Middle East- Unit 1- Study Guide Key

  1. a. Irrigation- method of bringing water to dry land.

b. Fertile- productive soil that brings nutrients to plants.

c. Nomadic- people who travel in search of food, hunter- gatherers.

d. Qur’an- the collected writings and teachings of Muhammed that forms the basis of the holy text of Islam.

e. Theocracy- a government ruled by a religious leader or leaders.

f. Caliph- Muslim ruler commissioned to spread Muhammed’s commands.

  1. Constantinople, Istanbul
  1. Sharia, Five Pillars of Islam- belief in one God- Allah,

giving of alms, pray 5 times a day, pilgrimage to

Mecca, fast during the holy month of Ramadan

No separation between church and state in Islamic states

  1. Great Britain and France, Mandate is rule or law that must be followed. In M.E., Britain and France were given the responsibility to decide when countries under their control would be ready for independence.
  1. Tigris and Euphrates, Iraq
  1. Egypt, to gain easier access for trade and transportation. Connects Mediterranean and Red seas.
  1. Oil industry wealth causes conflict with older values, particularly the five pillars
  1. Many countries import their oil from the Middle East
  1. Most people in the Middle East live in large cities located near bodies of water. Oil provides jobs. People shun deserts, except Bedouins.

10. Saudi Arabia- Arab, Israel- Jewish, Iraq- Arab

11. Islam- Judaism, Christianity

12. A high standard of living goes along with a high literacy rate.

13. Sunni Muslims and the Shia Muslims, after the death of Muhammed there was a disagreement on how the Islamic faith/government should be run. The family and the military split over who should be the successor and lead the faith.

14. Rise of Ottoman Empire- had some freedom- personal/religious, economics- gained important cities and trade routes, strong military-Janissary army (given land, power, and wealth), development of gun powder, Centralized power, family rule, strong leaders

Decline- economic problems, huge debt to Great Britain, Janissaries became expensive to maintain, inability to change, fearful of Euro influences, no printing press, no foreign languages, no foreign embassies, the rest of the world advanced and they were left behind, joined with central powers (Germany) in WW1 and lost, end of empire and sultans removed from power

15. Ethnic Group- shares the same language, traditions, and culture but not necessarily the same faith

Religious group- unified by their faith but they can come from diverse backgrounds

16. Sykes-Picot Treaty- Established the mandate system where Great Britain and France came in and divided up territory that had belonged to the Ottoman Empire into new countries to colonize.

17. Janissary army, they were a slave based army that were very loyal to the sultan and established a strong fighting force. They were given land, power, and prestige.

18. Oil and water affect the economies of those countries that have these natural resources and those that do not. The countries that have these resources have money for healthcare, roads, education, industry, etc.

19. Jerusalem has religious significance for all 3 religions. It has important religious sites located there for each religion- Dome of the Rock- Islam, Church of the Holy Sepulcher- Christianity, Western/Wailing Wall- Judaism

20. Judaism- First monotheistic faith, belief that Abraham was god’s messenger and known as “Father of Judaism” whose family tree can be traced to all 3 religions, holy book is the Torah, religious place of worship is the temple/synagogue

Christianity- monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus, belief in Jesus as God’s son, holy book- bible, religious place of worship- church

Islam- Monotheistic religion with belief in one god, Allah, and Muhammed as his messenger/prophet, holy book- Qur’an, place of worship- mosque