3. The Middle East I.Historical A. Ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia (between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers- modern Iraq) 1. Sumerians 4000 – 3000 BC a. cuneiform- wedge shaped writing b. ziggurats- pyramid shaped brick temples c. built city-states d. developed irrigation systems

5. Cuneiform

7. ziggurat

9. Sumerian mosaic

10. 2. Assyrians- first to develop iron weapons 3. Babylonians a. Hammurabi’s Code b. Nebuchadnezzar’s Hanging Gardens of Babylon

14. Code of Hammurabi

15. If a man puts out the eye of a patrician, his eye shall be put out. If a man knocks the teeth out of another man, his own teeth will be knocked out. If anyone strikes the body of a man higher in rank than he, he shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in public. If a freeborn man strikes the body of another freeborn man of equal rank, he shall pay one gold mina.mina If the slave of a freed man strikes the body of a freed man, his ear shall be cut off. If anyone commits a robbery and is caught, he shall be put to death.

16. Hanging Gardens of Babylon

18. 4. Persians (modern Iran)- conquered much of Middle East under Darius the Great

19. Darius the Great

21. 5. Phoenicians a. traded purple dye along the Mediterranean b. spread alphabet around the region

26. B. Religion 1. Judaism- First monotheistic religion. Established in Israel around 3000 BC 2. Christianity-founded by Jesus in Jerusalem

27. Jewish writings- the Torah

28. Jerusalem

29. 3. Islam- means submission to Allah a. developed among Bedouin nomads in Arabia, early 600’s AD b. Mohammed- prophet of Allah c. rapid spread across N. Africa

30. The Great Mosque in Mecca

31. C. Colonialism 1.Ottoman Turks control area from Middle Ages until 1918 2. European powers in control until after WWII

35. II.Physical Geography A.Mostly arid plains and plateaus B. Some uninhabitable deserts- The Rub al Khali C. Climates 1. arid year round 2. decent rainfall along coast

37. D. Water 1. Major rivers- Tigris and Euphrates 2. Oasis- desert waterhole

41. E. Oil!! 1. OPEC- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries 2. Saudi Arabia- Leading producer

43. OPEC

44. Palm Island in Dubai