MIDDLE EAST
Middle East Climate
Deserts
• Sahara (North Africa) & Arabian Desert
Desert Landscape
• Sand dunes
– 15% of Sahara
• Rocky desert
– 85% of Sahara
Areas With
Freshwater
• Areas with Mediterranean
Climate
– Same climate as So. Cal.
– Rainy winter, Dry summer
– On Med. coast above 32oN
Areas With Water
• Mountains…
– Atlas Mtns.
– Zagros Mtns.
– Yemen
Mountains
of Yemen
Areas With
Water
• River Valleys…
– Nile River
– Tigris & Euphrates
River Valleys – Ancient Civilizations
• Nile Valley - Egypt
LANGUAGES
• Arabic
– Originated in
Arabian Peninsula
– South of Taurus &
Zagros Mtns.
Arabic
LANGUAGES
• Non-Arab Mountainous North…
– Turkish
– Farsi in…
LANGUAGES
• Hebrew in….
ISLAM
• Followers are “Muslims”
• Began with Muhammad
– Lived ~ 600 AD
– Born in Mecca (Saudi Arabia)
• Holiest City…
Five Pillars of Islam
1. Make a profession of faith
– “There is no God but Allah
and Muhammad is His prophet”
PILLARS OF ISLAM
2. Pray 5x/day towards Mecca
3. Charity…
PILLARS OF ISLAM
4. Daytime fasting during Ramadan
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca
Islam Division
• Sunni Muslims
– Most Muslim countries
• Shi’ite Muslims
– Iran, Iraq
THE MAGHREB
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3 Countries: M.A.T.
Were French Colonies until 1950s
Atlas Mtns.
Med. Climate…
Sahara…
ATLAS MOUNTAINS
• Over 13,000’ in…
• Highest mtns…
MOROCCO
• Strait of Gibraltar
MOROCCO
• Casablanca…
EGYPT
• Most Populated …
• Nile River
– Water supply
– Floods
• Deposited fertile silt…
Nile River Valley
• 95% of Egypt’s pop.
Aswan High Dam & Lake Nasser
• Benefits:
– Electricity
– Year-round irrigation
• More ag production
• Benefits of Dam:
Aswan High Dam & Lake Nasser
• Negative Effects:
– Silt trapped….
• No more floods depositing fertile silt
• Med Sea fishing…
Cairo
• Largest city…
– Only subway…
Giza
• Pyramids
Alexandria
• 2nd largest city…
• Summer…
Suez Canal
• Mediterranean  Red Sea
• Built 1860s
– By Brit & French…
• 1956
– Egypt gained control
• Tolls…
Sinai Peninsula
• Mt. Sinai
Mt. Sinai
• Moses…
– 10 Commandments…
LEBANON
• Mediterranean Climate
– No desert
LEBANON
• Mountains (10,000’)
• Cedar Forests…
LEBANON
• Beirut - capital
LEBANON
• Ancient Home of the Phoenicians
– Became Christian
• Arab Conquest, 700 AD
– Brought Islam
• Under French control 1920s-1940s
– French is the 2nd language…
LEBANON
• Diverse population
– 60% Muslim
– 40% Christian
LEBANON
• Civil War 1980s
– Christians vs. Muslims
– Emigration of Christians
• Peaceful now
ISRAEL
• 1/50 the size of Calif.
• Unique religion/language of the Mid East
Israel’s People
• 80% Jewish,
Hebrew-speaking
ISRAEL’S PEOPLE
• 20% Muslim Arabs
ISRAEL
• Country est. 1948
• Historically called
“Palestine”
• Med. Sea in west
• Water Features in east
– Sea of Galilee
• Main source of
freshwater
– Jordan River
– Dead Sea
DEAD SEA
• 1300’ below sea level….
• Lowest elevation..
• Extremely salty…
Dead Sea
ISRAEL’S CLIMATE
• North ½ – Med climate
– Rainy in winter 
• South ½ - Negev Desert
Negev Desert in South
“The Promised Land” of the Jews
• God promised Palestine to Abraham’s Descendants
– Jews are Abraham’s Descendants
– Jerusalem – Jewish Capital
• King Solomon’s temple
– Destroyed in 70 A.D.
– Western Wall remains
– Holiest Place for Jews
Jerusalem
• Dome of the Rock
– Holy for Muslims
– Muhammad rose to heaven
Jerusalem – Holiest Place for Christians
• Jesus’ death (crucifixion) & resurrection
Arab-Jewish Conflict
• Britain ruled 1920s–1940s
• 1947 - UN plan to divide Palestine
– Jewish state (“Israel”) (green on map)
• Est. 1948
– Arab state (“Palestine”) (yellow on map)
• Not accepted by Arabs
Arab-Jewish Conflict
• Both believe Palestine should
be theirs
– “Promised land” for Jews
– Arabs lived there 700-1900s AD
ARAB-JEWISH WARS
• Israel conquered additional land
after 1948
– West Bank
– Gaza Strip
JORDAN
• Desert
• Petra
SYRIA
• Civil War 2011-Present (2016)
• 3-way war
– Govt, Rebels, & ISIS (“Islamic State”)
• ISIS
– Group of Islamic extremists
• Want strict Islamic law
– Conquering much of Syria & Iraq
– Violence against:
• Christians
• Moderate Muslims
SYRIA’S CIVIL WAR
• Mass Migration of Refugees
– 4 mln left Syria (20% of population)
– Many trying to go to Europe
• Esp. Germany
IRAQ
• “Mesopotamia”
– T & E Rivers
• World’s first:
– Agriculture
– Cities (Babylon…)
IRAQ
• Was led by Saddam Hussein
– Overthrown in U.S. invasion 2003
• ISIS controls parts of Iraq
ARABIAN PENINSULA
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Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Oman
United Arab Emirates
Qatar
Bahrain
Kuwait
• Desert Nomads
– Bedouins
• Herders of…
PERSIAN GULF
• 60% of World’s Oil
#1 – Saudi Arabia
Oil Exports from the Persian Gulf
• Exported to:
– Europe & Japan
– USA (12% of U.S. oil demand)
PERSIAN GULF CITIES
• Oil Wealth  Rapid Urban Development
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
• World’s tallest building…
DUBAI
• Incredible shopping malls
TURKEY
• In Europe & Asia
BOSPORUS STRAIT
Europe
Asia
ISTANBUL •
On the Bosporus
– Old name: Constantinople
– Center for Christianity until 1400s
TURKEY’S CLIMATE
• Mostly Mediterranean
• No desert
• Xlnt Agriculture
Iran
• Old name = “Persia”
• 1979 Revolution
– Relations with USA…
• Trying to develop
Nuclear Weapons?
AFGHANISTAN
• Desert & Mtns (25,000’)
• Difficult to conquer or control
Afghan People
• Muslim, but not Arab
– Pashto Language
• Very Poor
• Opium
AFGHANISTAN HISTORY
• Ruled by Taliban, 1990s
– Permitted al-Qaeda training bases
• Osama bin Laden founded/funded Al-Qaeda
– From Saudi Arabia
– Killed 2011