Mediterranean Middle
East
Turkey & Lebanon
2011
Turkey
Very Modern,
Western and
Progressive
WHY IS TURKEY
SO MODERN
AND WESTERN?
Location?
Western Influence
Istanbul
City in Asia and Europe
Republic of Turkey
Secular Democracy
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Founder of the Republic
after WWI (Ottoman
Empire)
Many Western reforms:
secular, Latin letters, civil
laws over Islamic laws,
education reforms
Abolished veiling of women
in public
Old city of Constantinople
is Istanbul today!
Constantinople
First Christian Empire
Roman CapitalConstantinople
Later in history- Muslims
invade the area and rename
the capital Istanbul and the
bring Islamic monuments
etc.
Very Diverse with Western
influences!
Roman Emperor-Constantine
Blue Mosque
Hagia Sophia
Museum today, it was a
Christian Church and then a
Muslim Mosque.
The next slide shows the
elements of both religions
in the museum today.
Christian & Islamic
Turkey is a true
democracy!
Beirut, Lebanon
Like Turkey, very
Modern and Western
A True Democracy
Located on the Mediterranean Sea,
huge influence by west!
French Influence from the Mandate
system
French Influence!
Mandate System
Place d’Etoile I Beirut
A Parliamentary
Democracy!
Power Sharing among the diverse religious
communities in the country.
Lebanon's unwritten National Pact of 1943 required
that its president be a Maronite Christian, its speaker
of the to be a Shiite Muslim, its
prime minister be Sunni Muslim, and the deputy
speaker of Parliament be Greek Orthodox.
Lebanon after
independence
Before 1975, the country experienced a period of
relative calm and prosperity,-strong tourism,
agriculture, and banking.
Because of its financial power and diversity, Lebanon
was known in its heyday as the "Switzerland of the
East”.
It attracted large numbers of tourists, such that the
capital Beirut was referred to as "Paris of the Middle
East.”
Lebanon struggles with
Civil War
In 1975, civil war broke out in Lebanon and lasted
fifteen years, devastating the country's economy.
The war ended in 1990 with the signing of the Taif
Agreement and parts of Lebanon were left in ruins.
Israel and Lebanon have also been involved in wars!
After all the wars, Lebanon had rebuilt most of the
city of Beirut.