Middle East

The change in usage began to evolve prior to World War 2 and tended to be confirmed during that war, when the term Middle East was given to the British military command in Egypt. By the mid-20th century a common definition of the Middle East encompassed the states or territories of Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, and the various states and territories of Arabia proper (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and the Trucial States, or Trucial Oman [now United Arab Emirates]). Subsequent events have tended, in loose usage, to enlarge the number of lands included in the definition. The three North African countries of Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco are closely connected in sentiment and foreign policy with the Arab states. In addition, geographic factors often require statesmen and others to take account of Afghanistan and Pakistan in connection with the affairs of the Middle East.

Mount Tabor, Hebrew Har Tavor, Arabic Jabal Aṭ-ṭur, historic elevation of northern Israel, in Lower Galilee near the edge of the Plain of Esdraelon (ʿEmeq Yizreʿel). Though comparatively low (1,929 feet [588 m]), it dominates the level landscape around it, leading to the biblical expression “like Tabor among the mountains” (Jeremiah 46:18). It is first mentioned in the 13th century BC in Egyptian inscriptions of the pharaoh Ramses II. Its chief Old Testament association is as the site of the triumph of the Israelite general Barak over the Canaanite leader Sisera (c. 11th century BC), under the inspiration of the judge and prophetess Deborah (Judges 4). Although it is not named in the New Testament, Mount Tabor is the traditional site of the Transfiguration of Jesus. The first churches on the mountain were built in the 4th century AD. At the summit of the mountain there are a Franciscan church and hospice and a Greek Orthodox church. From atop the summit, there is a panoramic view of Upper Galilee. Ruins of crusader fortifications are numerous. The mountain has fine woodlands and attracts many hikers.