Conquest of Constantinople to do business in Eastern Europe and the most difficult. The Europeans have tried to sea as soon as the road would take them to Indian spices, without the intervention of Arab traders. Vasco da Gama reached India by sea in 1498, and opened the sea trade between Europe and Asia. Then the trade routes by land of the Arabs and Turks have been reduced.

The Ottoman Empire continued to prosper 4:17 p.m. centuries, despite the weaknesses inherent in the organization of the Sultanate. The first sign of weakness was the defeat of Turkey in the naval battle of Lepanto (near Naupactus Epirus, Western Greece) in 1571, the anti-Ottoman alliance known as the Holy League. The Holy League was assembled at the influence of Pope Pius V and led by Don John of Austria. It was the Papal States, Spain, Venice and Genoa.

The turning point in the struggle of Turkey to Europe, came to the second siege of Vienna in 1680. The Turks were defeated by a combined force of Germans and Austrians the help of 30,000 Poles under Emperor January Sobieski Ottoman Empire declined in power and importance, but the fact that the decrease was not really understood by another 120 years. Rapid conquest of Egypt by Napoleon in 1798 clearly indicates that the Muslims were left in the race for cultural development, and efforts have been made to introduce Western arms, printing presses, music and dress.

However, the Muslim world did not industrialize and modernize, and the turkish empire continues to retreat before the advancing Russian and break due to internal reasons. Throughout the nineteenth century, were partly to save the British and French were interested in the preservation of Turkey means of stopping Russian expansion, and protect their growing interests in Turkey, which has been a considerable debt to them. All powers, including Russia, has pursued a policy of maintaining control of the sultan, and to maintain the integrity of the empire turkish. At the same time, the Western powers encouraged or took advantage of the dismantling of some parts of the empire. Greece, Turkey, was taken in 1830 following an internal revolt, and Serbia became independent in 1829 following the Russo-Turkish War. Lebanon became independent in 1861.

Egypt remained independent after the retreat of Napoleon, but was forced to abandon their conquests in Syria and Palestine. Turkey has lost more territory, especially in the Balkans after the Crimean War in 1856 and after the Balkan crisis of 1878.

In 1908, the turkish government took over the Young Turks, a group of students and dissident soldiers, who have focused on the dissatisfaction of many with the arbitrariness and inefficiency of the administration and the hopes of Arab nationalists, and others. In 1908, the Young Turks forced Sultan Abdulhamid II of the Constitution, and again in 1876 to remind the legislature. In 1914, Turkey became a WW I, less than half of the central powers. Great Britain decided it was time to dismantle the Ottoman Empire. A British officer TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), Islamic rebellion helped Hashemite family, the rulers of Mecca and the Hijaz. The British, Australian and French made a long and bloody battle in the Gallipoli peninsula, and was eventually forced to retreat, suffering about 250,000 casualties. However, General Allenby conquered Palestine and Syria, and the Turks retreated before the British and Arab rebels and Russians pressing from the north.

Turkey was forced to sign a shameful peace at Sèvres in 1919, but Kemal Ataturk, who took the government of Young Turks, refused to honor it, and negotiated better terms in Lausanne in 1922 after defeating the Greek invaders. Ataturk abolished the caliphate formally in the same year and began the modernization of Turkey.

Ottoman Empire, the last Muslim empire, was completed, and the Middle East was carved in Great Britain and France, the nation-state, mandate, and protected areas, which became independent after World War II. Saudi Arabia, the Wahhabi-Saud family, which is based in the Eastern Najd took power, to move Hashemites, who ruled the Hijaz. Was promised the Hashemite Kingdom of Arabia, the British in exchange for their support of the British and Ottoman rebellion. The British to compensate for the loss of Hashemites Hijaz, giving them the kingdoms of the Trans-Jordan and Iraq.

Arab identity, nationalism and Islam - The spread of the spread of Islam necessarily of Arab culture, language and customs. The Quran is in Arabic and can not be translated into religious practice, so that knowledge of Arabic is important for all Muslims. As the empire spread, the Arabic language became the local media of pre-existing cultures. In particular, the Arab culture in the beginning and poetry owes a great debt to Persian. The term "Arab" is associated with Arabic speakers, rather than limited to the original inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula, although today it is sometimes used in reference to the Bedouins of Arabia and sometimes used to refer to all Arabic-speaking peoples. The Arab empire was in many ways dependent on foreigners, which were included in the greater or lesser extent. The Arabs use the Turkish slave caste, the Mamluks, as soldiers. Christians and Jews served as merchants and administrators, especially in Egypt, and later under the Ottoman Turks.

