1. Southwest Asia & North Africa

2. Mesopotamia “The Fertile Crescent”
3000 BCE Sumerians built first known cities in S. Mesopotamia.
Dependent on irrigation from the river systems for wheat & barley.
Rich natural resources = multiple invaders.
Over the years - civilizations repeatedly developed, collapsed & were replaced.
550 BCE Persians established an empire here where Iran is today.
WG 1A
Photo is of “Zuggurat” the Step Pyramid in the center of the city. Built by the Sumerians. Believed to be a dwelling place for the gods. NOT a place of wordship. Only Priests were allowed in to tend to the gods, as a result Priests were very powerful in Sumerian society.
Illustration is what it might have looked like when built.
3:09 video clip over Mesopotamia Good visuals, info.
Persia was one of the wealthiest, most powerful empires in world history.
Greeks & Romans also controlled this region.

3. Mesopotamia: Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire : one of the largest & longest lasting empires in history.
Capital city = Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey).
Center of the Eastern & Western world for six centuries.
Ottoman Turks controlled region from the 1500’s until after WWI - were defeated by the Allies - divided into new nations under British &/or French control.
Gained independence in 1932.
Photo: MIDDLE: Ottoman Military band
Photo RIGHT: Ottoman Empire at its height
Photo BOTTOM: Ottoman Sultan II (King) Mahmud
During the 16th and 17th centuries, in particular at the height of its power under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the empire became the most powerful state in the world – a multinational, multilingual empire that stretched from the southern borders of the Holy Roman Empire (to the outskirts of Vienna), Royal Hungary (modern Slovakia) and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the north to Yemen and Eritrea in the south; from Algeria in the west to Azerbaijan in the east;[10] controlling much ofsoutheast Europe, western Asia, and North Africa.[11] 
The empire contained 29 provinces and numerous vassal states, some of which were later absorbed into the empire, while others were granted various types of autonomy during the course of centuries.[dn 6]
Despite being fundamentally an Islamic empire, the Christian communities living within the empire numbered  to considerable proportions. The greater majority of these were eastern or orthodox Christians namely, Greeks and Armenians. In addition, sizable  Jewish communities  were also living in harmony with Muslims and Christians alike.

4. Iran Revolution: 1979
Shah (King): Oppressive, brutal, extravagant & corrupt.
1979 The Shah left Iran amid protests for his removal.
Replaced with the Ayatollah Khomeini : republic with a theocratic constitution (Islamic religious law).
Today: have both a President & Ayatollah - Ayatollah holds more power.
Shaw = king
Ayatollah = name for Islamic holy man, Shi’ite
TOP & MIDDLE: Protestors in the street 1979.
BOTTOM: Ayatollah Khomeini
Viewed as a “puppet” for the western world.
Several events in the 1970s set the stage for the 1979 revolution which replaced the Shaw with religious law & an Ayatollah:
The 1971 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire at Persepolis, organized by the Shah's regime, was attacked for its extravagance. "As the foreigners reveled on drink forbidden by Islam, Iranians were not only excluded from the festivities, some were starving."[68] Five years later the Shah angered pious Iranian Muslims by changing the first year of the Iranian solar calendar from the Islamic hijri to the ascension to the throne by Cyrus the Great. "Iran jumped overnight from the Muslim year 1355 to the royalist year 2535
The Western-backed Shah rapidly became unpopular and the Ayatollah Khomeini, who was an outspoken critic, was exiled. The nation became an increasingly centralized royal power structure state.

5. Invasion of Iraq 2003
2003: US invaded Iraq "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.” 
Invasion opposed by most of our allies & the UN.
2005: CIA report - no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq.
Nov 2006: Hussein found guilty by an Iraqi court of torture & murder crimes & sentenced to death by hanging.
Dec 2011: The last of the American troops out of Iraq – est a parliamentary democracy gov’t
TOP: Weapons inspector, prior to invasion
MIDDLE: toppling of Saddam Husseins statue 2003
MIDDLE: Hussein
BOTTOM: US tanks posing for a picture.
Iraq had agreed to disarm and to no-fly zones after the Gulf War
With the election of George W. Bush as president in 2000, the U.S. moved towards a more aggressive policy toward Iraq. The Republican Party's campaign platform in the 2000 election called for "full implementation" of the Iraq Liberation Act and removal of Hussein. Key Bush advisors, had long desired to invade Iraq.[39]  George W. Bush administration,Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said that an attack on Iraq had been planned since Bush's inauguration, and that the first United States National Security Council meeting involved discussion of an invasion.
On 13 December 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces at a farmhouse in ad-Dawr near Tikrit in a hole in Operation Red Dawn. Following his capture on 13 December Saddam was transported to a U.S. base near Tikrit, and later taken to the U.S. base near Baghdad.

6. Arab Spring Movement: Dec 2010
Arab Spring Slogan: “The people want to bring down the regime”
Revolutions in the Arab world, so far: Tunisia, Egypt, Libya. Uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, Yemen.
Major protests in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, & Oman.
Minor protests in Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Western Sahara. Clashes at the borders of Israel.
Demonstrations have met violence from authorities and pro-gov’t militias.

