History

Bahrain

629 AD: Before the spread of Islam in the region, Bahrain was mainly influenced by the Persians, Sumerians, Assyrians and Babylonians. In 629 AD, Islam expanded to Bahrain which was ruled by one of Mohammed’s representatives.
1521: Bahrain falls under Portuguese control
1602: The Portuguese are expelled from Bahrain and the Persians take control of the island
1783: The Persians are defeated by the Al-Khalifa family which has been ruling Bahrain since then. The Al-Khalifa family originated from Najd in today’s central Saudi Arabia.
1861: Bahrain becomes a de facto British protectorate
1913: Anglo-Ottoman Treaty is signed and the Ottomans renounce all claims on Bahrain
1932: First oil is discovered by the Bahrain Petroleum Company
1939: The British support Bahrain’s claim over the Hawar Islands
1967: Britain moves its main regional naval base from Aden to Bahrain
1971: Bahrain declares its independence from Britain and joins the Arab League
1981: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is formed with Bahrain being one of the founding members
1986: Qatar occupies the Fasht al-Dibal (manmade reef) but withdraws after mediation by Saudi Arabia. In the same year the King Fahd highway joining Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is opened.
1991: Bahrain participates in the coalition for the liberation of Kuwait from Iraq and then signs a defence cooperation agreement with the USA
2001: Referendum on political reforms turns Bahrain into a constitutional monarchy. In the same year Qatar and Bahrain’s overlapping claims are resolved by a binding agreement of the International Court of Justice
2011: The Arab Spring protests spread to Bahrain causing social unrest. Saudi troops are invited to assist the government’s efforts to end the unrest
2015: Bahrain, along with four other GCC states, joins the Saudi-led air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen
2017: Bahrain joins the Saudi Arabia-led air, land and sea blockade against Qatar
2018: The country discovers its largest oilfield since the 1930s
History

Egypt

3000 BC – 642 AD: At about 3000 BC, the ancient kingdoms of Egypt unite and prosper both commercially and culturally. In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquers Egypt which remains under the Macedonian Greeks until the Roman conquest in 31 BC. Egypt is Christianised to a great extent and becomes a part of the Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) Empire from the 4th to the 6th century AD. In 642 AD, Egypt is conquered by the Arabs and particularly by the Rashidun Caliphate which had started to expand rapidly after Muhammad’s death in 623 AD.
1517: Conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Empire
1882: Egypt enters the sphere of influence of the British Empire
1914: Declaration of Egypt as a protectorate of the British Empire
1922: Egypt gains independence and the Kingdom of Egypt is formed
1928: The Egyptian schoolteacher and imam Hassan al-Banna creates the Muslim Brotherhood in Ismailia
1948: Egypt participates in the war against the newly-founded State of Israel
1952: The Free Officers Movement revolts and gains control of the country
1953: Monarchy is abolished as Egypt is declared a republic
1956: Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes president and nationalises the Suez canal. The UK, France and Israel invade Egypt but fail to reach their objective as the USA provide political support to Nasser
1958: Egypt and Syria unite and form the United Arab Republic which will dissolve in 1961 after Syria seceded from the union
1978: President Anwar Sadat signs a peace treaty with Israel
1981: Islamist extremists murder president Sadat
2011: President Hosni Mubarak is forced to resign after 30 years in power due to intense antigovernmental protests
2013: The chief of the Egyptian military, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, deposes the democratically elected Islamist president Mohamed Morsi
2014: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is elected as president of the country and is re-elected in 2018
History

