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Palestine (region)

geography Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Palestine is a famous region located in West Asia.

Satellite image of Israel
Satellite image of Israel

It is part of a larger area known as the Levant. This land has been known by many different names throughout history. Some people call it Canaan or the Promised Land. Others use names like the Land of Israel, Judea, or the Holy Land.

Kingdoms of the Levant Map 830
Kingdoms of the Levant Map 830

Because so many people care about it, the region is a major crossroads for religion, culture, and trade.

Many different groups have lived in this area over thousands of years. During the Bronze Age, Canaanite city-states were found here. Later, in the Iron Age, the lands of Israel and Judah emerged.

Palestine under David and Solomon (Smith, 1915)
Palestine under David and Solomon (Smith, 1915)

Many strong empires eventually took control of the territory. These included the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and the Macedonians under Alexander the Great. The region has seen many changes in how it is ruled and how it is named.

History shows how the name of the land changed due to wars. The Roman Empire conquered the area in 63 BCE. They first ruled through client kings. Later, they made a province called Judaea. After a large revolt known as the Bar Kokhba revolt from 132 to 136 CE, the Romans changed the name. They renamed the province "Syria Palaestina" to punish the people.

Second Temple
Second Temple

This was a very rare move for the Roman Empire to make.

Different rulers arrived in the region during later centuries. The Byzantine Empire ruled before the Muslim conquest in the 630s. After that, several Muslim groups like the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates held power. The land also belonged to the Mamluk Sultanate in the 13th century. For four hundred years, it was part of the Ottoman Empire.

Akko BW 13
Akko BW 13

In the early 1900s, the United Kingdom occupied the area during World War I.

Modern history has brought many changes to the borders of the land. Between 1919 and 1922, the League of Nations created a mandate for British administration. Tensions grew between Arab and Jewish populations in the late 1940s. This led to the 1947–1949 Palestine war. That war ended with the creation of Israel on most of the land.

Houghton Typ 794.34.475 - Kâtip Çelebi, Kitab-ı cihannüma
Houghton Typ 794.34.475 - Kâtip Çelebi, Kitab-ı cihannüma

Today, the region remains a very important part of global history.

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🖼️ Images & Media (9)
File:Ancient Near East 1000BC.svg
Ancient Near East 1000BC.svg
File:Palestine under David and Solomon (Smith, 1915).jpg
Palestine under David and Solomon (Smith,...
File:Kingdoms_of_the_Levant_Map_830.png
Kingdoms_of_the_Levant_Map_830.png
File:אמפי קיסריה.jpg
אמפי קיסריה.jpg
File:Second_Temple.jpg
Second_Temple.jpg
File:P1090530 (5147892579).jpg
P1090530 (5147892579).jpg
File:Akko BW 13.JPG
Akko BW 13.JPG
File:Houghton_Typ_794.34.475_-_Kâtip_Çelebi,_Kitab-ı_cihannüma.jpg
Houghton_Typ_794.34.475_-_Kâtip_Çelebi,_Ki...
File:Satellite image of Israel.jpg
Satellite image of Israel.jpg
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