Chapter 11 Southwest Asia

BY: MAT T CONKLINAND

ALLIE LEHMAN

Chapter 11Southwest Asia

Maps

Lesson 1: Vocabulary

alluvial soil – fine soil deposited when a river floods over its banks

oasis – a place in a desert that has a dependable supply of water

exotic rivers – rivers that start in a wetter area and flow into a drier area

wadis – riverbeds that are usually dryaquifers – underground layers of rock or sand that

hold waterqanats – underground canalsdesalinization – to remove the salt

Southwest Asia

Southwest Asia is one of the driest regions in the world. But the valleys, plateaus, and mountains help give it variety.

It has been considered the crossroads of the world because it ‘s the place where Asia, Europe, and Africa meet.

Seas surround every country in Southwest Asia but Afghanistan. A set of narrow straits that cut through Turkey link the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. On the eastern side is Asia, and on the western side is Europe.

Much of Southwest Asia is made up of the Arabian Peninsula and Asia Minor.

Rivers

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers are the most important rivers in Southwest Asia; and both start high in the mountains of Turkey as little streams.

The Euphrates flows through Syria where it provides farming water. The Tigris River flows along Syria’s border into Iraq.

In Iraq, the Tigris and Euphrates flow almost parallel for hundreds of miles. In southeastern Iraq they join to the river Shatt al Arab. And then that runs until it empties into the Persian Gulf.

Deserts

The two largest deserts in Southwest Asia are the Syrian Desert and Rub’ al-Khali.

The Syrian Desert has a rocky landscape. Other parts of the desert are considered to be steppe. They receive enough rain to have vegetation.

People also settle in places where there are oases. The oases often provide the water for farming.

Resources

Southwest Asia is rich in natural resources. Coal, copper, and rock salt are just a few. But the most important are natural gas and oil.

While scarce in many places, natural gas and oil are abundant in Southwest Asia. These countries cluster around the Persian Gulf.

Fresh Water

Fresh water is a rare resource in Southwest Asia. Much of Southwest Asia is arid, so many areas are too dry to grow crops. They only grow if farmers use irrigation.

Although fresh water isn’t plentiful in Southwest Asia, sources do exist. Rivers are vital but limited because surface water evaporates quickly in desert regions. Many people live along rivers.

Another source is in wadis. During the rainy season, they fill with water. But the basins soak up much of the water.

Aquifers are more reliable. They may have been there for thousands of years and the water would still be pure.

Today, Southwest Asian people collect seawater and use desalinization to remove the salt.

Lesson 2: Vocabulary

domesticate – change them for human use dike – high walls of dirt ziggurat – a huge temple cuneiform – Sumerian symbols codes – laws Torah – the first five books of the Hebrew Bible Ten Commandments – a set of laws for responsible behavior that,

according to the Bible, were given to the Jewish people by God Gospels – the first four books of the Christian Bible’s New

Testament Qur’an – the holy book of the Islam; the messages that Muhammad

received from God Crusades – a series of wars fought in the Middle Ages between

Christians and Muslims over control of the Holy Land

Ancient Mesopotamia

One area important to the early people of Southwest Asia was the fertile plain between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. People found that plants grew well in Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamians probably learned about agriculture from the early farmers of Asia Minor. In the foothills of the Zagros and Taurus Mountains, people had learned to domesticate wild plants. The people picked seeds from the healthiest and best-tasting wild plants and planted them to get more of the same plants. In doing so, they became some of the world's first farmers. These early farmers built year-round shelters not far from their fields, forming some of the world's earliest communities. Soon, people in other parts of Southwest Asia learned about this way of getting food.

The land of southern Mesopotamia, or Sumer, proved to be particularly good for farming. The plains there provided the rich soil needed to grow crops. The rivers provided the water that kept the crops alive.

The same rivers that helped Sumerian farmers survive also brought danger. No one knew when the rivers would overflow their banks. Sudden floods wiped out crops, destroyed houses, and sometimes brought death.

The Sumerians found ways to control the rivers. They built dikes to keep the rivers from overflowing. They also dug ditches to carry water to their dry fields. These innovations allowed the Sumerians to grow large amounts of grain and dates.

Sumer

By 3500 B.C. the Sumerian communities had grown into city-states. In the center of each city-state was a huge temple called a ziggurat. The Sumerians believed in many gods, and the ziggurat honored a city-state's most important god. The Sumerians built their ziggurats using bricks made from mud. They made the mud by mixing their soil with water.