Iran

550 BC – 651 AD: Between 550 BC and 331 BC, the Achaemenid dynasty rules the First Persian Empire In 331 BC, Alexander the Great conquers the Persian Empire and Persia remains under Greek dominance until the Sasanian Empire prevailed by 224 BC. The Muslim conquest of Persia begins in 633 AD and by 651 AD the Sasanian Empire is defeated by the Arabs of the Rashidun Caliphate
1220: Conquest of Persia by the Mongols of Genghis Khan
1501: The Safavid dynasty takes control of Persia and Shia Islam is declared as state religion
1794: Mohammad Khan Qajar seizes power and founds the Qajar dynasty
1921: Military commander Reza Khan seizes power and is crowned Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1926
1935: Iran is adopted as the country’s official name
1941: Britain and the Soviet Union occupy Iran during World War II
1953: The British and US intelligence services successfully organize a coup against the Iranian government. The Shah returns from exile.
1979: Iranian Revolution and proclamation of the Islamic Republic of Iran
1980: The Iran – Iraq war begins and lasts until the ceasefire agreement of 1988
1995: US oil and trade sanctions against Iran
2004: The International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) rebukes Iran for failing to fully cooperate with an inquiry into its nuclear program
2005: IAEA finds Iran in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
2010: A computer virus that was spread in order to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program is detected at the Natanz nuclear plant
2013: The Iranian government increases support to Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria
2015: Iran concludes a deal with world powers on limiting its nuclear activities
2016: International economic sanctions are lifted after the IAEA confirms that Iran has fulfilled its obligations under the 2015 international agreement
2018: The USA withdraws from the 2015 international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program
2020: The commander of Iran’s Quds Force is killed in a US air strike in Iraq
History

Iraq

5500 BC - 634 AD: Before the spread of Islam in the region, Iraq (Mesopotamia) was mainly influenced by the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians and Greeks. In 634 AD, the Islamic expansion in the region began and within a few years the whole of modern Iraq was under Muslim control.
1534: The region becomes part of the Ottoman Empire
1917: Britain seizes Baghdad during the First World War
1920: The British Mandate in Iraq is approved by the League of Nations
1921: Britain appoints Feisal, son of Hussein Bin Ali, the Sherif of Mecca, as king
1932: Iraq becomes independent and Britain retains military bases
1958: A military coup in July 1958 overthrows the monarchy and Abd-al-Karim Qasim becomes Prime Minister of Iraq. The confederation between Iraq and Jordan that was established a few months earlier was disestablished after the coup.
1968: A coup by the Baathists places Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr in power
1974: Iraq grants limited autonomy to the Kurdish region in the north
1979: Saddam Hussein becomes President
1980: The Iran – Iraq war starts and ends eight years later in stalemate
1990: Iraq invades and annexes Kuwait but is forced to withdraw in February 1991 after a US-led military campaign
2003: A US-led coalition invades Iraq and overthrows Saddam Hussein
2005: The new constitution of Iraq is approved via referendum
2011: The US troops leave Iraq
2014: Mosul is seized by rebels of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
2017: Iraqi forces regain full control of Mosul by July 2017
History

Israel

16th century BC – 638 AD: The area of Israel (Palestine) is conquered by the Egyptians in the 16th century BC. The United Kingdom of Israel is founded in the 11th century BC with the union of the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judea. Later on, the area went under the consecutive control of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans and in 638 AD it was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate.
1516: Conquest of Israel (Palestine) by the Ottoman Empire
1897: The first congress of the Zionist Movement sets the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine as its main objective
1917: Palestine (Israel) is conquered by British who openly support the establishment of Jewish state. In the meantime, migration from the Jewish diaspora towards Palestine continues in an intense manner
1947: The UN suggests the partition of Palestine between Arabs and Jews
1948: Israel declares its independence and becomes a member-state of the UN. This development triggers the first Arab-Israeli war
1956: The Suez canal crisis is triggered after president Nasser of Egypt nationalized the Suez canal and banned transit for Israeli ships
1967: Israel launches a pre-emptive attack against Egypt
1973: Israel manages to prevail in the Yom Kippur war against Egypt and Syria
1978: Peace deal between Israel and Egypt is signed
1982: Israel invades Lebanon
1993: The Oslo declaration for the autonomy of the Palestinians is signed between Israel and the PLO. The peace agreement between Israel and Jordan is also signed
2000: Israel withdraws its forces from south Lebanon
2005: The Israeli troops are withdrawn for Gaza
2006: Failed Israeli invasion in Lebanon against Hezbollah’s forces
2008: Israeli invasion in Gaza to counter Hamas
2017: The USA recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel
2019: Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights is recognized by the USA. The USA also state that they do not consider the Jewish settlements in the West Bank as illegal
History

