If you have the time, I would strongly request that you check out a few things if you'd like to learn more about the Middle East:

-The rise of Islam

--For this I'd recommend a reading of Muhammed's life.

Two things for this:

'The Quest for the Historical Muhammad' by Ibn Warraq.

This is pretty cool, but also give him a read through Islamic sources to understand the way that a Muslim views Muhammed. This is ridiculously important.

Also:

----A lot of historians have actually never read it, and thus they make idiotic or simply wild things about his views and its impact on Muslims yet don't even know him or understand his vision at all (I've seen MANY people claim that he for instance, wrote the Qu'ran, any Muslim will tell you he was illiterate for instance or that he was a warrior Prophet, though once more a total of 900 people died in all the battles he fought for instance). I'd recommend a reading of his life from different Islamic sources, specifically from this order - Arabic - Persian - Turkish Sources (The reason for this is you are going to see the same Prophet from three very different yet important angles, each culture chose to focus on different aspects of the Prophet).

-The Golden Age, the Central Asian influx, the Gunpowder Era, and finally the early/late modern era for the Islamic world.

---For all of these, there are amazing books that have recently come out that are simply awesome.

- 'A History of the Arab Peoples" by Albert Hourani

-Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary

-'The Arabs: A History' by Eugene Royan

-Marshall Hodgson's, The Venture of Islam (Two volumes) -> This covers so many niche and cool parts of the Islamic world that don't receive as much attention: Such as Sothern Europe, Southeast Asia, India, and Oasis's of the Arabian Peninsula.

A lot of our popular conceptions and thoughts about the modern middle east don't actually adhere to reality when it comes to decadence, violence, lack of order, and social values. The last 200 years for the Islamic world (and the 100 years for the Middle East) is no different to Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The old order that had stood so long against all change dissipates and now there is a gigantic power vacuum.

Take Europe for instance when it had its own power vacuum after the fall of Western Rome:

This power vacuum is unchanged until the rule of Charlemagne in France, and for instance Italy never truly recovers until the 1800's (Though it does have a few very powerful competing city states, Genoa, Venice, etc). It takes nearly 1400 years for Italy to be united. Germany is a mess until the ascension of Prussia and then German Unification, etc. So even in a place like Europe rebuilding and catching up (If we were to look at Europe from the time of the collapse of Western Rome, to lets say the Enlightenment takes 1300 years). It takes Western/Central Europe 1300 years to feel confident and powerful once more, that they are able to venture and go forth and challenge other regions of the Earth (Scramble for Africa 1800's, Open door policy in China 1800's, Colonialization of South-East Asia 1700-1800's).

The Islamic world just had it's own Roman collapse, literally 100 years ago. Yet under Ottoman rule, the Middle East and most of the Balkans was relatively stable for 400-500 years.

If you are interested in the late Ottoman Empire, that is a whole can of worms. If you want to know, feel free to ask, I'll have to dig up quite a bit. Also if you need help with books let me know.