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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Adara
by Beatrice Gormley
from Eerdmans
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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by Marianne Hering
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-3rd grade
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$5.99
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by Lori Verstegen
6th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 3rd-6th grade
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$55.00
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by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
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in Israel (Location: HISW-ANIS)
$18.95
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by Paulo Lemos Horta (editor), translated by Yasmine Seale
from W. W. Norton and Co.
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by Gladys Malvern
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from Inheritance Publications
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by Deborah Ellis
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Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
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International Adventures
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$12.00
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Adventures of Tintin
by Herge
from Little, Brown & Company
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$13.99
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by James B. Jordan
from Athanasius Press
for 9th-Adult
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$8.95
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by Florence Parry Heide, Judith Heide Gilliland
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Bible Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
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by Leon Uris
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Explore the Classical World
A Child's Geography Volume III
by Terri Johnson
Revised from Master Books
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$39.19
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from Master Books
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by Bodie Hodge, Laura Welch
from Master Books
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by Jim Hodges
from Jim Hodges Productions
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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for 1st-4th grade
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God King
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Joanne Williamson
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$8.95
Great Empires - CD-ROM
from Home School in the Woods
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by Naomi Shihab Nye
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If You Were Me and Lived in... Egypt
A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World Volume 17
by Carole P. Roman
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from Moody Press
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$15.99
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Land of Black Gold
Adventures of Tintin
by Herge
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$14.99
Last Quest of Gilgamesh
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by Ned Bustard
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for 2nd grade
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by Aliki
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for 2nd-6th grade
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$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
New Testament, Greece and Rome - Home Teacher Manual
2nd edition from Veritas Press
New Testament History Curriculum for 3rd-5th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$39.00
Old Testament History - Greenleaf Guide
by Robert & Cynthia Shearer
from Greenleaf Press
Ancient History Reference for 2nd-8th grade
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$11.95 $8.00 (3 in stock)
On the Shores of the Great Sea
Story of the World Series #1
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$13.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
On the Shores of the Great Sea
Story of the World Series #1
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$9.99
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First Ed from Balzer & Bray
for 4th-8th grade
2020 Newbery Honor Book
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by H. Rider Haggard
from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
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Polycarp of Smyrna
Heroes of the Faith
by Sinclair B. Ferguson
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Primeval Saints
by James Jordan
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from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
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Sayings of the Fathers
by Joseph H. Hertz
Bilingual from Behrman House
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$17.00
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by Suzanne F. Staples
Reprint from Ember
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1990 Newbery Honor Book
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$9.99
Stories from the Old Testament - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Marty Noble
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Stories of the East from Herodotus
by Alfred J. Church
Ill from Yesterday's Classics
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$12.95
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by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
History for 7th-10th grade
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by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
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from Augsburg Fortress
Atlas/Biblical Reference for 4th-8th grade
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The Koran
by Anonymous
Revised from Penguin Classics
for 10th-Adult
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from Canon Press
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from Greenwillow Books
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by Suzanne Fisher Staples
from Square Fish Publishing
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Ancient History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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by Frieda Clark Hyman
from Bethlehem Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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by Louis L'amour
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Warriors Through the Ages - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
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Dover Coloring Books
by John Green
from Dover Publications
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$3.99