Jordan

9th century BC – 7th century AD: From the 9th century BC to the 7th century AD, Jordan was consecutively controlled by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. In the 7th century AD Jordan was conquered by the Umayyad Caliphate.
1516: Conquest of Jordan by the Ottoman Empire
1916: Arab uprising against the Ottomans with the main support of France and the British Empire
1918: The end of the Arab uprising and World War I brings Jordan under Arab control
1921: The British protectorate of the Emirate of Transjordan is established
1922: Transjordan is recognized as a state under British supervision by the League of Nations
1946: The UN recognizes Jordan as an independent state
1948: Thousands of Palestinians find refuge in the West Bank and Jordan due to the Arab Israeli conflict
1950: Annexation of the West Bank by Jordan
1957: Withdrawal of the British troops from Jordan is completed
1967: Israel takes control of Jerusalem and the West Bank while a large number of Palestinians flee to Jordan
1970: The government of Jordan clashes with fighters of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)
1972: Failed military coup
1989: First general elections after 1967
1994: The peace deal with Israel is signed, terminating the official state of war that was in place since 1948
1999: King Hussein dies and is replaced by King Abdullah II
2011: The mass uprisings of the Arab world are also observed in Jordan. However, Jordan was not affected as drastically as other Arab countries were
2014: Jordan is one of four Arab countries participating in the US-led aerial strikes against the Islamic State in Syria
2016: First parliamentary elections since 1989
History

Kuwait

4000 BC - 636 AD: Before the spread of Islam in the region, Kuwait was mainly influenced by the Dilmun, Babylonians, Greeks and Persians. In 636 AD, Kuwait was conquered by the Rashq:idun Caliphate marking the entry of the country into the Islamic world.
1521: The country falls under Portuguese control
1560: Kuwait and the north-east part of the Arabian Peninsula becomes part of the Ottoman Province of al-Hasa
1670: The Bani Khalid tribe expels the Ottomans
1756: Kuwait comes under the control of the Al-Sabah family which rules Kuwait to this day
1899: An agreement with Britain turns Kuwait into a protectorate
1937: Oil is discovered
1961: Kuwait gains independence from Britain and joins the Arab League
1963: First parliamentary elections
1980: Kuwait supports Iraq financially and strategically in the Iran-Iraq war
1981: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is formed with Kuwait being one of the founding members
1990: Iraq invades and annexes Kuwait. A US-led international coalition is formed and liberates Kuwait by February 1991
1994: Iraq recognized Kuwait officially and accepts the UN-demarcated Iraq-Kuwait border
2006: Women vote for the first time
2011: The Kuwaiti government resigns in response to the Arab Spring protests
2015: Kuwait, along with four other GCC states, joins the Saudi-led air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen
2017: Kuwait attempts to mediate between Qatar and the Saudi Arabia-led group of Arab countries which initiated an economic and diplomatic blockade against Qatar
History

