HUMAN GEOGRAPHY OF THE MIDDLE EAST

3 WORLD RELIGIONSJUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, & ISLAM

Religious Holy Places: Jerusalem Jewish Presence:

Temples of Solomon (Temple Mount) 1st – King Solomon 2nd – Built at the same location Western Wall (Wailing Wall)

Only remaining portion of the 2nd Temple Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

3 WORLD RELIGIONSJUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, & ISLAM

Religious Holy Places: Jerusalem Christian Heritage Mount of Olives

Last Suffering Crucifixion

Church of the Holy Sepulcher Burial Place

Crusades Wars to regain control of the Holy Land

3 WORLD RELIGIONSJUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, & ISLAM

Religious Holy Places: Jerusalem Islamic Sacred Sites

Dome of the Rock Muslims: Where Mohammad rose into Heaven Jews: Where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son

Isaac

CULTURAL HISTORY Early Civilizations

Mesopotamia (Land Between Two Rivers) Sumer - First civilization to practice intensive, year-round

agriculture Babylonia - Hammurabi's Code, first written Code of

Laws Assyria - First form of formal writing used Chaldea - The sun dial, the 7 day week and the science

of astronomy

CULTURAL HISTORY Outside of Mesopotamia

Hittites Turkey Introduced the use of iron weapons First to create an alliance with another empire

(Egypt) Persia

Iran Innovation in government organization

System of collecting taxes Splitting the huge empire into separate states called satrapies

RELIGIOUS & LAND STRUGGLES Dividing the Moon

Islam splits after the death of Mohammad Sunni – 83% of all Muslims

Arabian Peninsula & Turkey Allowed up to 4 wife's Succession:

Shi’it (Shia) – 17% of all Muslims Mostly in Iran Allowed only 1 wife Succession:

FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM Shahada

Salaah

Sawm

Zahaat

Haji

HISTORY OF UNREST World War I & Treaty of Versailles

Divided the Ottoman Empire British – Southern section (Jordan & Palestine) French – Northern section (Syria & Lebanon)

Creating the State of Israel Zionism

Create a Jewish state in Palestine Before WWI 12% were Jewish Britain allowed uncheck immigration of Jews 1939 Britain halted immigration

HISTORY OF UNREST Creating the State of Israel

WWII Thousand of Holocaust survivors wanted to

settle in Palestine. World opinion: Create of Jewish nation-state. Israel was created in 1948 by the United

Nations. Surrounding Arabs nations invaded Israel.

Hostilities continue today PLO – Palestine Liberation Organization

(regain occupied land for the Palestinian Arabs)