May 22: Alexander The Great with his Macedonian army defeated Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Granicus in the year 334 before Christ.

Aristotle  tutoring Alexander, by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris     

The Battle of the Granicus River, near the present Ergili (Turkey) in May 334 BC. This was the first of the three major battles fought by Alexander the Great against the Persian Empire.

22^nd of May 334 BC

Alexander's army fought in northwest Asia Minor, near the site of Troy, was where Alexander defeated the forces of Persia and Persian satraps or governors in Asia Minor. (Satrap was the name given to the rulers of the Persian provinces).

The Battle of the Granicus River: Part of the wars of Alexander The Great.

After the assassination of King Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander, and accepting it as a leader and heir, he destroyed his enemies and executed. Then he launched into consolidating Greece and continued heading to Asia Minor, in 334 BC.

The Kingdom of Macedon in 336 BC.

Alexander's victory at the Battle of Granicus allowed to claim the domains of Asia Minor, which we call the Middle East today.

Statue of Alexander in Istambul Archeology Museum 

It is pertinent to recall that the Persian Empire, also called Achaemenid Empire stretched from the present territories of Afghanistan, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.