Lebanon

2500 BC – 636 AD: The lands of Lebanon were the inhabited by the ancient Phoenicians since 2500 BC. Lebanon was consecutively controlled by the Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, the Greeks in 332 BC and the Romans in 64 BC. In 636 AD Lebanon was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate which expanded rapidly after Muhammad’s death in 632 AD.
1516: Conquest of Lebanon by the Ottoman Empire
1920: The League of Nations’ mandate of Lebanon and Syria is granted to France
1926: Declaration of the Lebanese Republic under the French Mandate
1944: Independence of Lebanon from France
1958: The USA send troops to Lebanon upon request of its Christian President during the civil conflict between Christians and Muslims
1967: After the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, Palestinians use Lebanon as a base for launching attacks against Israel
1975: Lebanese civil war begins
1976: The army of Syria invades Lebanon in order to control the activities of Palestinian fighters. Syria eventually controls a large part of Lebanon
1982: Israeli invasion and occupation of west Beirut and other areas
1985: Withdrawal of most Israeli troops from Lebanon
1990: The civil war officially comes to an end
1992: First elections since 1972. Rafik Hariri elected as Prime Minister
2000: Israel withdraws all its forces from Lebanon
2005: Former Prime Minister Hariri is executed. The Syrian army withdraws from Lebanon
2006: Failed Israeli invasion in Lebanon against Hezbollah’s forces
2012: The conflict in Syria is transferred to Lebanon and the country is threatened with further destabilisation. Hezbollah is intensely involved in the Syrian conflict
2014: Over a million Syrian refugees have settled in Lebanon
2019: Mass protests against corruption and the bad state of the economy paralyze the state
History

Libya

1000 BC– 643 AD: In about 1000 BC, Berber tribes settled in the Fezzan area (southwest Libya). In the 7th century AD, Phoenicians started settling in Tripolitania (northwest Libya) while Greeks started settling in Cyrenaica (east Libya). Cyrenaica is then occupied by the Persians in the 6th century BC and in 331 BC the Greeks re-gained control of the area. In 74 AD the Romans conquered the whole of Libya and in 643 AD the Arabs occupy the country and spread Islam.
1551: The conquest of Libya by the Ottoman Empire begins with the fall of Tripoli
1912: After the Italo-Turkish war, Libya is occupied by Italy and a period of resistance against Italian occupation begins
1931: After about 20 years of resistance, the Italians prevail and intensify the colonization of Libya in order to incorporate the country into a Greater Italy
1942: The allies drive the Italians out of Libya and the country is controlled by the French and the British
1951: Libya becomes an independent state with King Idris as its first leader
1969: Muamar Qaddafi takes control of the country after a successful military coup
1970: Qaddafi orders the closure of the British and American airbases and nationalises property belonging to Italian settlers
1980: The Libyan military intervenes in the civil war in northern Chad
1989: Arab Maghreb Union is founded by Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia
1992: The UN imposes sanctions on Libya due to its connection with the bombing of a civilian airliner flying above Scotland in December 1988
2009: Qaddafi is elected as head of the African Union during a period when Libya started to improve its diplomatic relations with countries of the West
2011: Violent protests result in the capture and murder of Qaddafi
2016: The Government of National Accord (GNA) is recognized as the legitimate government of Libya by the UN amidst ongoing civil conflict
2019: General Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) controls the majority of Libya and is advancing against the areas controlled by the GNA

History

Oman

632 – 1507 AD: Before it was exposed to Islam, Oman was controlled by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians. In 632 AD, the whole Arabian Peninsula was dominated by the Rashidun Caliphate. The Ibadi Islamic sect emerges in Oman during the 7th century, a few decades after Muhammad’s death, and starts ruling the country from the 9th century onwards. By 1507 the Portuguese were controlling the Omani coast which became an area of antagonism between major European powers.
1650: The local Yaruba Dynasty drives the Portuguese out of Oman and by the end of the 17th century the Omani Empire emerges as a regional maritime power and starts expanding along the East African coast
1737: Persians invade Oman and are driven out in 1749 by the Al Busaid dynasty
1891: A Treaty signed between Sultan Faysal and Britain’s political resident effective turned Oman into a de facto British protectorate
1913: The control of the country splits into two as the interior is ruled by Ibadite imams and the coastal areas by the sultan
1959: Sultan Said bin Taimur regains control of the rest of the country
1964: Oil reserves are discovered
1970: The sultan is overthrown by his son Sultan Qaboos bin Said who initiates a period of liberalisation and modernisation
1971: Oman joins the Arab League
1981: Oman becomes one of the founding members of the Gulf Cooperation Council
1999: The country signs a border agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
2002: Sultan Qaboos extents voting rights to all citizens over the age of 21
2011: The Arab Spring spreads to Oman where protesters demand jobs and political reforms. Sultan Qaboos responds by granting more powers to the Consultative Council after the October 2011 general elections
2017: Oman chooses not to join the Saudi-led blockade against Qatar
2020: Sultan Qaboos dies and is succeeded by his cousin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said
History