All these different people were integrated in various degrees of coverage and enthusiasm for different species and the "Arabs".

The historical development of Islam, the Arab States and its successor states was different than in the West. Some argue that, because this development is not a true national sentiment in Arab countries, but this is not necessarily the case. Arabic is part of the Arab umma (roughly translated as "community" - is sometimes translated as "nation") and the Muslim Arab is also a member of the Islamic umma. The Arab identity can also be a special "national", a member of "Sha'ab," as Palestinian Sha'ab. In modern times, nationalism has also led to the reassertion of particularism, and the separate identity of different ethnic and religious groups, such as the Egyptians, Bedouins and Arabs in the peninsula, the Maronite Christians and the Amazigh people of North Africa.

Islam and Arab culture has developed a model of tolerance and coexistence long before they were made in the west. The model is different, however, or models of cultural pluralism melting pot of modern Western society. Pluralism and the separation has been recognized and regulated. Companies in the Middle East tend to be segmented, so that, for example, Armenians, Jews, Greeks and others live in separate neighborhoods, go to separate schools, have different occupations together, each clear and recognized in society . Christians and Jews were classified as people of the book and license fees as dhimmi, a second-class citizenship that was a disability of varying degrees of discomfort at different times and in different Muslim countries, and could result in restrictions on worship The special clothing, except for administrative and other restrictions. Land conquered by Muslims was awarded the lease of the Muslims. The conversion of the Jews and Christians in general unforced.

although during the 12 century, Spain and North Africa fell under the domination of a fanatical sect, Mu'ahaddin, which forced conversion of Jews and Christians to Islam. Conversion to Islam was made particularly attractive, because it led to lower taxes, freedom from slavery in captivity, and the possibility of progression. Women prisoners are forced to marry Muslims do not need to change their religion, but their children must be raised as Muslims. Some of the persecution of Hindus under Muslim Mughal Emperor was famous Auranzeb. However, for the most part, both the Arabs and later the Ottoman Muslim tolerance view of Jewish and Christian religions, and even the pagan cult, which was unknown in Europe. When Jews were expelled from Spain, Sultan Beyazit II welcomed them to Ottoman Turkey and the Ottoman Empire allowed the Jews were expelled from Spain to live in Palestine, where they formed communities in Tiberias and Hebron.

Arab-Israeli conflict - the Arabs have remained bitter that the British have not fulfilled their promises as soon as an independent Arab empire, which included Syria, and granting the Palestinian homeland for Jews. Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 called for part of Palestine under British rule, the joint input from the government ally of Syria and Lebanon, given France. However, Britain also offered to Arab demands to run the post-independence war, the Ottomans in return for Arab support for the Allies, and seems to promise the same areas of the Arabs. In November 1917, before it was conquered Jerusalem and the area known as Palestine, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration, British support for a Jewish national home in Palestine, and leads the League of Nations mandate in Palestine.

Pan-Arabism - Frustrated Arab nationalist ambitions and ideologies Socialists and Fascists gave birth to many movements and political parties. Especially the Baath Party was founded in Syria in 1928 by Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din Bitar with a pan-Arab nationalist elements of both Marxism and fascism. Aflak and Bitar were influenced by Arab nationalist tendencies that had begun in the time of the Turks, inspired in part by the ideologies of Islamic and Arab reform of Jamal al-Din al-Afghani (1839-1897), his student Muhammad Abduh ( 1849-1905), and student Abduh, Muhammad Rashid Rida (1865-1935). These thinkers called for a revival of Islam, with limited borrowing needs of the concepts of the West. Abduh was particularly active in promoting Arab autonomy within Ottoman Turkey, and had placed high hopes in the Young Turks. Rida became increasingly anti-Western, over time, and had a great influence on Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Although he was a Christian Aflak greek-orthodox, the Baathist ideology adopted by the affinity for Islam, and pan-Arabists saw one of its goals, affirming the primacy of the Arabs in the Muslim world.

As the Second World War drew to a close ambition, Arab nationalism and a desire to avoid the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine led to the creation of the Arab League soon, rising Arab national sentiment. Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt's president, took the anti-imperialist, to become the leader of a pan-Arab ideology, which sought to unite the Arabs beyond the borders of nation states and to encourage modernization program and secularization. This program has met with opposition from Muslim traditionalists. Pan-Arabism of Nasser was reduced after the origin of the Six Day War with Israel, which led to a disastrous Arab defeat. Other contenders Nasser finally took place as leaders of pan-Arabism, including Saddam Hussein of Iraq. However, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism or Islamism, an ideology that largely displaced offered pan-Arabism.