A Concise History of the Middle East

488 • Glossary

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC): A group formed in
1960 to maintain a minimum price for oil
Orhan (or-HAHN): Ottoman sultan (1326-1360)
Osama bin Laden: see Bin Laden, Osama
Oslo: (1) Site of secret Israeli-PLO negotiations (1992-1993); (2) Term applied to
1993 Declaration of Principles; (3) Term applied to 1995 Israeli-PLO agreement
Osman I (oss-MAHN): First Ottoman sultan (ca. 1280-1326)
Osmanli (oss-MAHN-lih): Pertaining to descendants of Osman I, their soldiers
and administrators, or their language
Ottoman Decentralization Party: Liberal political movement favored by moder¬
ate Arab nationalists before World War I
Ottoman Empire: Multinational Islamic state (1299-1922) that began in north¬
western Anatolia and spread through the Balkans, most of southwest Asia,
Egypt, and coastal North Africa
Ottomanism: Identification with the Ottoman Empire (as opposed to separatist
nationalism), encouraged by early westernizers
Oxus River: Roman name for the Amu Darya, a Central Asian river flowing from
the Pamir Mountains northwest to the Aral Sea
Ozal, Turgut (ew-ZAL, tewr-GEWT): Turkey's prime minister (1983-1989) and
president (1989-1993)
Pahlavi (pah-luh-VEE): (1) Pre-Islamic Persian language; (2) ruling family of
Iran (1925-1979)
Palestine: (1) Geographical term for southern Syria; (2) name of the British man¬
date from 1922 to 1948; (3) term preferred by many Arabs for some or all of
the lands currently governed by the State of Israel
Palestine (Self-Governing) Authority: Political organization set up by Oslo I
agreement to administer areas relinquished by Israel to the Palestinians
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): Group formed in 1964 by Arab heads
of state, now the umbrella for most Palestinian military, political, economic,
and social organizations
Palestinian: Inhabitant of Palestine; now the term used for Arabs who live in
Palestine, came from there, or descend from emigrants from that land
Palmyra: Ancient Arab city in central Syria that challenged Roman power in the
third century
pan-Arabism: Movement to unite all Arabs in one state
pan-Islam: Idea or movement calling for unity of all Muslims, promoted by some
Ottoman sultans and some popular leaders
pan-Slavism: Movement to unite all Slavs, especially under Russian leadership
pan-Turanism: Movement to unite all peoples speaking Turkic languages
Paris Peace Conference: Meeting of the victorious Allies after World War I to es¬
tablish peace in Europe and the Middle East
Parthian: Persian dynasty (248 B.C.E.-227 C.E.) preceding the Sasanids