Middle East¶
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Cyprus¶- Coins
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Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranian, and a very important place. Its history dates back to the Greeks around 3000 BCE or earlier, when it was an important trading centre, a source of copper (it was the Bronze Age, after all), and a cultural dissemination point whose influence is felt to this day. Unfortunately, all this good stuff made it a target of the Assyrian, Egyptian, Persian, Macedonian, Ptolemaic, Roman, and Byzantine empires. But wait, that's not all. Richard the Lion-Heart took the island in 1191, and sold it to the Knights Templar. The Franks, the Venetians, and the Ottomons ruled Cyprus over the next 700 years. Britain took over in 1878, and declared Cyprus a Crown Colony in 1925. After all that, Cyprus finally became an independent republic in 1960. But the troubles weren't over. The ethnic Turks stopped participating with the rest of the population in 1964, and 10 years later the Turkish army moved in and forced the Turks and Greeks apart. The Turks in the northern part of the island declared independance in 1983 and stole a name from Greece, but the rest of the world is pretty much ignoring them.
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Israel¶- Coins
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The State of Israel is located on the south-eastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea and stretches south the the northern tip of the Red Sea.The name "Isreal" first appears in recorded history c. 1210 BCE on an ancient Egyptian "stele" (a stone or wood tablet). However, it does not refer to a country, but likely to a person or a people. The biblical account states that the Kingdom of Israel was founded around 1030-1020 BCE by Hebrew slaves who departed Egypt centuries earlier during the Exodus. It was the children of the biblical character Jacob who united the Hebrew tribes to form the kingdom. Jacob himself was renamed "Israel" earlier after successfully wrestling with an undetermined character who may have been an angel or God himself. Israel literally means "He who wrestled with God."
The first king of Israel was Saul, followed a short time later by David who established Jerusalem as the capital. David's son, Solomon was the next king. After his death, Israel split into two: Isreal in the north, and Judah in the south. Israel fell to the Assyrians in 721 BCE, and Judah fell to the Babylonians in 597 BCE.
Modern day Israel was formed during 1947-48. The UN General Assembly had approved a partition plan that saw 55% of the land going to the Jews and 45% to the Arabs. The Jews tentatively accepted the plan, but the Arab league rejected it. War broke out, Israel took almost half the Arab territory and things have been a mess ever since. Peace between the Jews and Arabs -- two culturally-rich groups of people -- would be one of the most welcome accomplishments of mankind in the 21st century.
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United Arab Emirates¶- Coins
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The United Arab Emirates (aka UAE aka The Emirates aka Al Emarat) is a federation of Sheikhdoms in south-west Asia on the Persian Gulf. The area's emirates were known as the "Pirate Coast" from the 18th to early 20th century and also the Trucial States up until 1971, referring to a truce between the UK and area's sheikhs.Each of the seven emirates is headed by an absolute monarch, and a percentage of revenue from each is allocated to the central budget. 85% of the UAE's economy is based on oil and natural gas exports.