7. Economy
Middle East economies range from being very poor (Gaza, Yemen) to extremely wealthy (Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia).
Overall, nations in the Middle East are maintaining a positive rate of economic growth, though the gap between the wealthy & the poor is increasing, even in the oil rich countries.
Israel is the most technologically advanced of the Middle Eastern countries.
WG 11C (oil)
TOP PHOTO: Saudi Arabia
THE TERM “Middle East” has been criticized by some for being “Eurocentric”,
The UN has designated this region as “Western Asia” instead of the Middle East
Prior to the discovery of oil, the region had been a hotbed for religious conflict and wars over other rich resources and land. The declining Ottoman Empire paved way for the rising European imperial and colonial powers interested in securing various territories and controlling access to Asia. In more recent times, interest in the region has been due to the energy resources there.

8. Discovery of Oil in the Middle East
BEFORE
AFTER
religious conflict & wars
Victim of European imperial and colonial expansion to control access to Asia.
few schools or hospitals, mortality rate high
electricity was unknown.
The people were very poor, tribes were fighting each other.
There is still religious conflict (Israel)
The people became wealthier and as a result, educated.
There is electricity and paved roads are more common.
religious conflict & wars over other rich resources and land. The declining Ottoman Empire paved way for the rising European imperial and colonial powers interested in securing various territories and controlling access to Asia. In more recent times, interest in the region has been due to the energy resources there. Oman. Before discovering oil, the country was unknown by the rest of the world. There were few schools and hospitals. Education and health were in very bad conditions. Electricity was unknown. The people were very poor and most of them were working in other countries. tribes were fighting each other. After discovering oil in 1967 and also becoming Sultan Qaboos the ruler of Oman in 1970, the situation has changed 180 degree. The people became richer and educated. There is electricity and paved roads everywhere. The country has improved very quickly. All that because of Producing oil.

9. GDP As a comparison: The US & China are +10,000 (dark black)
<200; Most of Africa
Egypt
: Saudi Arabia
: Turkey
, 000 India, Russia
+10,000 China
T or F? “All Saudis are wealthy” FALSE! Just like anywhere, there are wealthy & there are poor. Saudi Arabia and much of the ME is wealthier as a whole due to the discover of oil. The country is a monarchy and the wealth is unevenly distributed.
Saudi Arabia has problems with illegal immigrants (sim to the US/Mexico)

10. Social/Culture Numerous ethnic groups, which have caused tension, wars
Primary Religion: Islam,
Judaism in Israel, other religions represented in ME.
Primary language: Arabic
WG6B
Turkish (Turkey) & Persian (Iran) also widely spoken languages
Photo LEFT: Azalai Salt Caravan: bi-annual event, trades salt from the salt mines to market
Phot RIGHT: Mecca (Muhammaeds bithplace) Saudi Arabia

11. Political
Monarchy: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan (Const Mon), Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE
Theocracy: Iran
Democracy/Republic: Lebanon, Israel, Iraq (post Saddam Hussein)
Arab and Iranian dictators oppress their subjects, sponsor half of the world’s major terror groups
The Middle East includes 7 out of 19 of the most repressive regimes in the world and their weapons of mass destruction. It is also the hotbed of Jihad (Holy War), an ideology of world domination.
In Arab and Iranian dictators' propaganda there is almost no problem that is not caused by the existence of Israel, the Middle East’s sole democracy. Most of the Arab and Muslim states do not recognize Israel's right to exist. The freest Arabs and Muslims in the Middle East live in Israel. The Israeli government is the only one in the Middle East that is elected by free citizens -- including Arabs and Muslims.
Red = monarchies

12. Government Systems Purple, pink: monarchy
Map key:
There are multiple colors that represent the various forms of government systems because there are so many variations on republics, monarchies etc. For details, see the link above.
Purple, pink: monarchy
Green, orange, yellow, blue: republic
Grey: none of the above

13. eNvironment
Frequent earthquakes/tectonic forces have shaped this regions physical features.
Rub’ al-Khali (in Saudi Arabia): one of the driest places on earth, home to moving sand dunes.
WG4A LEMPOSA, Arid Climate
WG 4B
Largest region of active (they actually move!) sand dunes are located in the Rub al-Khali
Satellite photo shows the vast Sahara (Africa) and the Rub al’Khali (Saudi Arabia)
Notice the green area where the Nile starts (it actually flows NORTH into the Mediterranean) and between the Tigris & Euphrates

14. Drip Irrigation in the Middle East
Drip irrigation is commonly used to make use of scarce water resources.
Allows for the direct transmission of water to the plant's root system
Con: Expensive and can become easily clogged if the water is not clean.
Drip irrigation is the use of low-flow emitters linked either on the surface or below the surface to direct water straight to a plant's root system, thus reducing water loss and improving efficiency.