Palestinian Authority

16th century BC – 638 AD: The area of Israel (Palestine) is conquered by the Egyptians in the 16th century BC. The United Kingdom of Israel is founded in the 11th century BC with the union of the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judea. Later on, the area went under the consecutive control of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans and in 638 AD it was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate.
1516: Conquest of Palestine by the Ottoman Empire
1897: The first congress of the Zionist Movement sets the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine as its main objective
1917: Palestine (Israel) is conquered by British who openly support the establishment of Jewish state. In the meantime, migration from the Jewish diaspora towards Palestine continues in an intense manner
1936: Arab uprising against the British begins with the objective of independence of the Arabs and termination of Jewish migration to Palestine
1947: The UN suggests the partition of Palestine between Arabs and Jews
1948: Creation of the State of Israel and first Arab-Israeli war. Israel controls Palestine, with the exception of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza
1949: Palestinians fighters initiate attacks against Israel
1959: Yasser Arafat creates Fatah
1964: The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) is founded
1967: Israel takes over the West Bank and Gaza after the Six Day War
1974: The Arab League recognizes the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinians
1987: First Palestinian Intifada against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza
1992: The Israeli – PLO Oslo I Accord for the self-government of the Palestinians is signed
1994: The Palestinian Authority is founded
2000: Second Intifada against Israel
2007: The Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority loses control of Gaza by Hamas
2011: Failed attempt of the Palestinian Authority to become member of the UN
2014: Fatah and Hamas form a government of national unity
2019: The USA declare that the Jewish settlements in the West Bank are not illegal
History

Qatar

628 AD: Before the spread of Islam in the region, Qatar was mainly influenced by the Babylonians, Greeks and Persians. In 628 AD, the conversion of Qatar to Islam started after Muhammad sent one of his military envoys in the region in order to invite locals to accept the new religion that had been expanding in the Arabian Peninsula.
16th century: The country falls under Portuguese control in the first quarter of the 16th century and Qatar attracts the antagonism of other major powers
1602: The Portuguese are expelled from Qatar by the Dutch and the British while the Ottomans maintain a strong influence in the area
1916: Qatar agrees to surrender its external affairs to Britain in exchange for guaranteeing its protection. This agreement marks the end of a long period of Ottoman influence
1939: Oil is discovered
1971: Qatar gains independence from Britain and joins the Arab League
1981: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is formed with Qatar being one of the founding members
1990: Qatar participates in the coalition for the liberation of Kuwait from Iraq
1999: Municipal elections become the first democratic elections since 1971
2008: Saudi Arabia and Qatar sign a border demarcation agreement
2009: Qatar cuts trade ties with Israel after the Israeli offensive on Gaza
2011: Qatar joins the military operations against Libya and arms Islamist opposition groups
2014: The US-led air strikes on the Islamic State in Syria are joined by Qatar and four other Arab states
2015: Qatar, along with four other GCC states, joins the Saudi-led air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen
2016: Establishment of Turkish military base in Qatar in accordance with the December 2014 defence agreement between the two states
2017: Saudi Arabia leads an air, land and sea blockade by Arab countries against Qatar after accusing it of funding regional terrorism
History

