Middle East Study Guide

Lesson 1: Geography and Life in Arabia

• Part of Asia
• Modern Day Saudi Arabia
• Climate
• hot and dry
• surrounded by water
• the land is mostly desert
• 100 degrees daily
• hard for plants and animals to survive
• Crossroads of Asia, Europe, Africa
• linked by trade routes
• Adapting to desert
• kept covered (loose clothing)
• mean grew beards (protection for face)
• wore ghutras
• Camels
• carries heavy loads
• foot shape doesn't allow them to sink in the sand
• third eyelid to protect eyes from sand
• shut nostrils
• minimal food/water, store nutrients in humps
• 2 ways of life
• Bedouin
• nomads who herded animals
• lived in tents
• animals provided milk, meat, skins
• moved as seasons changed
• depended on camels
• organized into tribes
• Sedentary
• settled life
• people settled in oases to farm
• known as townspeople
• 

Lesson 2: Origins of Islam

• Muhammad
• Early Life
• born into an important family in Mecca
• difficult early life
• father and mother died
• raised by grandfather then uncle
• traveled with uncle's caravans, visited places like Jerusalem and Syria
• Later Life
• managed a caravan business owned by wealthy Khadijah
• married Khadijah at 25
• poor people lived in Mecca
• Wealthy merchants no longer helped poor
• Message
• wanted to change values of Mecca
• went to hills to pray/meditate
• at age 40, went to meditate in the cave
• angel spoke to him
• told him to "Recite! Recite!"
• Muslims believed angel made him a prophet
• didn't tell anyone but wife about the message
• messages collected in Qur'an
• Teachings
• Islam is monotheistic
• taught that rich should help poor
• took time to root
• teachings challenged and upset people
• arabs didn't want to stop worshipping their gods
• threatened Muhammad and followers
• followers no longer felt safe, so moved to Yathrib
• after years of fighting, let Muhammad back
• accepted Islam as religion
• Judaism and Christianity
• similar teachings to Judaism and Christianity
• recognized some of the same prophets

Lesson 3: Beliefs and Practices

• The Qur'an
• words of Allah, given to Muhammad
• Islam holy book
• Beliefs
• one god, Allah
• must obey Allah's commands, will be granted a paradise
• will suffer if people did not obey
• describes acts of worship, guidelines for moral behavior and rules for social life
• how to prepare for worship
• what is okay to eat
• describes relationships among people
• free slaves
• Sunnah
• refers to the way Muhammad lived
• guides Muslims behavior
• how to treat others
• Five Pillars of Islam
• five acts of worship required by all Muslims
• Shahada (Faith), Salat (Prayer), Zakat (giving), Sawm (fasting), Hajj (pilgrimage)

Lesson 4: Expansion of Islam

• Muslim armies conquer land
• made treaties with Jews and Christians and others in their conquered land
• 2 groups still exist today
• Shia
• believed that only members of Muhammad's family could become caliphs
• Sunni
• (most Muslims) recognize Umayyad caliphs as rightful leaders
• Trading
• Muslims had easy access to South Asia, Europe, and Africa
• spread trade goods to new lands
• many African leaders converted to Islam
• Products
• Chinese taught them to make paper
• Arab's traded with Africans for ivory, cloves, slaves
• Mix of cultures
• Muslims did not ban other religions in their lands
• Jew and Christians maintained rights, paid a special tax
• conquered people converted to Islam

Lesson 5: Muslim Empires

• The Ottoman Empire
• Ottomans: Muslim Turkish warriors
• began to take the land from Christian Byzantine Empire
• Janissaries: Ottoman slave soldiers
• Sultan: Ottoman ruler
• Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, Syria and Egypt, then Mecca and Medina
• The Safavid Empire
• were gaining power in East
• conflicted with Ottomans (who should be caliph)
• Esma'il made Shiism official religion
• Abbas strengthened military
• combined Persian and Muslim traditions
• The Mughal empire
• East of Safavid Empire, in India
• large, diverse empire
• poetry and architecture
• Muslims and Hindus lived peacefully
• Persians and Indians worked together
• unique culture

Achievements

• Calligraphy
• new, fancy style of writing
• professional
• used in Qur'an
• Bookmaking
• Hospitals
• first hospitals
• taught medicine, provided health care

Vocabulary

• https://quizlet.com/338406594/middle-east-vocab-flash-cards/ QUIZLET LINK
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_qvl2Di7EyktaJZVHeBVDAn9m6r-mnriQ8jI_1gNdYY/edit
• VOCAB LINK