Cultural Characteristics of
the Middle East
Jerusalem is crossroads of 3 major world religions, (left)
Western “Wailing” Wall of Judaism, (center) Church of the
Holy Sepulcher of Christianity and (right) Dome of the
Rock of Islam.
Background
 Arab
peoples make up almost the entire
populations of Jordan, Syria, Egypt,
Lebanon, and other states of Southwest
Asia.
 Arab culture has a long history and rich
traditions.
 Many other cultures also live in the region.
 Arab culture has spread across the Middle
East and N. Africa.
Background
 Christianity
and Judaism are
major religions practiced in
Southwest Asia.
 Most people there are
Muslims.
 This means that they
practice the religion of Islam.
 Ninety percent of people in
the region are Muslims.
Arab
 Arabs
comprise most of
the population of
Southwest Asia.
 However, many Arabs
also live in Northern
Africa, Canada, Europe,
and the United States.
 Most Arabs practice
Islam and speak Arabic.
 Small numbers of Arabs
practice other religions.
Muslim mosque interior
Arab

Islam consists mostly of two
different groups.
 Majority practice Sunni Islam
(85 %, e.g., Saudi Arabia).
 Most others practice Shi’ah
Islam (15 %, e.g., Iran, Iraq).
 Sunnis and Shi’ah disagree
about who is in charge of the
Muslim world – a dispute
over who succeeded the
Islamic prophet Mohammad
at his death (632 A.D.)
Holy Kaaba in Mecca,
Saudi Arabia, holy city of
Islam
Shia’ah majorities in Iran and Iraq (brown),
Sunni majorities (green).

Jewish
Israel is home for much of the
Jewish population in
Southwest Asia.
 Many of the people who live in
Israel today were born there.
 However, the ancestors of
these people moved to Israel
from many other countries,
often from other Southwest
Asian countries.
 Much of this migration
happened during the 20th
century, after the formation of
Israel in 1948.
Jewish

Jewish people differ in their
religious beliefs, though most
practice some form of Judaism.
 For example, some Jews believe
that Jewish people who convert to
another religion should not be
considered Jewish any more.
 The “Law of Return” in Israel says
that a Jew from any other country
can automatically have citizenship
in Israel.
 Sometimes Jews who no longer
practice Judaism have been
denied the Law of Return.
Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest
city
Jewish

Zionism (late 1800s) is the
ideology that Israel should be
fiendish
the homeland for the world’s The
Nazi
Jews, where they can live free Holocaust
1940s
of anti-Semitism and
discrimination.
 Zionism grew from Jews’ return
to a homeland (early 20th
century before World War II)
that would allow them to escape
anti-Semitism in Europe.
Jewish
 After
the Holocaust (1940s)
Zionism was stronger than ever.
 But, Palestine (before it was
Israel) was home to Arabs too.
 Great Britain (1947), in control of
Palestine, tried to partition Arab
and Jewish lands, to create
separate homeland areas. The
plan was accepted by Jews and
the new United Nations (72%) but
rejected by Palestinian Arabs.
Jewish
 Civil
war broke out
(1948) between Arabs
and Jews. Jews were
victorious in the “War
of Independence”.
 Israel is founded May,
1948, later recognized
by the required 2/3
majority of the United
Nations.
Israel from space
Controversy of Zionism: Palestine becomes
Israel (1948), expands during the Six Day War
(1967) and with Jewish West Bank settlements
since.
Berber
 Another
minority group in
the region are the
Berbers.
 Most Berbers live in North
Africa and were the first
group to settle that region.
 They still live a traditional
way of life today.
 Berbers have their own
languages.
Berber woman of North
Africa
Berber
 Many
Berber tribes live in
the mountains and deserts.
 Most Berbers living in
mountainous areas are
farmers.
 Berbers who live in the
desert tend to live near an
oasis.
 Berbers that do not farm
are nomadic.
Berber
 The
majority of
Berber tribes are
Muslim.
 Some Berbers
practice other
religions, too.
 Traditional Berber
cuisine has stayed
the same for
hundreds of years.
Moroccan Berber carpet
Bedouin
 Bedouins
are another
ethnic group.
 They speak Arabic.
 Many Bedouin used to
be nomadic.
 Their most important
animal is the camel.
 Now, the Bedouin live
mostly in Saudi Arabia,
Syria, Jordan, and Iraq.
Bedouin
 Most
Bedouins now live in cities and are
not nomadic.
 Bedouin tribes are ruled by tribal leaders
called sheikhs. Most Bedouins practice
Islam.
 The Bedouin are well known for their
dress and music, which is mostly sung.
 Music is used to perform traditional
Bedouin ceremonies.
Traditional Bedouin wedding procession
Persian
 The
Persians are an ethnic group that lived in
Iran before the arrival of Islam in the 7th
century.
 Persians make up about half of Iran’s current
population.
 They have their own language called Persian
or Farsi.
 Most Persians in Iran today practice Shi’a
Islam, but some are Sunni and other religions.
Persian

