1. Location: Southwest Asia At the Crossroads of 3 Continents
The Middle East
Location: Southwest Asia
At the Crossroads of 3 Continents

2. Much of the region is desert Ex. Sahara (Hot & Lacks Water)
Geography
Much of the region is desert
Ex. Sahara (Hot & Lacks Water)
Greatest population around coast & rivers
Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea,Persian Gulf
Nile River, Tigris-Euphrates
Provides half the worlds oil (OPEC)

3. Switch from hunting and gathering to farming and permanent settlement
Neolithic Revolution
Switch from hunting and gathering to farming and permanent settlement
Civilizations grew near sources of water
Ex. Early River Valley Civilizations

5. Early River Valley Civilizations
Located around Fertile Crescent
Mesopotamia
“Land between 2 rivers”
Phoenicians, Sumerians,Egyptians,Babylonians,Persians, Hebrews

6. Fertile Crescent

7. Cuneiform (Sumerians) Hieroglyphics (Egyptians)
Accomplishments
Law: Hammurabi’s Code
Writing Systems:
Cuneiform (Sumerians)
Hieroglyphics (Egyptians)
Phonetics (Phoenicians)
Architecture:
Pyramids-Egypt
Ziggurat-Sumerians
Hanging Gardens- Babylon
The Wheel, Calendar, etc.

8. Phoenetics
Cuneiform
Hieroglyphics

9. Birthplace of Religions
Egyptians- Polytheistic
Judaism
Christianity
Eastern Orthodox
Islam

10. Empires
Assyrian
Persian
Byzantine
Ottoman

11. Arab-Israeli Conflict
Modern Conflicts
War in Afghanistan
Civil War in Lebanon
Iran Iraq War
Persian Gulf War
Arab-Israeli Conflict

12. Brutal Civil War between Muslims & Christians
Civil War in Lebanon
Brutal Civil War between Muslims & Christians
Palestinian refugees & PLO leaders settle in Lebanon
Muslims gain majority over Christians
Israel & Syria both enter conflict
Uneasy truce in 1992

13. Islamic Fundamentalism
Belief that Muslims should strictly follow Islamic law & resist Western influences
Ex. Iranian Revolution, Afghanistan

14. Modernization vs. Traditionalism Pro-Western Shah overthrown
Iranian Revolution
1979
Modernization vs. Traditionalism
Pro-Western Shah overthrown
Ayatollah Khomeini establishes a religious state based on Islamic law
Ex. limited woman rights
Seizes U.S. Embassy/Hostage Crisis
Vs.

15. 444 Days of Captivity

16. Muslim rebels overthrow Soviet puppet government
Afghanistan
1979
Muslim rebels overthrow Soviet puppet government
Taliban set up extremist Islamic State
Men cannot cut beards, Women must be covered,cannot attend school
Taliban ousted by U.S. forces following 9/11

17. Border dispute explodes into full scale war
Iran Iraq War
Border dispute explodes into full scale war
Ayatollah Khomeini vs. Saddam Hussein
Ravages both nations economies
Iraq demands financial aid from Kuwait
Cause of the Persian Gulf War 1990

18. Iraq invades & annexes Kuwait Operation Desert Shield
Persian Gulf War
1991
Iraq invades & annexes Kuwait
Operation Desert Shield
US led coalition defends Saudi Arabia from Iraq
Operation desert Storm
Coalition destroys Iraqi forces & liberates Kuwait
UN levies sanctions against Iraq

19. Diaspora-dispersal of Jews from Palestine
Arab Israeli Conflict
Jewish sovereignty in Palestine goes back 3000 years until they were driven out in 135 A.D.
Diaspora-dispersal of Jews from Palestine
Arab Sovereignty dates back to the 7th century
Both groups stake claim to the region

20. Zionism- movement to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine(1890’s)
Balfour Declaration-statement that British made supporting a Jewish homeland in Palestine (WWI)
Nazi persecution of the Jews sparks movement to Israel(WWII)

22. Partition of Palestine
1947- UN partitions Palestine into a Palestinian & Jewish state
Palestinians rejected partition
1948 David Ben Gurion announced creation of the state of Israel
Arabs react by waging war in 1956,1967, 1973
Defeated each time

23. 1948- War for Independence 1956- Suez Crisis 1967- Six Day War
Conflicts
1948- War for Independence
1956- Suez Crisis
1967- Six Day War
1973 Yom Kippur War

24. 1978 Camp David Accords- Brokered by President Carter
Peace
1978 Camp David Accords- Brokered by President Carter
Peace Treaty between Israel (Menachem Begin) & Egypt (Anwar Sadat)
Israel returns Sinai Peninsula
Sadat is eventually assassinated

25. The Oslo Accords
Portions of the West Bank & Gaza were to be governed by a Palestinian authority led by Yasir Arafat
Attempts at peace today have been hindered by terrorist attacks

26. Palestinian Liberation Organization Led by Yasir Arafat
The PLO
Palestinian Liberation Organization
Led by Yasir Arafat
1970’s & 1980’s PLO militants began a terror campaign against Israel
Intifada- Militant uprising inside Israel
Terror attacks, boycotts, demonstrations continue today

27. Terrorist Groups
Militant group such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Jihad,& Al Qaeda commit acts of terrorism among Israel and its supporters

29. Modernizes/Westernizes Turkey Democracy
Kemal Ataturk (1923)
Father of the Turks
Modernizes/Westernizes Turkey
Democracy
Secularization-Legal System based on European rather than Islamic Law

30. 1967: Six Day War- Israel occupied Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and the West Bank
1973: Egypt attacked Israel’s occupation of troops in the Sinai Peninsula, Syria attacked in Golan Heights
1978: Camp David Accords-Israel’s Begin, Egyptian’s Sadat and U.S.’s Carter Egypt recognized Israel
1993: Israel and PLO self government for West Bank Palestinians