Saudi Arabia

610 - 750: The Arabian Peninsula is established as the cradle of Islam when Muhammad began preaching Islam in Mecca at the start of the 7th century AD. Islam spread rapidly and by 750 AD the Arabs controlled an area stretching from the Iberian Peninsula and most of north Africa to the Middle East, a part of east Asia Minor and the Caucasus up to central Asia and today’s Pakistan.
1517: Conquest of Mecca and Medina by the Ottoman Empire which antagonizes the Arabs for the control of Arabia for the following four centuries
1756:The Saudi dynasty emerges as the most important power in the Arabian Peninsula and the first Saudi state was established in 1756
1824: Establishment of the second Saudi state after the first Saudi state had been defeated by the Ottoman-Egyptian forces in 1812
1916: The Arab Revolt against the Ottomans begins and is centered in the Mecca district. The Saudi dynasty did not participate in the revolt
1932: Unification of the lands controlled by Ibn Saud and establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
1938: Oil is discovered by the US-controlled Aramco
1960: Saudi Arabia is a founding member of OPEC along with Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Venezuela
1973: Oil crisis after Saudi Arabia leads an oil boycott by the Arab members of OPEC against countries that supported Israel during the Yom Kippur war
1991: Saudi Arabia participates in the war against Iraq
2011: Saudi troops intervene in Bahrain to support the crackdown on anti-government protests
2015: Houthi rebels in Yemen are targeted by Saudi Arabian air strikes campaign
2017: A group of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia boycott Qatar
History

Syria

3000 BC – 636 AD:Since 3000 BC the land of Syria had been under the control of several peoples, mainly the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Hittites, Hurrians, Amorites, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks in 332 BC and Romans in 64 BC. In 636 AD the conquest of Syria by the Arabs of the Rashidun Caliphate begins.
1516: Conquest of Syria by the Ottoman Empire
1918: The Arab forces supported by the British liberate Syria
1920: The League of Nations’ mandate of Lebanon and Syria is granted to France
1946: Independence of Syria
1958: Egypt and Syria unite and form the United Arab Republic which will dissolve in 1961 after Syria seceded from the union
1967: Syria, Egypt and Jordan are defeated by Israel during the Six Day War. Israel occupies the Golan Heights in southwest Syria
1970: Hafez al-Assad comes to power through a military coup
1973: Syria and Egypt attack Israel in an attempt to subvert the 1967 defeat
1976: Syria invades Lebanon and remains in the country for almost three decades
1982: The Muslim Brotherhood’s uprising in Hama is suppressed forcefully by the Syrian army
2000: Bashar al-Assad becomes the new President of Syria after the death of his father
2011: The anti-government protests evolve into a civil war with the participation of foreign powers supporting both the government and the opposition forces
2015: Russia’s stronger involvement in the Syrian conflict allows Assad to gradually recover most of the country from the Islamic State
2019: The government forces besiege the northwest district of Idlib, which constitutes the last stronghold of the anti-government forces. Since 2011 more than 5 million Syrians have fled the country while part of northwest Syria is controlled by Turkey and in northeast Syria the Kurds are de facto autonomous
History

Turkey

24th century BC – AD: Asia Minor has been a meeting point for many peoples. The presence of the Hattians in central Asia Minor was documented in the 24th century BC. From the beginning of the second millennium BC, Greeks settled in west Asia Minor while its central and eastern parts came under the control of the Assyrians and Hittites. Asia Minor was then occupied by the Persians in the 7th century BC and by Alexander the Great in 334 BC. The expansion of the Romans that lead to the conquest of Asia Minor started from the west part in 133 BC. The battle of Manzikert in 1071 AD resulted in decisive victory for the Seljuk Turks against the Byzantine Empire which lead to the expansion of Turks and Islam in Asia Minor.
1453: The conquest of Constantinople by the Turks beings the Byzantine Empire to an end. The Ottomans prevail in the whole of Asia Minor
1908: Young Turk Revolution
1918: Defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I and partition of its lands
1923: Declaration of the Turkish Republic after the Turkish national movement prevailed. Kemal Ataturk becomes the first president of Turkey
1952: Turkey joins NATO
1960: Military coup against the ruling Democratic Party
1974: Invasion of Turkey in Cyprus and occupation of 37% of the island
1984: The Kurds of PKK begin their guerrilla campaign for secession from Turkey
1987: Turkey submits an application for full EEC membership
1992: Turkish troops invade northern Iraq in order to fight PKK
2002: The Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP) comes to power
2016: Failed military coup against the government in July. In August the Turkish military launches the ‘Euphrates Shiled’ operation against the Kurds in northwest Syria
2018: Turkey launches the ‘Olive Branch’ military operation in northwest Syria against Kurdish-controlled areas
2019: The ‘Peace Spring’ military operation begins in Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria. By 2019, Turkey managed to occupy a large part of north-northwest Syria
History

