Near & Middle East

The term Near East was coined in the 19th century when Westerners divided the “Orient” into three parts: the Near East, the Middle East, and the Far East. The Near East included the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans; the Middle East ranged between the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia; and the Far East encompassed Asian countries facing the Pacific Ocean. However, in the early 20th century (as Europe geared up for World War II), the term Middle East began to be used by the British military to refer to both regions and it soon became the dominant term. (Though for all intents and purposes, both Middle East and Near East refer to the same region when used today.)

Today, the Middle East is considered the region spanning from Morocco (Northern Africa) to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran (Western Asia). (The acronym MENA—Middle East and North Africa—may also be used.) While Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria seem like geographical outliers, their similar sentiment, religion, and policies have led them to be considered part of the region. Other countries, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan (in South Asia), are often lumped in with the Middle East because of current events, although they may not technically belong.

Both Near and Middle East are Eurocentric terms—it is Western English-speaking historians who named the region on the basis of its position relative to Europe. With recent trends to de-Westernize core education, the term Middle East seems a bit old-fashioned, but it's the best we have for now.

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38 Items found Print
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Annotated Arabian Nights
by Paulo Lemos Horta (editor), translated by Yasmine Seale
from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 10th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$45.00
Archko Volume
by Drs. McIntosh and Twyman, translators
Reprint Edition from Keats Publishing, Inc
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of the Islamic World
by Francis Robinson
from Facts On File
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Behold Your Queen
by Gladys Malvern
from Special Edition Books
for 6th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Brethren
by H. Rider Haggard
from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.75 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Bring Your Eyes and See
International Adventures
by Steve Goode, Mary Goode
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$12.00
Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament
by H. Wayne House
from Zondervan
Biblical Reference for 9th-Adult
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament
by John Walton
2nd edition from Zondervan
Biblical Reference for 9th-Adult
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Darius, Artaxerxes, and Ahasuerus in the Bible
by James B. Jordan
from Athanasius Press
for 9th-Adult
in Bible Commentaries (Location: XBI-COMM)
$8.95
Days of Elijah
by John Noble
from Lulu.com
for 9th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$19.99
Days of Joseph
by John Noble
from Unknown Publisher
for 9th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Exodus
by Leon Uris
from Bantam Books
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$9.99
Gifts of the Jews
by Thomas Cahill
from Nan A. Talese
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in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Great Lion of God
by Taylor Caldwell
Book Club from Doubleday & Company
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Gulf War 1991
by Alastair Finlan
from Osprey Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in 20th Century: 1976-1999 (Location: HISW-20C4)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
History of Ancient Israel
by Michael Grant
from Charles Scribner's Sons
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in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
In the Land of the Blue Burqas
by Kate McCord
from Moody Press
for 11th-Adult
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$15.99
Iran
by David Downing
1st edition from Marshall Cavendish Education
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in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Justinian & Theodora
by Robert Browning
from Thames and Hudson
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in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
from Riverhead Books
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$16.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Mecca
by Desmond Stewart
from Newsweek Books
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Pearl Maiden
by H. Rider Haggard
from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
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Primeval Saints
by James Jordan
from Canon Press
Biography for 10th-Adult
in Bible Commentaries (Location: XBI-COMM)
$14.00 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Revolt in the Desert
by T. E. Lawrence
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 10th-12th grade
in World War I (1914-1919) (Location: HISA-20WW1)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Sayings of the Fathers
by Joseph H. Hertz
Bilingual from Behrman House
for 11th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$17.00
Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind
by Suzanne F. Staples
Reprint from Ember
for 8th-12th grade
1990 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Sunrise Over Fallujah
by Walter Dean Myers
from Scholastic Inc.
for 9th-12th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
The Koran
by Anonymous
Revised from Penguin Classics
for 10th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$16.00
The Robe
by Lloyd C. Douglas, illustrated by Dean Cornwell
from Houghton Mifflin
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$6.50 (1 in stock)
Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
First Ed from Riverhead Books
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in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Three Cups of Tea
by David Oliver Relin & Greg Mortenson
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.00
TimeFrame #03: Age of God-Kings
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
TimeFrame #04: Barbarian Tides
from Time-Life Books
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in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Under the Persimmon Tree
by Suzanne Fisher Staples
from Square Fish Publishing
for 7th-12th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$13.99
Understanding Jewish Holidays and Customs
by Sol Scharfstein
from Ktav Publishing House
for 9th-Adult
in Jewish Holidays & Traditions (Location: HOLIDAY)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Unveiling the Kings of Israel
by David Down
from Master Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Israel (Location: HISW-ANIS)
$27.99
Usborne Book of the Ancient World
by Jane Chisholm & Anne Millard
from Usborne
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in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Walking Drum
by Louis L'amour
from Bantam Books
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$6.99