1 2 3 4 5 6 For your warm up, identify these countries and bodies of water without your notes 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15.

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For your warm up, identify these countries and bodies of water without your notes

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Israel Jordan

LebanonSyria

Turkey

Iraq

Saudi Arabia

Yemen

Oman

UAEQatar

KuwaitIran

Afghanistan

Cyprus

Bahrain

Arabian Peninsula

Anatolian Peninsula

Sinai Peninsula

Plateau of

Persian GulfGulf of Oman

RedSea

Dead Sea

Arabian Sea

CaspianSea

Black Sea

Tigris & Euphrates Rivers

•Get out a piece of paper and put your name at the top

Human Geography of the Middle East

WARNING:ONLY WRITE WHAT IS IN RED FONT!!!

The Arabian Peninsula• Bahrain, Kuwait,

Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

• Because of the location, they are a crossroad for culture and trade.

Religion• Religion is the major cultural and

religious influence in this region.

Religions

• Judaism:– Concentrated in

Israel– Established more

than 3,200 years ago

– Oldest monotheistic religion

– Basic laws & teachings come from Torah (Holy book)

– Place of worship = Synagogue

• Christianity:– Evolved from

the teachings of Judaism (2,000 yrs. ago)

– Monotheistic– Based on

teachings of Jesus Christ (Son of God to Christians)

– Holy Book Bible– Place of

worship= Church

• Islam:– Based on teachings

of Prophet Muhammad

– Monotheistic– God is Allah

(Arabic)– Close ties to

Judaism and Christianity

– Holy Book = Qur’an– Place of worship=

Mosque– 2 major divisions:

• Sunni and Shiite

When Islam started, the religion united the people of the Arabian Peninsula in a way that had not been done previously.

Islam vs. Christianity - What are the major differences?

• Muslims and Christians have vastly different views on major points of ideology and theology. First and foremost are the differing perceptions of Jesus, the Christ. Islam readily accepts that Jesus existed and that he was born of the Virgin Mary. Islam teaches that Jesus was merely another prophet, equal to and following in the line of Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

• Muslims believe that Muhammad is the final messenger, superior to all previous prophets, the ultimate. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, which makes Him equal to God. Secondly, Islam refutes the idea that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. They believe that God spared his messenger from such a shameful death and later took him up to himself.

• For Christians, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross is the focal point of all belief. The religion of Islam has the Qur'an as the source of truth and believe that it is the only true, reliable and pure scriptures.

• Finally, Muslims do not hold to any assurance of salvation. They do not feel that is was even necessary for Jesus to pay for our sins. The belief that they hold is that every man must bear and pay for his or her own sins; for Jesus to be punished and responsible for our sins would be unjust in their eyes.

• In your own words, summarize two main differences between the religions

The Five Pillars of Islam – requires certain religious duties of all Muslims.

• Faith All believers must testify to the following statement of faith: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

• Prayer Five times a day, Muslims face toward the holy city of Mecca to pray. They may do this at a place of worship called a mosque or wherever they find themselves at the prayer times.

• Charity (Alms giving) Muslims believe they have a responsibility to support the less fortunate by giving money for that purpose.

• Fasting During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset. This action reminds Muslims that there are things in life more important than eating. It is also a sign of self-control and humility.

• Pilgrimage (hajj) All able Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca at least once during their lifetime.

A Human Perspective…

Two million people pour into the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca for a few weeks each year. They come from all over the world. In the past, the trip to Mecca involved a difficult journey across oceans and over miles of desert. Today, pilgrims arrive on airplanes. These people are fulfilling the Islamic religious duty of hajj, which is a pilgrimage to the holiest city of Islam—Mecca. For five or more days, all are dressed in simple white garments and all perform special activities, rituals, and ceremonies. It is a powerful example of spiritual devotion by the followers of one of the three major religions that claim a home in Southwest Asia.

•Please get out your binder with your physical and human geo notes

Pilgrimage to Mecca…

RamadanFasting in the month of Ramadan is another duty that shapes the lives of Muslims. During this month, adult Muslims do not eat or drink from before dawn until sunset. Fasting is a way of reminding Muslims of the spiritual part of their lives. After sunset, Muslims may eat a light meal of lentil or bean soup, a few dates, yogurt, and milky tea. A festival, ’Id al-Fitr, marks the end of Ramadan. New clothes, gifts, and elaborate dinners, along with acts of charity, are part of the celebration.

Ramadan in 2012 started on Thursday July 19th and continued for 30 days until Saturday August 18th

Sunni vs. Shiite• Sunnah “Sunnis”• After Muhammad the Prophet died, the person to

precede him should be elected from a pool of capable conservatives.

• Shia “Shiites”• They believed the person should have been handed

down by blood to someone in Muhammad's family.

90% of Muslims are Sunnis, about 10% are Shiites

Judaism: History• Wailing Wall- “Western

Wall”, holy site, last remaining portion of the temple, most sacred Jewish site.

In Jerusalem, Israel. Jerusalem is divided into religious quarters. Control over the city has been fought for since the beginning of religion

Christianity: Beliefs and Practices

Communion shows participation in the body of Christ. The bread represents his body, the juice or wine represents his blood.

Baptism is used to represent the washing away of sins. Theory of why most people do it as babies?

Government and Religion• The governments of lands controlled by Muslims were

theocratic. This means religious leaders control the government.– Rulers relied on religious law and consulted with religious

scholars on running the country.

Oil Dominates the Economy

• The principal resource in the economy of the Arabian Peninsula is oil.

