The Middle East.
Also known as the Middle Eastern region.
It referred to the vast area spanning the eastern and southern parts of the Mediterranean, from the eastern Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf, including parts of Western Asia and North Africa, as well as around twenty-three countries in Western Asia and Africa, such as Egypt, excluding Afghanistan.
It covered more than fifteen million square kilometers and had a population of 490 million. Connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa and linking the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, it had been a hub of East-West transportation since ancient times. It was a land of two oceans, three continents, and five seas, making its strategic position extremely important.
The people here were mainly Caucasian, but throughout history, Eastern and Western cultures had frequently exchanged influences here, and many ethnic groups had gathered here. Each group still retained its own religious beliefs and customs, however. Most residents believed in Islam, while a minority believed in Christianity, Judaism, and other religions, regarding Jerusalem as a holy city.
Due to cultural differences, the Middle East was extremely unstable. Driven by religious and cultural conflicts, the region's situation had remained turbulent for years as people fought over precious freshwater and oil resources.
According to the official records of human history, the last large-scale Crusade generally recognized as having the Holy Land as its objective took place in the thirteenth century. That was the Ninth Crusade.
The failure of Louis IX's attempt to seize Tunis during the Eighth Crusade led Prince Edward of England to decide to hurry to Acre, marking the beginning of the Ninth Crusade.
However, this expedition ended in failure.
It was said that the Ninth Crusade failed because the crusaders had completely lost their chivalric spirit, while the Mamluk forces led by Baibars had risen in