Alexander the Great built an empire that stretched from the Balkans to India in just 13 years, when he was king of Macedonia. His conquest started in Persia, where he battled King Darius III's forces in what is now Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Egypt. After defeating the Persian Empire he moved further east, conquering land in what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan. After entering what is now India his troops mutinied. Alexander then turned back but became ill and died unexpectedly in Babylon, in what is now Iraq, in 323 B.C.
When his empire fell apart after his unexpected death, his officials and generals took over parts of it, and Greek language and culture thrived across the Middle East for centuries.
