Geography of the Middle East

• The region known as the Middle East straddles three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa

Geography of the Middle East

• It has connected major trade routes since ancient times between Europe, India, and China, both by land and sea

Geography of the Middle East

• The Middle East has key strategic waterways through which the flow of trade must pass:

Diffusion

• Many different civilizations have either sprang up or passed through the Middle East and left their mark

• These people and civilizations spread their ideas, inventions, languages, and achievements

• Diffusion has occurred through both trade and warfare

Diffusion

Ancient Sumer: Contributions:

Cuneiform

The Lateen Sail

The Potters Wheel

Bronze-Making

Diffusion

Hittites:• Known for their mastery of iron• Spread their culture through warfare

Phoenicians:• Ancient shipbuilders and traders who established

many colonies throughout the Mediterranean• Gave us their alphabet, which the Greek and Latin

alphabets are based on

Diffusion

Babylonians:• Gave us a collection of

laws which became the foundation for all future codes of law

Code of Hammurabi

Diffusion

Hellenistic Civilization: • the blending of ancient

Greek culture with the cultures of the Middle East

• Occurred as a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great

Other Ancient Civilizations

Persians: Zoroastrian religion, postal service

Romans: roads, laws, Latin alphabet, architecture

Byzantines: preservers of Classical knowledge during the Dark Ages

Modern Day People

Arabs: majority ethnic groupKurds: found in Turkey, Iraq, and SyriaPersians: found in IranArmeniansTurks: modern day TurkeyBerbers: North Africa

Languages

Arabic: majority ethnic groupKurdish: found in Turkey, Iraq, and SyriaFarsi: spoken in IranTurkish Berber: North Africa

Five Regions of the Middle East The Northern Tier

The Arabian Peninsula

The Fertile Crescent

The Nile River Valley

The Maghreb

The Northern Tier

• Stretches across Turkey and Iran

• Region of mountains and plateaus

• Consists of the Anatolian Plateau and the Iranian Plateau

Anatolian Plateau

• Fertile soil• Good for

farming• Can support a large population

Iranian Plateau

• Very dry• Sparsely

populated

Northern Tier• The eastern border of the Northern Tier is the

Zagros Mountains• These mountains are both high and rugged,

and have separated the Fertile Crescent from Persia

Arabian Peninsula

Small population scattered throughout the region, depending on where water sources are

located

Lack of water BUT lots and lots of oil!!!

Birthplace of Islam

Saudi Pipeline

Al-Masjid al-Haram (The Holy Mosque)

The Fertile Crescent

• Arc-shaped region that stretches from the Tigris and Euphrates river valley to the Persian Gulf1. Very rich soil which is great for farming2. Rivers were filled with fish3. Prone to flooding4. Lack of natural barriers has made it vulnerable to attack

by outside powers:Sumerians-Hittites-Assyrians-Babylonians-

Persians-Greeks-Parthians-Romans-Arabs-Ottomans-British and French-United States???

The Fertile Crescent

• In the Fertile Crescent, people had to band together for two reasons:

1. to control the rivers and make the land suitable for farming

2. defend themselves

• This gave rise to the first civilizations: (Sumer)

The Fertile Crescent

The Nile Valley

• Enjoyed a safer and more reliable flood season than Mesopotamia

Nile River Valley cont’d

• Protected from invaders by deserts to the West and East

Nile River Valley cont’d

• The Nile River Valley gave rise to the civilization of Ancient Egypt

The Maghreb

• Means “western isle.”• Most people live along the coast• Region is bordered by the Sahara Desert to the

south and the Atlas Mountains to the West