The demands of city life led the Sumerians to introduce more innovations. The need to move things caused the Sumerians to build wheeled carts and sailboats. The need to keep trade records led to the world's first writing system. At first, the Sumerians used picture symbols. As time passed, the symbols became less picturelike. Today the Sumerian symbols are known as cuneiform.

In about 2500 B.C. a king known as Sargon conquered the Sumerian city-states. He then formed one of the world's first empires. Known as the Akkadian Empire.

The Akkadian Empire lasted long after Sargon's death but eventually weakened. For hundreds of years no one person ruled the area. Then, in about 1790 B.C., a leader named Hammurabi began a time of conquest. By 1750 B.C. Hammurabi had conquered much of Mesopotamia, forming the Babylonian Empire.

Judaism

Judaism is one of the oldest major religions and the first to teach the belief in one God. The basic laws and teachings of Judaism come from the Torah. The Hebrews were the ancestors of the present-day Jewish people.

The Torah describes God's covenant with Abraham, the founder of the Jewish religion. The Torah also tells how God gave the Jewish people a set of laws for responsible behavior. These laws are called the Ten Commandments. The Torah contains other commandments as well. It also tells how the kingdom of ancient Israel was divided and conquered by other people.

By 37 B.C., the land that had been the kingdom of Israel had fallen under Roman control. It became the province of Judaea. During this time Jesus traveled throughout Judaea. He taught the Ten Commandments and belief in one God, as other Jewish teachers did. But some ways Jesus' teachings were different. He told people to stop sinning so that they could be part of God's kingdom. He explained that God loves and forgives sinners.

As more people followed Jesus believed his teachings, Jewish leaders became concerned. They said that Jesus and his followers did not follow Jewish law. Roman leaders also became concerned. They thought that Jesus might take over their empire and set up his own kingdom. In about A.D. 30, the Roman governor of Judaea allowed his soldiers to put Jesus to death.

Within days, Jesus' followers reported that he had risen from the dead. To them, this proved that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus' followers came to be known as Christians, and their religion was called Christianity.

Christianity

As followers spread Jesus' teachings and established churches, more people became Christians. They learned about Jesus from stories in the Gospels.

The Roman leaders punished both Christians and Jews for their belief in one God. The Jewish people revolted against the Romans and were forced to leave the Holy Land in about A.D. 70. In A.D. 313, Christianity was accepted in the Roman Empire. In A.D. 392 Christianity became the Empire's official religion. Today Christians around the world celebrate Jesus' birth at Christmas and his resurrection at Easter.

Islam

During the A.D. 600s an Arab teacher named Muhammad preached that there is only one God and that he was God's messenger. Muhammad's messages form the holy book of the religion of Islam, known as the Qur'an. Followers of Islam are called Muslims.

After the death of Muhammad, Arab Muslims took control of the lands along the Mediterranean. This included the Holy Land. By about A.D. 750 Islam had spread from present-day Spain and North Africa to China and India. The people of the Muslim Empire built a civilization that made important advances in science, mathematics, and technology. They created the most accurate maps of their day. They also collected great libraries.

Between 1095 and 1291, European Christians sent armies to take the Holy Land from Muslim control. Christian leaders had said that Muslims would not let Christians enter Jerusalem and other sacred places in the Holy Land. The battles that were fought between Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land are known as the Crusades.

The Crusades caused much loss of life of both Christians and Muslims. Yet they also brought the two peoples closer together. During the Crusades, Christians and Muslims learned about each other's ways of life and each other's resources. They traded goods and borrowed ideas and technology.

Iran

In the 500s B.C., before the Muslim Empire, an empire was built by the Persians, the ancestors of the Iranian people. The Persian Empire was almost as large as the 48 contiguous states. It stretched from Eastern Europe and North Africa to India. It went from the Gulf of Oman to the Caucasus Mountains. Under leaders such as Cyrus the Great and Xerxes, the Persian Empire built a great civilization. One of its innovations was a pony-express system for sending messages. This system stretched from one end of the vast empire to the other.

The Persian Empire lasted only 200 years. In 331 B.C. Greek armies led by Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire and introduced Greek culture. During the middle A.D. 600s, Arabs made Persia a part of the Muslim Empire. Over time the Arab rulers gradually converted the Iranians to Islam. However, most Iranians continued to follow Persian culture and to speak the Persian language.

During the mid-1000s Arab rule weakened in what is now Iran. Seljuk Turks from Central Asia took control and ruled an empire that included most of Iran, the Holy Land, and parts of Eastern Europe. During their rule the Seljuk Turks introduced Islam to the people of Eastern Europe.

