The Debate This 16th Century Battle Created the Modern Middle East The pivotal legacy of the Battle of Chaldiran still reverberates 500 years later. Akhilesh Pillalamarri By Akhilesh Pillalamarri August 21, 2014 This 16th Century Battle Created the Modern Middle East Credit: Wikimedia Commons Chaldiran (چالدران) today is a small, sleepy town in northwestern Iran near the Turkish border. Yet, nearly five hundred years ago to the day, on August 23, 1514, the plains outside of Chaldiran groaned under the weight of men and horses and thundered with the sound of cannon-fire and muskets. The Battle of Chaldiran is one...