That region had been considered a relatively quiet backwater mostly (not counting Egypt) under the control of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, until the Ottoman collapse during WWI allowed the British and French victors to slice the region up into new political entities that favored European interests - in particular, European oil interests. Absent oil, that region probably would have remained a relatively quiet backwater.
That region had been considered a relatively quiet backwater mostly (not counting Egypt) under the control of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, until the Ottoman collapse during WWI allowed the British and French victors to slice the region up into new political entities that favored European interests - in particular, European oil interests. Absent oil, that region probably would have remained a relatively quiet backwater.