MIDDLE EAST

PRESENTED

BY

RAAVI TRINATH

INTRODUCTION

The term ‘Middle East’ may have originated in the 1850s in the British India Office.

The Middle East is a region that roughly encompasses a majority of Western Asia and Egypt.

It is the birthplace and spiritual center of many religions and earliest civilizations.

Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Manichaeism, Yezidi, Druze, Yarsan and Mandeanism, Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, Manicheanism, and the Bahá'í Faith.

Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia) and ancient Egypt were originated in this region.

The region is well known for its oil reserves.

COUNTRIES

DEMOGRAPHICS

ETHNIC GROUPS

The Middle East is today home to numerous long established ethnic groups.

Including; Arabs, Turks, Persians, Jews, Kurds, Somalis, Assyrians (Chaldo-Assyrians), Arameans-Syriacs, Egyptian Copts, Armenians, Azeris, Maltese, Circassians, Greeks, Turcomans, Shabaks, Yazidis, Mandeans, Georgians, Roma, Gagauz, Mhallami and Samaritans.

RELIGIONS

Islam in its many forms is by far the largest religion (about 99%).

Christianity and Judaism are also represented.

DEMOGRAPHICS

LANGUAGES

The five top languages, in terms of numbers of speakers, are Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Berber, and

Kurdish.

Arabic (with all its dialects) is the most widely spoken and/or written language.

Persian is the second most spoken language.

English is commonly taught and used as a second language, especially among the middle and upper

classes

CLIMATE

Mild, wet winters with hot dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers

on high plateau; dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer

Temperatures can soar upto 40°C

Only light showers of rain

CUISINE

The cuisine of the region is diverse while having a degree of homogeneity.

Some commonly used ingredients include olives and olive oil, pitas, honey, sesame seeds, dates, sumac, chickpeas,

mint and parsley.

Some popular dishes include Hummus, Manakeesh, Grilled halloumi,

CLOTHING

Jordan lady in typical clothes

FAMILY ROLE AND NAMES

FAMILY ROLE

Family is the most important unit of their social system and defines social relations.

The individual is always subordinate to the family.

Family is seen as a person’s ultimate refuge and support system.

Children are taught profound respect for adults.

NAMES AND TITLES

The use of titles in important due to the hierarchical nature of the society.

When introduced to someone, try to call them by their professional,

or academic title and their surname.

HISTORIC PLACES TO VISIT

Petra, Jordan

Giza Plateau, Cairo, Egypt

Temple Complex of Karnak, Luxor, Egypt

Baalbek, Lebanon

The Old City, Jerusalem, Israel

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

Ephesus, Turkey

The Egyptian Museum

The Temple of Karnak

ECONOMY

Middle Eastern economies range from being very poor (such as Gaza and Yemen) to extremely wealthy nations

(such as Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia)

Overall all nations in the Middle East are maintaining a positive rate of growth

Some nations are heavily dependent on export of only oil and oil-related products (such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE

and Kuwait)

Others have a highly diverse economic base (such as Cyprus, Israel, Turkey and Egypt).

شكرا