The Middle EastCalled Southwest Asia in

your textbook

Middle East refers to the land

in the middle, between Europe &

the Far East

Far East: Far away from where in the Old World?

Europe

Why is it called the Middle East?

This reflects Eurocentrism: a way

of looking at the world with a

European perspective.

The region has historically been a very strategic

location for trade, military, and economic

reasons.“Geography” has been a blessing and a curse.

Benefits of its Geography

The region has several ‘strategic chokepoints.”

These are locations that if closed off, could result in war.

Suez Canal

Bab-al-Mandab

Strait of Hormuz

Bosporus and Dardanelles

The importance of the region has been

magnified by the need for?

OIL!!!!!!

Resource of the Region...

There is evidence that the first civilizations

began here in the Fertile Crescent

(Mesopotamia) area that is now Iraq and

in the Nile River Valley.

It is thought that the first

Agricultural Revolution

started here.

Fertile Crescent

Some 10,000 years ago, the land of the Middle East was much wetter than it is today. The climate

changed and so did the landscape.

Ancient city of Ur in Iraq

Rub al Khali

Syrian Desert

Lebanon

The Middle East is home to many unique man made and natural

phenomena.

The Dead Sea. So much salt you can’t

sink.

Salt deposits in the Dead Sea

Man-made islands built to resemble a map of the world outside of Dubai.

Get your own for a merely $7

million!

The Hindu Kush Mtns. in Afghanistan create an

almost impenetrable barrier.

The Khyber Pass is the major route through the mountains. It was used as a trade route from the Far East & is a strategic

military location.

This was a view Alexander the Great could have had on his

way to India.

Hindu Kush & Khyber Pass

The region has three major cultural traitsEthnicity Religions Language

Cultural Geography

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Tehran, Iran

Damascus, Syria

Dubai, UAE

Modern cities in the Middle East

The desire to return to the fundamental life of strict Islam crashes into the reality of globalization and peoples desire to have “what the West has.”

Women’s rights are at the forefront of that conflict, as

some rights that women have here in the US

strongly contradict Islamic law, or sharia.

Iran

A Region of Conflict

Ms. Bahrain

*For instance, a woman does not have

the right to drive a car, and in most

cases, must ask for her husband’s

consent in order to divorce.

Women are not allowed to eat in the regular dining area.

They must be accompanied by a

man.

The clash of globalization and

fundamentalism in Saudi Arabia today.

Women’s rights

In many Middle Eastern countries, women are

expected to be completely or partially covered in public. They will take off the burka in

their homes.

Women’s rights

SecularismTurkey is a prime example of a secular society: one

that is not based on religious law.

It is actually illegal for women to wear head

scarves in government building

Globalization

The Middle East is been influenced by the Western culture

through globalization

While many want the US out of the Middle East, there is one fact that will keep us in the region, and it benefits the entire Western world. It is?