History of Ancient Middle East
Who lives
here?
Share common history, but not a
common culture
Majority practice Islam:
Sunni (followed elected leader – chosen in a
shura)
Shiite (followed Ali, cousin of Muhammad)
(Israel is the exception – What do they
practice?)
There are also Christian communities
Religious identity is closely tied to social
status
Geography
DRY – mostly desert
Mountain valley, river valleys and
oases
Landforms
Sahara desert – world’s largest hot
desert
Atlas mountains in North-west Africa
Desertification
-Process by which arable
land becomes desert
-Overgrazing strips land of
plant life and exposes soil
Mountains
Often they block moisture coming in
off of the Mediterranean, Black and
Caspian Seas
Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, and Dardanelles
have strategic importance… can you guess
why?
Irrigation
Not much arable land –
Irrigation needed to
sustain agriculture and
life in many areas in the
Middle East
Problem: Too much salt
in the soil is drawn up
with water, when water
evaporates it destroys
soil
Rivers
Nile – the lifeline
of Egypt
96% of Egypt is
desert,
practically
unlivable
Floods regularly
Tigris &
Euphrates
River valley
formed basis for
first civilization
Industry
Cash crops – ie: cotton, tobacco on coastal
regions
Traditional rug making
Illiteracy stands in the way of wide-spread
industrial success
Service Industry – banking, tourism, and
communications
Desalination – trying to solve water
shortage
OIL
OPEC
Venezuela joined with several Middle
Eastern states to form the Organization
of Petroleum Exporting Countries
Operates as a cartel – members work
together to limit competition and maintain
prices
Fertile Crescent
Heavier rainfall and
access to water
Extends along
Mediterranean Coastal
plain in Israel, through
Lebanon and Syria, down
into northern Iraq
Ancient civilizations began
here – Mesopotamia in
4,000B.C.
Civilizations of the Middle East
In the following slides, you will see some of the
civilizations that have occupied portions of the
Middle East through time. Accomplishments are
listed with each civilization.
After looking at the civilizations and reading the
text book pages, come up with one question
concerning the History of the Middle East that you
think should appear on a future test. Also, choose
which civilization you believe had the biggest
impact on this region and why
Egyptians
5,000 BC
Developed
trade of crafts
Pharaoh – ruled
as god-king
Hieroglyphics
Amazing
architecture,
result of
concern with life
after death
Sumerians
Polytheistic, built Ziggurats
as temples to the gods, as
well as administrative
centers
Developed Cuneiform to
keep records
Warfare broke out over
control of land and water
Babylonians
Empire in T&E river valley
Hammurabi – 1st ever public
law code, didn’t create equality
but prevented the strong from
destroying the weak
This is where the saying “an eye
for an eye comes from”…literally
Hittites, Lydians, Phoenicians
Hittites used iron – (stronger
metal than what they had
before, but brittle)
Lydians 1st to use coined $
Phoenicians lived in Lebanon,
traders and navigators,
developed alphabet
Hebrews
Adopted idea of
monotheism
One God - Yaweh
Old Testament
10 commandments
God demands
obedience and in
turn, protects his
people
Diaspora – the forced removal of
Jews from their homeland
Hebrews migrated from Palestine due to
famine and were enslaved in Egypt – freed
by Moses according to Bible
Settled in Canaan and set up kingdom of
Israel
Israel split up by Assyrians and
Babylonians – many Jews were exiled, this
was the first Diaspora (586 BC)
Persians
Conquered huge empire by 500 BC
Built roads, “pony express”
communication system
Lots of cultural diffusion
Greeks and Romans
Alexander conquers
Persia, tried to unite the
Greek and Middle Eastern
worlds
Greek education and
culture is spread through
the Middle East – more
cultural diffusion
Romans exerted control
over Egypt, Syria and
Turkey
Byzantine
Rome divided, Constantinople
became center of Christianity in
Byzantine Empire (Eastern Rome)
Fell to Ottoman Turks
Crusades
200 years of warfare
Fought for control of
the Holy Land
(Palestine)
Crusaders robbed
land and goods, killed
Muslims and Jews
Ottomans
Suleiman the Magnificent
Ruled from 15th to 18th century
Turks from Turkey
Good soldiers and administrators,
unified most of the Middle East, North
Africa and Southeastern Europe
under their control
Ghazis – warriors who defended
Islam in the region
Built mosques, created literature, became
powerful empire
Ruled by a Sultan
Education, religious matters and laws controlled by
mullahs
18th century corruption in govt. and loss of trade routes
lead to decline in empire’s land and power
Napoleon, the Brits and the
Russians
Beginning of European infiltration into
M.E.
After he defeated Egypt, the British
came to the defense of Ottomans –
shows them as superior and gave them
voice in M.E. affairs
Brits also defend Turkey from Russia
Nationalism on the Arabian
Peninsula
Wahhabis – Anti-Turkish, AntiWestern Muslim movement
Angry @ corruption of Ottoman govt.
and western reforms
Urged strict puritanical devotion to Islam
Helped to establish Saudi Arabia
WWI
France and Britain take parts of the M.E. in
the 1800s.
British occupy Egypt and control canal
Broken promises of Europeans after the war
is won create bitterness
Brits had promised M.E. countries independence
if they helped
After victory, Lebanon and Syria went to France
while the British took over Iraq, Palestine, and
Transjordan, (as mandates)
Growth of nationalism results from resentment of
European rule and manipulation – demands for
independence grow
Sykes-Picot Agreement, 1916
Nationalism
Mass rallies, strikes and
boycotts
Arabs engaged in guerilla
warfare in Palestine and
violent outbursts occur in
occupied countries
Saudi Arabia and Iraq gain
independence, Syria and
Lebanon controlled by
French until WWII
Opportunity Knocks
Britain defends its interests
in Egypt in WWII from
Italian dictator Mussolini
Arabs in the rest of
occupied countries try to
ally with Axis powers
Try to seize opportunity to be
rid of European domination
Map of History of Empires
http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/E
MPIRE17.swf
Describe one possible result of the
information you gather from the map.