United Arab Emirates

630 – 1507 AD: Before the spread of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula during the 7th century AD, the area of the modern United Arab Emirates (UAE) was strongly influenced by the Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians. In 630 AD, the country was introduced to Islam and Islam remained as the dominant power in the region until the late 15th – early 16th century. By 1507 the Portuguese were controlling many keys ports and cities in the gulf and the area became an arena of antagonism between major European powers.
1622: The Dutch become the dominant naval power in the area after the Portuguese lost Hormuz
1820: Treaty between Britain and local Sheikhs in order to fight piracy. The area becomes known as the Trucial Coast
1892: The Trucial States enter a deal with Britain which gives the latter control over the foreign affairs of each emirate, therefore making the Trucial States a British protectorate
1952: The seven emirates form a Trucial Council
1958: First oil is discovered
1968: As independence from Britain looms, Bahrain and Qatar join the Trucial States. However the union breaks-up in 1971
1971: Iran occupies the islands of Greater and Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa in November. In December the emirates gain independence from Britain. Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujayrah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Qaywayn unite forming the UAE and join the Arab League
1972: Ras al-Khaymah joins UAE
1981: UAE is a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
1991: The military forces of the UAE join the allies against Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait
1999: The GCC backs UAE in its dispute with Iran over Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb
2006: First-ever national elections. About 2% of citizens were eligible to vote
2015: The UAE participates in the Saudi-led air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen
2017: The UAE joins the Saudi-led blockade against Qatar

History

Yemen

630 AD: Before the spread of Islam in the region, Yemen was mainly influenced by civilizations local to the southern Arabian Peninsula. In 630 AD, the conversion of Yemen to Islam started after Muhammad sent one of his cousins in the region in order to invite locals to accept the new religion that had been expanding in the Arabian Peninsula.
1560: The whole of Yemen falls under Ottoman occupation
1634: Local Yemeni tribes expel the Ottomans
1839: Aden (south Yemen) comes under British rule
1849: Ottomans return to north Yemen
1918: North Yemen gains independence after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire
1945: North Yemen joins the Arab League
1962: Army officers seize power in North Yemen and set up the Yemen Arab Republic. Civil war begins between royalists supported by Saudi Arabia and republicans backed by Egypt
1967: Britain withdraws from south Yemen. The People’s Republic of Yemen is formed and joins the Arab League
1979: Conflict between the two Yemens restarts. A ceasefire had already been brokered by the Arab League in 1972 after border clashes had taken place
1990: Unification of the two Yemens
1994: Secession of south Yemen was dealt with successfully by the national army
1998: International arbitration between Yemen and Eritrea awards most of the Hanish Islands in the Red Sea to Yemen
2004: Houthi insurgency in northern Yemen; ceasefire reached in 2007
2011: President Abdallah Saleh hands his power over due to Arab Spring mass protests. President Saleh had ruled since 1990
2014: Houthi rebels reject the draft federal constitution and seize control of most of Sanaa
2015: First major Islamic State attacks in Yemen. Civil war breaks out and five Gulf Arab states led by Saudi Arabia launch air strikes against the Houthi rebels
2018: South Yemen separatists supported by the UAE seize Aden
2019: South Yemen separatists (backed by the UAE) and the government (backed by Saudi Arabia) sign a power-sharing agreement in Riyadh