Middle East Geography

Why is the Middle East important? Crossroads to Africa, Asia, and Europe

Cultural Diffusion / Diversity You likely know diversity means differences in a

group of people Cultural Diffusion refers to the spreading of

culture from a central point (Palestine is often the central point in the ME)

Strategic Location- Sea Routes, Oil are vital to the locals and international world

Major Regions Northern Tier- Turkey, Iran and the Iranian Plateau

Mostly desert region—where there isn’t a desert, there’s likely to be a mountain

Arabian Peninsula Oil, birthplace of Islam.

Fertile Crescent- Mesopotamia, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Iraq The Fertile Crescent is a rich food-growing area in a part of the world

where most of the land is too dry for farming. The Fertile Crescent is a boomerang shaped region that extends

from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. Some of the best farmland of the Fertile Crescent is on a narrow strip

of land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Nile Valley- Egypt

Fertile land in Egypt = very valuable They become an economic leader in Africa Access to Mediterranean Sea (Med Sea + Suez Canal = access to

Indian Ocean)

Middle East Geography

Northern Tier- Turkey, Iran and the Iranian Plateau

Arabian Peninsula

The Fertile Crescent

The Nile Valley

Middle East Geography

Climate- Entire region is mostly desert

Very little water or rain.

Tons of oil.

Middle East Geography

Peoples- Languages- Arabic, Turkish,

Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Greek, and Armenian

Ethnicities- Arab, Turks, Iranians (Persians), and Kurds

Middle East People

People live:

In small farming villages

As Nomads- Bedouins A minority Arab community nomadically

living amongst the rest of the population

They have conflicts between water and grazing land.

Middle East People

Family life important and patriarchal. Father has final say.

Marriages are arranged / Multiple wives / divorce was permitted

Women subordinate to men / “Men are the managers of the affairs of women”

Women in some Arab communities must wear a hijab; in other communities it is optional dress Explanation of the view of women in traditional I

slamic culture from a traditional conservative student’s perspective

Middle East Historical Highlights

The Code of Hammurabi- 1st law code “An Eye for an Eye” http://www.commonlaw.com/Hammurabi.ht

ml

The Phoenician Alphabet- basis for English

The Persian Empire- largest and most compassionate

Religions- Islam, Christianity, Judaism

Middle East Historical Review

Moses and the Jews flight from slavery in Egypt to Israel as God commanded…10 Commandments

Romans expel Jews from Palestine in70A.D.

Christianity and Jesus

Islam and Mohammad

Christian Crusades

Middle East Historical Review

WW1 Treaty of Versailles stripped Middle East from Ottoman Empire (who sided with Germany) - Britain and France get Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Trans-Jordan, Palestine.

Middle East Historical Review

Turkey becomes a republic under Kemal Ataturk

Iran achieves independence under Reza Khan Pahlavi

Middle East Historical Review

Iraq gets independence from Britain in 1932

Lebanon and Syria from France in 1943 and 1946 respectively.

Conflict over Palestine intensifies.

Middle East Historical Review

Zionist movement calls for establishment of Jewish State in Palestine…Encourage Jews from Europe to emigrate to Palestine

1917 Balfour Agreement- British back Jewish state in Palestine

Arab Nationalists in Palestine feel betrayed by the British

Middle East Historical Review

Muslims and Christians far outnumber Jews in Palestine

By 1930 many Jews are moving to Palestine because of Anti-Semitism by Hitler.

After WW2- Thousands of Jews (death camp survivors) left Europe for Palestine.

Middle East Historical Review

Palestinian Arabs bitterly oppose this migration by Jews

1947- U.N. partitions Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state- Israel is formed.

1948- Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon attack Israel separately.

Middle East Historical Review

Israel wins and seizes ½ the area the U.N. set aside for Arabs in Palestine. 500,000 Arabs forced to leave Palestine

Wars in 1956, 1968, and 1973 all led to territorial gains by Israel including the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, The Golan Heights for Syria, and the West and East Bank plus east Jerusalem from Jordan.

Middle East Historical Review

Palestinians form PLO- Palestinian Liberation Organization.

PLO main objective is to create a Palestinian state for Muslims.

Yasser Arafat leads PLO and is moderately successful forcing Israel to turn over some of the west bank and Gaza Strip.

Conflict continues as both Israel and the Palestinian States seek to control Jerusalem and west bank.