1. Empires in Mesopotamia A time-series map

2. The region of Southwest Asia

3. adding mountains

4. and major rivers

5. and country borders

6. It’s about the size of the U.S.

7. But it is closer to the Equator.

8. coastal Turkey has a climate much like San Francisco

9. Israel is like southern California.

10. The Arabian Desert is like the Mojave Desert in Arizona.

11. Iraq is dry like West Texas, but lower and hotter.

12. Coastal Pakistan is like the southern tip of Florida.

13. But the world’s highest mountains do not have cities like DC and NY!

14. Because of those mountains, the Caspian Sea is not like Iowa.

15. It is more like the Great Salt Lake, in a desert surrounded by mountains.

16. This region has a long history.

17. Farming began in the hills about 8000 years ago.

18. Babylon under Hammurabi, about 1750 BCE.

19. Assyria under Ashurbanipal, about 660 BCE.

20. Persia under Darius, about 500 BCE.

21. Parthia about 100 CE. Roman Kushan Parthian

22. Islam began near Mecca. Mecca.

23. by 632 CE

24. by 634 CE

25. by 645 CE

26. by 656 CE

27. by 750 CE

28. The country of Israel was established in 1948. Israel

29. And today, Iraq is in the news. Iraq