• Large increases in oil prices allow the oil-producing nations to funnel money into development of other parts of their economies, especially water development projects.

OPEC• In 1960, a group of oil-producing nations,

including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, established an organization to coordinate policies on selling petroleum products. The group is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, also known as OPEC. The purpose of OPEC is to help members control worldwide oil prices and production. OPEC is a powerful force in international trade. Other Southwest Asian members include Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Iraq.

Modern Arabic Life• Changes on the Arabian Peninsula during the

20th century were dramatic. • Abandoned towns and villages for city life

(urbanization)• Emphasis on modernizing – Use of Western technology and machines have

disrupted traditional ways of life. – Camels OUT cars and cars IN

Modern Arabic Life

• Despite its rapid modernization, some aspects of Muslim culture have remained the same for centuries.– Women’s clothing: cover their heads, hair, and

sometimes faces with a scarf or veil called a hijab

Eastern Mediterranean

A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE On September 28, 2000, riots broke out in the city of Jerusalem. The cause was a visit by an Israeli political leader to a Jewish holy place at a location on the Temple Mount. Muslims also have a holy place on the Temple Mount. They viewed the visit by the Israeli leader as disrespectful to Muslims. Hundreds of people died in the civil unrest that followed. To understand why a simple visit to a holy place would cause such problems, it is necessary to understand the deep-seated hostility Arabs and Jews feel for each other. They have an enormous disagreement over the control of the city of Jerusalem and of the land called the Occupied Territories. In fact, the relations between Arabs and Jews affect the entire region of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Religious Holy Places

All three claim Jerusalem as a holy city.

• The City of Jerusalem, which covers 42 square miles, has Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sections. Followers of all three religions come to the Old City to visit locations with strong spiritual meaning.

Religious Sites in Jerusalem

• JEWISH: King Solomon built the First Temple; only piece still standing is the “Western Wall”

• MUSLIM: Dome of the Rock, houses the spot where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad rose into heaven.

• CHRISTIAN: sacred location of the crucifixion of Jesus

• There is a great deal of political tension among nations in this subregion.• The Crusades

Palestinian Authority Territory is the black and white lines…The West Bank and Gaza Strip

Golan Heights is a territory of Syria

Modernizing Economies

• Nations in the Eastern Mediterranean are relatively young.

• They face many problems…– economic – civil war– political divisions– Refugees– lack of water

Modernizing Economies• Have great potential for

development. – good climate for

producing citrus crops– many places for tourists

to visit.• They are well located

for connections to international markets

• Lack infrastructure

• Countries in this region have marketplace (bazaar) economies and cannot compete with world markets

Modern Life• A curious blend of old and new– Some restaurants have separate men and women

sections• Muslim Arabs make up the majority of

population• Lebanon has been a refuge for both Muslims

and Christians.

The Northeast

A human perspective…

On March 16, 1988, Iraqi Air Force planes released poisonous gases over the Kurdish town of Halabja, Iraq. An estimated 5,000 Kurds, an ethnic group in the Middle East, died from the chemical weapons attack. The Kurdish people have occupied the lands they call Kurdistan for thousands of years. In the modern world, those lands are located in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. For most of the 20th century, these three nations disagreed with the Kurds over control of these lands. In fact, clashes over land have been the focus of much unrest in the northeastern part of this region.

Clashes over Land• Kurds have been called a stateless nation

– Were promised a homeland after WWI but never received it

A Blend

of Cultur

es• The northern part

of this region is mostly Muslim, but only Iraq is Arabic in cultural life.

• Many ethnic groups in this region– Turks, Kurds, and Persians

• Languages of this region include – Turkish, Farsi (Persian),

and Arabic

Yellow area is where Farsi is spoken>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

• Though most of the groups are Islamic, tensions exist.

Can you speak Farsi?

Turkish Dialects…look

how many!

Can you speak Turkish?

Modern and Traditional Life• Facing internal struggles

still to this day– Some want a more

modern lifestyle and other want to keep more traditional ways (very apparent in Afghanistan)

–Fundamentalist Muslim- want a very traditional and strict interpretation of Islamic law

Clashes over Land

• Iraq and Iran fought a war from 1980 and 1990, over control of oil fields.

• 1990–1991, Iraq invaded Kuwait, starting the Persian Gulf War.

• The United States and 32 other nations fought to drive the Iraqis out of Kuwait and keep oil fields open.

War on Terror• Within a month of the attacks

of 9/11/01 the U.S. and their allies invaded Afghanistan, who was thought to be hiding the people responsible for the terrorist attacks.

• In 2003, fear for national security prompted the United States to declare war on Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein.

Overthrow of the Taliban• Taliban

– Fundamentalist Muslim political group protecting Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist network in Afghanistan

• March 2002, the Taliban was removed from power

• May 2011, Osama bin Laden killed

• http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2011/05/02/exp.sot.obama.bin.laden.cnn

Overthrow of Saddam Hussein• Saddam Hussein: Iraqi dictator believed to be

continuing to develop and expand a weapons of mass destruction program

• Operation Iraqi Freedom– March 2003 to stop Hussein’s ability to wage mass war or aid

terrorists– Major combat technically ended May 1, 2003 started to work

toward democracy in Iraq

Saddam Hussein shortly after capture by American forces, and after being shaved to confirm his identity

• Saddam Hussein was captured by American forces in December of 2003

• Charged and put on trial by the interim Iraqi government for crimes against humanity• Specific charges included

the murder of 148 people, torture of women and children and the illegal arrest of 399 others.

• Found guilty and sentenced to death in Nov 2006, hanged a month later in Dec 2006

Middle East