In the 1300s another group of Turks, the Ottomans, began to build a mighty empire of their own. The Ottoman Empire reached its greatest influence in the region in the 1500s. During this time the Ottomans controlled much of Southwest Asia and parts of North Africa and Eastern Europe. More importantly, the Ottoman Empire also controlled much of the Mediterranean Sea. Because of this, it controlled trade in the region.

Lesson 3: Vocabulary

refugee – a person who flees from his or her home or country to find a safe place to stay

Five Pillars – acts of worship that Muslims are expected to perform

hajj – a Muslim pilgrimage, or special trip, to Mecca, a holy place

Sunni – the largest branch of IslamShii – the second largest branch of Islamcalligraphy – decorative writing

Religion

The people of Southwest Asia are diverse in culture and religion (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). However, most of the people there are Arab Muslims. Their beliefs are based on the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. The Qur'an teaches Muslim wisdom, laws, and duties.

The Five Pillars are acts of worship that Muslims are expected to perform. 1) stating their faith, 2) praying five times a day, 3) giving to charity, 4) fasting during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, and 5) making a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

There are two main groups within the religion of Islam. They are the Sunni Muslims and the Shi'i Muslims. Most Muslims in Southwest Asia are Sunni. Of the 15 percent of Shi'i Muslims in the world, most live in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon.

Life

Strong family life is valued in all the societies of Southwest Asia. Parents and children often share their homes with other relatives. The oldest male in the household has the most say in making a decision. Women play a major role in taking care of their children and homes.

In some Arab countries a woman's freedom may be limited outside the home. In Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to drive cars and must be accompanied by a male relative wherever they go. At the same time women in nearly every country in Southwest Asia may have careers and can vote in elections. In some countries women are required to be almost completely covered, with only their eyes exposed.

Even though there is little fertile farmland in Southwest Asia, nearly half of the people of the region still grow crops for a living. Farmers usually live in villages near their fields. The farmers grow grains, olives, cotton, fruits, and vegetables. Crops that are not used by farmers and their families are often sold at markets.

ArtsBeginning in the seventh century, the spread of Islam began to influence the arts

and architecture of Southwest Asia. Islamic beliefs do not allow the use of holy images in worship and forbid images of animals and people. Instead, Islamic artists use designs that have geometric shapes. These designs are important in Islamic art and architecture.

Poems and stories were ways that the Arab people shared their culture and way of life with other people. Today, many Arabs enjoy listening to and reciting poetry. For centuries building designs in Southwest Asia have been shaped by Islam.

Mosques, or Islamic houses of worship, are good examples of this. Columns, domes, arches, and towers for calls to prayer can be found in the mosques of Southwest Asia.

Countries of Southwest Asia are known for their beautiful handicrafts. Turkey, Iran, and Iraq are famous for their hand-woven carpets and rugs. Craft workers in Lebanon and Syria create amazing glassware.

Western music and movies have also influenced the region. At the same time, music and films from Southwest Asia have gained audiences and awards around the world. Arab music was influenced by Persian and Greek music. Arab music often uses stringed instruments called ouds. It usually has long repeated rhythms.

Lesson 4: Vocabulary

Zionism – the movement to establish a Jewish homeland

mixed economies – an economy with varying degrees of free enterprise and government control

absolute monarchy – the monarch has complete authority

embargo – a limit or ban on trade

Independence

World War I put the Central Powers—the Ottoman Empire, Germany, and Austria-Hungary—in a fight against the Allied Powers—France, Britain, Russia, and later the United States. The involvement of the Ottoman Empire in World War I brought fighting to Southwest Asia. In 1918, World War I ended in a victory for the Allied Powers. The end of the war also brought an end to the Ottoman Empire.

After the Allied Powers won, they redrew the maps of Europe and Southwest Asia. They broke up the former Ottoman Empire. New countries were established, and more territory in Southwest Asia came under the control of France and Britain. All that was left of the Ottoman Empire was the country known today as Turkey. In 1923 a leader known as Kemal Ataturk declared Turkey an independent republic. French and British territories received independence after yet another world war.

A new organization called the League of Nations was given the responsibility for the former Ottoman lands. Representatives from countries all over the world had come together to create the league. Its main purpose was to help solve future conflicts peacefully. Later, the United Nations replaced the League of Nations as a world organization.

Independence (continued)

The League of Nations created a system called mandates to govern the former Ottoman lands. Britain and France were given control over the newly divided land. These lands were to become independent later. Iraq gained independence in 1932. Syria and Lebanon gained independence in 1941. The independence of British-controlled Palestine turned out to be much more complicated.