15. Water Resources (aka: “blue gold”!)
Growing population = increasing demands on the already scarce water supply in the Middle East.  
Competing claims over water rights = disputes between (Strait of Hormuz)
Wealthier countries: desalinization.
Others drill ever-deeper wells which in time may only make the problem worse.
“Virtual water". Growing wheat, for example, takes a lot of water. By importing wheat and concentrating on crops which require less water, a country can acquire "virtual water" and use existing resources more efficiently
WG 12A
 While representing 5% of the total world population, the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region contains only 0.9% of global water resources.1 The number of water-scarce countries in the Middle East and North Africa has risen from 3 in 1955 (Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait) to 11 by 1990 (with the inclusion of Algeria, Israel and the Occupied Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen). Another 7 are anticipated to join the list by 2025 (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Libya, Morocco, Oman and Syria).2
Poverty, repression, decades of injustice and mass unemployment have all been cited as causes of the political convulsions in the Middle East and north Africa these last weeks. But a less recognised reason for the turmoil in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, Jordan and now Iran has been rising food prices, directly linked to a growing regional water crisis.

16. The Strait of Hormuz
Considered one of the most, if not the most strategic strait of water on the planet.
The water passageway for 20 percent of the world's oil
WG12A
Bottom photo: Seen from space. In this June 1991 view from the space shuttle Columbia, the Persian Gulf is at the top of the image, with the Gulf of Oman below, and Iran to the right (east).
In Iran's confrontation with the West over its nuclear program, the Islamic Republic has one undisputed weapon: The ability to block the most important oil transit choke point in the world.
Although military strategists and diplomatic experts have worried about Iran's capability to throw the global economy into chaos for more than three decades, there has been little progress in developing alternative petroleum routes to defuse the power of Iran's threat to block the Strait of Hormuz.
There are hundreds of choke points that constrain the flow of oil around the world, from the Strait of Malacca in the east to the Panama Canal in the west. But none matches the importance of the Strait of Hormuz. In 2011, an average 16 million barrels of oil per day, or 20 percent of the oil traded worldwide, moved by tanker through the 173-mile (280-kilometer) waterway between Iran and Oman that links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the seas beyond
A look at history underscores the economic risk that a Hormuz closure represents. The largest oil market disruption ever occurred in August 1990, when Iraq's invasion of Kuwait took 4.3 million barrels per day of oil off the market—about 6.5 percent of world supply. That stoppage caused world oil prices to double (from about $20 to $40 per barrel). But a blockade of Hormuz would cut off nearly four times as much oil as the Kuwait crisis did, disrupting a share of the oil market three times greater. And this unprecedented throttling of supply would come at a time when oil is more than $100 per barrel and the world economy is weak.
much of Middle Eastern water stems from three major waterways: the Tigris-Euphrates, Nile and Jordan River systems. Mutual reliance on these resources has made water a catalyst for conflict, spurring confrontations such as the 1967 War (fomented by Syria’s attempts to divert water from Israel) and the Iran-Iraq War (which erupted from disputes over water claims and availability). Recognition of water’s role as an obstacle in interstate relations has spurred numerous attempts at resolution, including diplomatic efforts (most notably the U.S.-brokered Johnston negotiations) and bilateral and multilateral treaty efforts, ranging from the 1959 Agreement for the Full Utilization of Nile Waters to the 1994 Israeli-Jordanian Treaty.

17. The Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
Turkey controls the headwaters which go into Syria. Confrontations over these waters have brought these two countries to the brink of war several times.
 Turkey disrupted the flow of the Euphrates in January 1990 to fill water reservoirs in front of the Attaturk dam. This only highlighted Syrian vulnerability to Turkish control these valuable water resources.
The irrigation flowing downward from the headwaters in Turkey are aided by a high water table and by melting snows from the high peaks of the Zagros mts & from the Armenian cordillera, the source of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, that give the region its name
Despite the signing of a protocol ensuring Syrian access to Euphrates water in 1987, Turkish development efforts have increasingly threatened to marginalize and even eliminate Syrian access to water.
Further complicating the issue is Syria’s continued support for the extremist PKK (Kurdish Workers’ Party) in its insurgency against Turkey, a move that has prompted Turkey to threaten a blockade of water.

18. Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Former British protectorate
Oil rich
Palm Islands & The “World”: Artificial peninsulas constructed of sand dredged from the Persian Gulf.
WG8A
Oil discovered her in the 1960’s
Made up of 7 emirates (principalities) each governed by a hereditary “emir”, together under one UAE president.
Private islands in the shape of the continents. Each is a small privately owned island.
Palm Islands:
Don’t post links online, terrible awful language in the “comments” section. Can show the kids the video however.

19. Suez Canal
Artificial waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean sea with the Red Sea.
WG8A
Built in 1869

20. Purpose: to control the floodwaters, & harness hydroelectric power.
Aswan High Dam
Purpose: to control the floodwaters, & harness hydroelectric power.
Before: The Nile flooded annually. The flooding provided nutrients that enriched the soil making the Nile floodplain ideal for farming.
After: flooding was controlled, however, the farmers lost natural fertilizer brought by the flooding Nile.
WG8A
High dam in southern Egypt, low dam (built in 1902).