Page 27 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

The Land of Persia

Babylon was defeated in 538 BC by Cyrus on the night of Belshazzar’s feast (Daniel
5:30). It was this king who issued the famous decree for the Jews to return to their
homeland to rebuild the Temple, taking with them the sacred vessels of the temple
removed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Under Cyrus (pictured right), the
Empire became the largest and most powerful empire in human history up until that
point. Cyrus was able to defeat the Assyrians and Egyptians and build a very large
empire. He based his leadership philosophy on a model of tolerance and respect for other cultures and
religions.

Under Darius the second Temple of
Zerubbabel was completed, and under
Xerxes (Ahasuerus) the story recorded in
the Book of Esther occurred. A later
king, Artaxerxes, allowed Ezra and
Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to
rebuild the walls.

The Capital of the Persian Empire was
Shushan. The Empire lasted about 200
years before being conquered by the
Greeks.

At the height of power, the empire
encompassed approximately 3 million
square miles spanning Asia, Africa, and Europe. The empire had a centralized, bureaucratic
administration under the Emperor and a large professional army and civil services, inspiring similar
developments in later empires.

Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 333 BC, only to be
followed shortly by two more vast and unified Iranian empires that
shaped the pre-Islamic identity of Iran and Central Asia: the
Parthian Empire (250BC – 226 AD) and the Sassanian (226 – 650
AD) dynasty. The Sassanians later defeated the Roman Empire.

The Land of Egypt

Egypt is located at the far northeast corner of Africa, bordering the
Mediterranean Sea. A huge river empties the mountains of
northern Africa directly through the center of the country, creating
a fertile valley. The Jews called Egypt “Mazraim” after the son of
Ham because his descendants located there after Babel. In the
Bible, Egypt was the most powerful kingdom in the world around
1400 BC, during the story of Moses.

Egypt is famous for the Pyramids and Sphinx, and mummies. Ancient Egypt was divided into Lower
Egypt and Upper Egypt; its chief cities were Memphis in the north and Thebes in the south. The Nile

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