The Middle East Mostly Arabian Culture Mostly Islamic

The Middle East

• Mostly Arabian Culture• Mostly Islamic

The Middle East

• The Middle East is a flexible term– Includes most of North Africa plus Southwest Asia

• Some countries in North Africa may be excluded• Some countries in Central Asia may be excluded

North Africa• Morocco• Algeria• Tunisia• Libya• Egypt

Southwest Asia• Iraq• Syria• Jordan• Lebanon• Palestine• Yemen

Gulf States• Saudi Arabia• Kuwait• Qatar• UAE (United Arab

Emirates)

• Bahrain• Oman

• Speak Arabic• The borders to most Arabic countries

were drawn by Europeans• Borders are not along ethnic lines• Borders are not along religious lines

–Causes conflict where a strong leader (normally) holds the country together

Non Arab Countries in the Middle East

• Israel– Jewish

• Turkey– Turkish language and culture

• Iran– Persian language and culture

Islam: Sunni vs. Shia

Natural Resources

• The middle east’s main resource is still Oil

• Many of the Middle Eastern countries were founding members of OPEC– Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, &

Kuwait

• Tries to control the price of oil by limiting supply

Natural Resources

• The Middle East lacks fresh water resources

• Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Oman use desalination plants to get fresh water

Hagia SophiaHagia Sophia

• Built by the Roman Emperor Justinian in 532

• First a Cathedral, then a Mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey

• Largest unsupported dome in the world

Arabic Architecture

• Has pointed arches

• Verses from the Koran and names of the prophets are incorporated into the buildings

• Morocco• Algeria• Tunisia• Libya• Egypt• Sudan• Mali• Niger

•Most people in Northern Africa live

•Along the coast

•Along the Nile River

•Along the Niger River

•All these areas provide fertile soil and better climates

•Arabic is the most common language

Sahara• Made mostly of rocks and gravel• Ergs-field of sand dunes

• Regs- extensive gravel-covered plains

• Hammadas- barren, stony, plateaus

Sahara Bigger than the Continental United States

TUAREGS

• Known for the blue robes they wear for protection from the Sahara desert

• Trade across the Sahara connecting Sub-Sahara Africa with the ports and goods of Northern Africa

TUAREGS

• Ancient people who originally traded salt for gold in the Ancient Malian city of Timbuktu

• Have their own culture and ethnic identity separate from the rest of Africa

Mali• In 2012, the Tuareg fought

for their own independent country in northern Mali.

• This weakened the government’s control of the area and militant terrorist groups seized the whole northern part of the country

• These terrorists wanted to set up a militant Islamic homeland

Mali• In January 2013 France invaded northern

Mali in an effort to kick out all terrorists in Mali

• In retaliation, terrorist groups in Algeria kidnapped European, American, and Japanese workers

• The Algerian military immediately intervened

TERRORISM

• violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror)

• Is done for a religious, political or, ideological goal– Ideological-characterizes the thinking of

a group or nation

• Targets civilians or people who do not fight

Egypt

• People have been living along the Nile River for eight thousand years

• The river provided:– Water for crops– A transportation route– Fertile soil

• The surrounding desert provided safety from invaders

Arabia• Rub al-Khali-the empty quarter

– The world’s largest sand sea– Makes up 20% of Arabia’s land

Iraq and Mesopotamia• The world’s first civilizations began here

along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers• These rivers begin in Turkey and flow

through Syria and Iraq

Stateless Nations• A stateless nation is a nation of people that do not have any land that is legally theirs• Example:

Between 70 AD and 1948 the Jews were a stateless nation

• No Israel on the map

Since 1948 the Palestinians have been considered to be a stateless nation

Kurdistan

• Kurds live in Turkey, Syria Iraq and Iran

•Kurds do not have their own country

•Stateless Nation

Kurdistan (stateless nation)

• Kurds are not Arabic or Turkish• Kurdish Terrorists fight for Kurdish

independence in Turkey

Ottoman Empire• Capital was Istanbul

• Ruled Eastern Mediterranean

• Declined in 17th & 18th Centuries

• Fell after WWIhttp://www.worldstatesmen.org/Turkey.html

http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Ottoman.jpg

Colonial Times• Ottoman Empire fell after WWI• Britain and France divided up

its possessions• French Mandate included

–Lebanon and Syria

• British Mandate included–Palestine, Trans-Jordan and Iraq

British & French Mandates

http://travelogue.travelvice.com/postfiles/2009-05-10_1920-mandates.thumbnail.jpg