Before World War I, a movement called Zionism developed among Jews in Europe and Russia. Mistreatment of Jews in those places led to the idea of having a homeland where Jews could settle and govern themselves. Zionist leaders asked the British for their support for a homeland in Palestine. The British had also promised the territory to the Arabs because of their help fighting the Ottomans. Hoping to keep each group happy, Britain promised both Jews and Palestinians a homeland in Palestine.

After World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust, Zionists' demand for an independent Jewish state grew. Britain turned the whole problem over to the newly formed United Nations.

Independence (continued)

In 1947 the United Nations decided to divide Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state. Jerusalem—holy to three religions—was to become an international city not controlled by any one group. In 1948, when Jewish leaders announced the creation of Israel as an independent country, Arab armies attacked Israel. The Arabs aimed to destroy the new nation. By 1949, however, Israel defeated the Arabs and gained control of about half of the land planned for the new Arab state of Palestine.

Over the years Israel and the Arab nations fought several more wars. As a result of these wars, Israel gained control over more of the land that had been set aside for the Palestinian state. Without a homeland, some Palestinians now live under the rule of the Israeli army or have become citizens of Israel. Others live as refugees in neighboring Arab countries. To achieve the goal of a Palestinian homeland, the people have organized into many different groups. The best known is the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO.

The PLO has used both peaceful and violent means. In 1987 the PLO supported a violent series of protests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. However, in 1993 the PLO worked together with Israeli leaders to achieve a peace plan. The plan gave back to the Palestinians control of some of the land lost in past wars. Since that time, however, there has been more violence and conflict.

Independence (continued)

Conflict has occurred in other parts of Southwest Asia as well. When Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960, many people whose ancestors had come from Turkey and Greece lived there. Turkish and Greek Cypriots began to fight over control of the island. Since 1974 the northern part of the island has claimed to be a separate Turkish state.

From 1980 to 1988 Iran and Iraq fought a war over oil-producing territory along their shared border. Today the Kurdish people of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran continue to fight for freedom to preserve their own language and culture.

Economies

A wide range of economies works together in Southwest Asia. Some countries, such as Israel, have market economies that work with government participation. Others, such as Iraq, have command economies.

Most of Southwest Asia's countries have mixed economies, with varying degrees of free enterprise and governmental control. Before the discovery of oil, most of Southwest Asia's countries depended on farming and trade. Oil changed Southwest Asia's economies dramatically. Money from the sale of oil made it possible to import food from countries with stronger agricultural industries. However, even in the oil-rich countries, not everyone has shared in the wealth that this valuable natural resource has brought.

In 1960 several major oil-producing countries, including Venezuela in South America, joined to form the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Today, the Southwest Asian countries of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates belong to OPEC. OPEC tries to control the price of oil. To make sure prices do not dip too low, the organization decides how much oil each country can produce.

Economies (continued)

Southwest Asia's non-oil-producing countries have had to find ways other than the sale of oil to help their people earn a living.

Without oil, Israel has managed to create one of Southwest Asia's strongest economies. Israel exports cut diamonds, high-tech equipment, and fruits and vegetables.

Agriculture is important in many non-oil-producing countries. Turkish farms grow large crops of grains, cotton, and sugar beets. The economies of other countries without oil, such as Jordan and Afghanistan, have not done as well.

Monarchy

A wide range of governments exists in the countries of Southwest Asia. Many of these governments are either republics or monarchies.

One kind of monarchy found in Southwest Asia is an absolute monarchy. In an absolute monarchy, the monarch has absolute, or complete, authority. In Oman an absolute monarch holds all of the power to make and enforce laws.

In most of today's monarchies, the monarch shares power with elected officials. This kind of government is called a constitutional monarchy. Jordan has a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Citizens in Jordan elect the lower house of the parliament, and the king appoints the upper house.

Republic

Many Southwest Asian leaders consider their countries republics. Only some of these countries are true republics, however. According to Iraq's constitution, the country is a republic. In reality, dictator Saddam Hussein rules with an iron hand. Under Saddam Hussein the people of Iraq do not have freedom of speech, press, or religion.

In 1990 disputes over money and oil led Iraqi military forces under Saddam Hussein to occupy nearby Kuwait. The United Nations placed an embargo—a limit or ban on trade—on goods entering Iraq. The United Nations also placed an embargo on Iraq's oil exports. These actions were meant to stop Iraq, but Saddam Hussein did not give up. Soon a war called the Persian Gulf War started. This war ended after a coalition of forces, led by the United States, took military action against Iraq and took back control of Kuwait. Today, relations between Iraq and the United States remain strained.

Southwest Asia also has several true republics. In countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, and Israel, the people elect the members of their government.