Persian women have faced many
challenges as a result of strict
cultural and religious practices.
 Through struggle, Persian
women have increased their
personal freedoms over the past
forty years.
 Persian art and architecture is
also well known.
 Many people consider Persian
rugs to be among the finest in the
world.
Ancient Persian
sculpture and Persian
rugs.
Kurdish
 Southwest
Asia is also home to the Kurdish
people.
 The Kurds live in several countries
throughout the region.
 These include Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
Almost one-fifth of the population of Turkey
is Kurdish.
 Kurdish religion used to be made up of a
mixture of several different religions, but
most are Sunni Muslim.
Map of Kurdistan, flag and Turkish Kurd
protesters before Turkish invasion of
N. Iraq
Kurdish
 Most
Kurds today are Muslims.
 Kurdish Muslims are usually less strict
about certain Islamic practices.
 There are fewer laws for how Kurdish
women should dress than there are for
Iranian and Arab women.
 Kurds share many aspects of their culture
with Iranians, a country where several live.
Turkish
 The
Turks are an ethnic group based
on language - Turkish.
 They live mostly in Turkey and Iran.
 Most of the people who live in Turkey
are of Turkish descent.
 Most Turks practice some form of
Islam.
 Like Kurds, Turkish people are rarely
strict about some Islamic practices.
Turkey is located at the crossroads
of Europe and Asia
Turkish
 However,
Kurds and Turks in Turkey often
fight over issues not related to religion.
 For example, education is a controversial
issue between these two groups. Today, the
most pressing issue is Kurdish nationalism
in Turkey.
 The Turkish people are well known for their
architecture.
 Mosques in Turkey are a good example of
Turkish architecture.
Literacy and Development
 Education
is free in many
countries in Southwest
Asia.
 Many students are required
to attend school through
high school.
 Many students also live so
far from the schools that
getting to school is difficult.
 The literacy rates for
people over 15 years of
age are…
Literacy Rates
Afghanistan = 28% (m 43%, f 13%)
 Egypt = 71.4% (m 83%, f 59%)
 Iran = 77% (m 84%, f 70 %)
 Iraq = 74% (m 84%, f 64%)
 Kuwait = 93% (m 94%, f 91%)
 Saudi Arabia = 78% (m 85%, f 71%)
 Yemen = 50% (m 71%, f 30%)
 Pakistan = 50% (m 63%, f 36%)
 Israel = 97% (m 99%, f 96%)
 U.S.A. = 99% (m 99%, f 99%)
 Norway = 100% (m 100%, f 100%)

Source: CIA World
Fact Book, 2010
Literacy and Development
 The
literacy rates in Israel are
higher than in other Southwest
Asian countries.
 In all of these countries, more
men tend to be able to read and
write than women.
 This is especially true in Syria,
Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
 Overall, in some countries
women’s education is not valued
as much as men’s education.
Literacy and Development
 Women
receive a different
education than men in some
areas.
 Literacy has a large impact on a
country’s development.
 For example, an increase in the
literacy rate often leads to an
increase in individual rights,
societal self-determination
(democracy).
 Literacy rates also have an
impact on a country’s economy.
Iranian woman, where
education for women is
common, protests a
2009 election