Palestine (region) facts for kids
Palestine is a special region in the Middle East. It's located in an area called the Levant, which is between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Many different groups of people have lived here throughout history, like the Philistines, Phoenicians, and Arabs. It's also known as the Holy Land because it's where two major religions, Judaism and Christianity, first began.
Today, this region is divided into two main areas: Israel and the State of Palestine. The lands known as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are areas that both Israel and Palestine have claimed. Many cities in this region are considered holy by major religions. Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Hebron are some of the most important ones.
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The State of Palestine
The State of Palestine is a country in the Middle East. Its capital city is Jerusalem. Many countries around the world, specifically 141 members of the UN, recognize it as an independent state. Since 2012, it has been an observer state at the United Nations. This means it can participate in UN meetings, which is a way of recognizing its statehood.
The State of Palestine says that the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are its territories. It declared its independence on November 15, 1988.
History of Palestine
Ancient Times
The first people to move to the land of Palestine were the Canaanites. They came from the north of Arabia around 5000 BCE. They also learned about alphabets from people living in what is now Lebanon. About 3,000 years later, the Israelites arrived. They were the descendants of Jacob, who was the son of Abraham.
The Israelites ruled over the region we now call Palestine. At that time, it was known as Southern Canaan or the Land of Palestine. This area stretched from Tyre in the north to Beersheba in the south. After King Solomon died, the land was split into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom called Samaria and the Southern Kingdom called Judea.
The Assyrian King Sennacherib conquered the Northern Kingdom, and many Israelites were forced to leave. More than 100 years later, the Babylonians conquered Judea, and many Jewish people were also expelled. However, some Jews and Samaritans stayed in the land. When the Persian Empire took over from the Babylonians, some Jewish people returned to Judea. They slowly rebuilt their civilization. The area remained under Persian rule for another 200 years, with the Jewish people having some freedom to govern themselves.
Macedonian Rule
When Alexander the Great of Macedon conquered the region, it came under Greek influence. First, Alexander himself ruled, then the Ptolemaic rulers from Egypt, and finally the Seleucids. In the second century BCE, the Jewish people living there revolted against the Seleucids. They created their own independent Hasmonean kingdom. This Jewish kingdom grew over the next few decades, conquering neighboring groups like the Samaritans and Edomites. However, over time, the powerful Roman Empire began to take control of the region.
Roman Rule
After a period where King Herod ruled with some independence, Judea became a Roman Province. The Jewish people rebelled against the Romans twice. But the Romans won both times. They eventually renamed the whole area Syria-Palaestina, after the ancient enemies of Judea, the Philistines.
After about 200 years, the Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire. This was a Christian empire. The Byzantines continued to rule the country. It was divided into districts like Palaestina Prima and Palaestina Secunda. Most of the people living there were Byzantine Christians, but there were also large groups of Samaritans, Jews, Greek Byzantines, and Christian Arabs.
Middle Ages and Ottoman Empire
Over the next few centuries, the region was conquered by different empires. It was briefly taken by the Persians, then became part of the Arab Muslim Empire. Later, it was part of the Crusader kingdom, the Mamluk Sultanate, and finally the Ottoman Empire.
During World War I, in 1918, General Allenby's forces attacked the Turkish army. After the war, the British took control of the area, which was called the Palestine Mandate. Today, this land is divided. Jordan makes up about 81% of the original Mandate area, and Israel makes up the remaining 19%. Jordan was established as a country on May 25, 1946. The Gaza Strip was captured by Israel from Egypt in 1967. Israel later withdrew from Gaza in 2005. This region is often called the Holy Land because it is sacred to Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
Images for kids
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Kingdoms of the Southern Levant during the Iron Age (around 830 BCE)
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Caesarea Maritima, also known as Caesarea Palestinae, was built by Herod the Great. It became the capital city of Roman Judea and Byzantine Palaestina Prima.
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A model of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, rebuilt by Herod. The Romans destroyed it in 70 CE during the First Jewish-Roman War.
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The Hospitaller fortress in Acre was destroyed in 1291 and partly rebuilt in the 18th century.
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The Khan al-Umdan, built in Acre in 1784, is the largest and best preserved caravanserai (a roadside inn for travelers) in the region.
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A satellite image of the region
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See also
In Spanish: Palestina (región) para niños
