INTRO TO THE MIDDLE EAST

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INTRO TO THE MIDDLE EAST

• WG.4
• RHS-WORLD GEOGRAPHY

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HERE IS THE WORLD
AND HERE IS NORTH AFRICA AND SOUTHWEST ASIA

• Due to the location, its called the Crossroads
  of Continents Europe, Africa, and Asia

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NORTH AFRICA
MIDDLE EAST
SOUTHWEST ASIA
SOUTHWEST ASIA IS MORE COMMONLY CALLED THE
MIDDLE EAST
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SOME COUNTRIES IN NORTH AFRICA ARE
(Sinai Peninsula)
ALGERIA
AND EGYPT
LIBYA
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SOME COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST ARE
AFGHANISTAN
TURKEY
IRAN
IRAQ
SAUDI ARABIA
KUWAIT
QATAR
ISRAEL
AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE)
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SEMI
SEMI
DESERT
SEMI
DESERT
DESERT
DESERT
DESERT
SAHEL
DESERT
Most of the climate is arid (dry)
and semi-arid (partly dry)
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Some Physical Features you need to know are
BLACK SEA
Bosporus Strait Dardanelles Strait (SPLITS
TURKEY FROM THE REST OF EUROPE)
TAURUS MTS
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
ATLAS MTS
PERSIAN GULF
ZAGROS MTS
STRAIT OF HORMUZ
RED SEA
SAHARA DESERT
ARABIAN SEA
NILE RIVER
TIGRIS RIVER
EUPHRATES RIVER

• There is also a lot of seasonal flooding,
  alluvial soils (deposits from the river), and
  delta regions (like the Nile delta).
• There are also natural water reservoirs likes
  oases and wadis.
• An oasis is fertile land in a desert, usually fed
  by an underground spring
• A wadi is a temporary watering hole when a gully
  gets filled up during the rainy season.

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Many cities are known for their influence on
culture and trade
BAGHDAD, IRAQ
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
TEHRAN, IRAN
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
TRIPOLI, LIBYA
MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA
CAIRO, EGYPT
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
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Many Areas around the Middle East and North
Africa are world famous.
Follow these cultural landmarks. Do you recognize
any?
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The Pyramids at Giza
http//www.fgsd.winnipeg.mb.ca/vmc/swaweb/cc/ccswo
w6.htm
The ancient Egyptians used manual labor and
wooden tools to build these magnificent tombs for
pharoahs.
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MINARETS
MOSQUES places of worship for Muslims. Typical
features are domes and minarets
DOME
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The Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Turkey. Built
between 532 and 537 by the Christian Emperor
Justinian I as a Byzantine church, which it
functionedas for the next 900 years. In 1453,
the Islamic-faithed Ottomans took over
Constantinople (now Istanbul). They wasted little
time in converting the Hagia Sophia into a
mosque. It served the Muslims for almost 500
years. The Ottomans painted over the Christian
mosaics - and erected the four defining minarets
we see today. In 1934, Turkey changed the Hagia
Sofia's status from mosque to museum and
uncovered the priceless Byzantine mosaics.
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The Dome of the Rock
http//www.sacredsites.com/1st30/domeof.html
Jerusalem This Muslim holy site was built on the
remains of the Temple of Solomon, a holy site for
Jews
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The Kaaba
http//ccat.sas.upenn.edu/brvs/kaaba.html
Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Kaaba is the
most sacred site for Muslims. A Muslim must take
the haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca at least once in
his/her life.
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The Church of the Holy Sepulcher
http//www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go-visual.asp?MFA
J01wh0
Jerusalem This church was built on the site
where Christians believe that Jesus Christ was
crucified.
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The Western Wall in Jerusalem Also known as the
Wailing Wall
http//www.sacredsites.com/1st30/domeof.html
http//www.igc.apc.org/ddickerson/western-wall.gif
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Other notable cultural landmarks
A Bazaar is an open-air market, usually in the
center of a Middle eastern town. This bazaar
specializes in woven Arabian carpets- verrrrrrry
popular!!!!
Bazaars are also called suqs
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Cultural Landscapes are old.
Like the many walled cities around the Arab World
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and new
Like the oil rigs around the Middle East
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Around the world, people recognize places and
culture reflecting the Middle East. How many of
these did you already know?