Middle EastSouthwest Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean

Please title page 45 in your ISN “Middle East: Physical Geography”

Warm up

• Using just the top of page 45, number your paper 1-20 (divide into 3 columns to take up less space.

• Identify each statement according to the religion(s) it applies to.– I= Islam– C= Christianity– J= Judaism

• Some statements may apply to more than one of the religions.

Learning Targets

• I can identify the landforms and rivers that can be found in the Persian Gulf region and the Eastern Mediterranean.

• I can explain how the physical geography of the region affects its climates and people.

• I can identify natural resources of the region.

Persian Gulf and interior Southwest Asia

• Includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE, and Yemen

• Arabian peninsula between Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

• Iraq and Iran have coasts on Persian Gulf• Afghanistan LANDLOCKED

Persian Gulf and interior Southwest Asia

• Shaped by tectonic forces (African, Eurasian, and Arabian plates)– Mountains, upland plateaus, valleys, narrow gulfs.– Frequent Earthquakes

• Arabian Peninsula: Mountains in west, dry plains in N. and E.

• Mesopotamia = “between rivers,” Tigris and Euphrates are exotic rivers

Persian Gulf and interior Southwest Asia

• Mostly Arid and Semiarid climates• Resources: OIL and WATER• People live near oases (places where there is

water near springs or fossil water).• Persian Gulf region produces more oil than

anywhere else on earth.

The Eastern Mediterranean

• Includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan

• Dardanelles, Bosporus, and Sea of Marmara separate Europe from Asia

• Turkey: plains and hills in Europe and Mountains on Asian part (Anatolia)

• The rest of Eastern Med. Is mostly coastal plains, plateaus, hills, and valleys

The Eastern Mediterranean

• Climates:– Arid, Semi-arid, and Mediterranean– Farming, herding, and shipbuilding have largely

stripped the region of its forests.

• Resources:– WATER: Tigris and Euphrates begin in Turkey,

Jordan River shared by Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel– Mineral resources: coal, copper, iron ore, potash,

and magnesium

Middle EastSouthwest Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean

Please title page 48 & 49 in your ISN “Middle East: History”

Warm Up

• On the top third of page 48 write 4-6 sentences in response to the following prompt:– The Middle East is located near the center of

three continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia. How might the relative location of the Middle East have affected its history?

A (very) Brief History of the Middle East

Middle East: Ancient History

• Mesopotamia: “the cradle of civilization;” means “between rivers”– Early Civilizations:

• Sumer– First users of intensive agriculture with irrigation– Division of labor– First deciphered writing: cuneiform– Epic of Gilgamesh-oral (later written)– Use wheel

Cuneiform

Middle East- Ancient History

• Babylon:– Hammurabi’s code (one of the earliest known sets of

written laws)– Later, enslave Jews (Babylonian captivity; diaspora)

• Israel:– Hebrews,jews

• Persian:– Modern Iran– Xerxes (300)

The Silk Road

The Silk Road

• All major trade routes go through the Middle East

• Whoever controls the region charges fees on everything that travels through.

• Huge amounts of wealth flow into the Middle East through trade.

• Most valuable items include:– Silk– Spices

The Roman Empire (1 AD)

The Roman Empire (1 AD)

• Romans rule the modern Middle East• Middle East was by far the richest part of the

Roman Empire• More than 2/3 of the population of the

Roman Empire lived in the East

The Rise of Islam (634 AD)

The Rise of Islam (634 AD)

• Arabs conquer the Middle East from the Roman Empire.

• Islam replaces Christianity as the dominant religion.

The Arab Empire (634-1258)

The Arab Empire (634-1258)

• Arab Muslims build a huge empire by controlling Mideast trade

• Christians from Europe now must pay Muslim traders to buy goods from Asia.

• Europe is a poor continent – Middle East is the center of learning and civilization.

Crusades (1095-1291)

• Pope calls on Christians to take Jerusalem.• Armies from all over Europe join the fight.• Control goes back and forth several times, but

ultimately the Europeans lose control.• Resurgence of trade in Europe; helps fuel

beginning of Renaissance• How might the crusades have affected the

way Muslims view Christians today?

Rise of the Ottomans (1258- 1500 CE)

The Ottoman Empire Grows (1258-1500 AD)

• Ottoman Turks conquer the Middle East• Tensions rise between Muslim Ottomans and

Christians in Europe• Christians don’t want to pay fees on goods

brought in from Asia

Portugal’s Bright Idea (1500 AD)

New Trade Routes (1500 AD)

• Portuguese are first to map a new trade route around the horn of Africa.

• British, French, Dutch, Germans all build empires around trade routes.

• European merchants don’t have to pay Ottoman fees if they go around the Middle East

European Empires Expand

European Empires Expand

European Empires Expand

European Empires Expand

European Empires Expand

European Empires Expand

European Empires Expand (1500-1900 CE)

• Major trade routes no longer run through the Middle East

• Middle East becomes very poor as European Empires control world trade routes

• Ottoman Empire shrinks and is bankrupt by 1900 CE

• The Middle East is a poor region that no one cares much about. But then…

Oil is Discovered

• Vast majority of the world’s oil reserves are found in the Middle East

• Discovery of Oil brings new money into the region

• Some Mideast countries become rich overnight, others are still very poor.

And then Came Oil (1900-present)

Answer the following prompt on a separate sheet of paper.

• Explain ways in which the geography of the Middle East has affected its history and the rest of the world as we know it today.

Modern History

• Israel:– Late 1800s, Jews from all over the world begin

returning to Israel (Zionist organization founded)– 1917-1948- British take over from Ottomans and

receive mandate of League of Nations to oversee Palestine.

– 1948- Palestine divided by UN in to Palestinian and Jewish states; Israel declares independence; Arabs invade; Jews win

– 1956 Sinai Campaign- Israel Gains control of Sinai peninsula from Egypt (will later give it back)

– 1967 Six Day War- Israel takes control of West Bank, Golan Heights, and Gaza (will later give some of this land back to Palestinian and Syrian control)