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
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AIO Imagination Station Book #19
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Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons - Set
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Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
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Ancient Near East - Coloring Book
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Annotated Arabian Nights
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Arabs in the Golden Age
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Arabs in the Golden Age
by Mokhtar Moktefi & Veronique Ageorges
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Archko Volume
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Reprint Edition from Keats Publishing, Inc
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by Francis Robinson
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Biblical Reference for 9th-Adult
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2nd edition from Zondervan
Biblical Reference for 9th-Adult
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2nd edition from Cobblestone Publishing
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Crusades: Iron Men & Saints
by Harold Lamb
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by Erica C. D. Hunter
3rd edition from Facts On File
World History Reference/Atlas for 4th-8th grade
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Early Civilization
Usborne Illustrated World History
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Ancient History Reference for 4th-6th grade
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Bible Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
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$39.19
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First Civilizations
History of Everyday Things
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Gilgamesh Trilogy
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God King
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Golden City
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Great Empires - CD-ROM
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Great Lion of God
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Book Club from Doubleday & Company
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Guide to Egypt
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Gulf War 1991
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by Naomi Shihab Nye
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History of Ancient Israel
by Michael Grant
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History of the Arab Peoples
by Albert Hourani
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by Peter Connolly
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Ancient Israel Reference for 4th-6th grade
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I Give You My Colt
by Alice Geer Kelsey, illustrated by Helen Torrey
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If You Were Me and Lived in... Egypt
A Child's Introduction to Cultures Around the World Volume 17
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by Kate McCord
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1st edition from Marshall Cavendish Education
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by Anthony Swofford
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by Karla Kuskin, illustrated by David Frampton
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Joshua in the Promised Land
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Junior Officer's Reading Club
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by Robert Browning
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King's Chessboard
by David Birch & Devis Grebu
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Kingfisher Atlas of the Ancient World
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Kite Runner
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Land of Black Gold
Adventures of Tintin
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Last Quest of Gilgamesh
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1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
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Fir from Dial Books for Young Readers
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Hidden Heroes #6
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Machines, Buildings, Weaponry of Biblical Times
by Max Schwartz
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Mecca
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Mecca
by Desmond Stewart
from Newsweek Books
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
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by Aliki
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2nd edition from Veritas Press
New Testament History Curriculum for 3rd-5th grade
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$39.00
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by Robert & Cynthia Shearer
from Greenleaf Press
Ancient History Reference for 2nd-8th grade
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Story of the World Series #1
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
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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
Once the Hodja
by Alice Geer Kelsey, illustrated by Frank Dobias
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Other Words for Home
by Jasmine Warga
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2020 Newbery Honor Book
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Pearl Maiden
by H. Rider Haggard
from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
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Persian Cinderella
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Reprint from HarperCollins
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Persian Empire
Cultures of the Past
by Karen Zeinert
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Pharaoh's Boat
by David L. Weitzman
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Pia's Journey to the Holy Land
by Sven Gillsater, translated by Annabelle Macmillan
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Polycarp of Smyrna
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by James Jordan
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by Leighton Taylor, photography by Norbert Wu
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Revenge of Ishtar
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Revolt in the Desert
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by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Reprint from Laurel-Leaf Books
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Reprint from Ember
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1990 Newbery Honor Book
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