caused- and solved- many problems, and I also hope to explain why the people in the Middle East today have such a hard time overcoming the economic struggles and political unrest that keeps the region from moving forward.

 There was a time when proud and strong peoples ruled the Middle East.  That, however, was in the past.  The people who live in the Middle East today are surely proud, but they hold no power outside of their own region.  With the unrest that has wracked this region, the governments are barely able to exist, let alone exert power over other people.

The remnants of the past remind people today of how their ancestors held great power, and how far they have fallen from a glorious past.

In the next hub, we'll look at how peoples from the West in ancient times invaded and dominated the Middle East region.