Schedule All dates are based on assignments being ASSIGNED ON THAT DAY…due the next date. 3/8: PPT and notes 402-410 3/9: PPT and notes 411-414 3/10: Syrian project 3/11: PPT and notes 414-424 (part a)

Chapter 16 Eastern mediterranean Cultural Geography

3/8 Start

Turkey Climate – Temperate. It has hot dry summers and mild wet winters. Conditions are more harsh in the interior regions and in areas of greater elevation.

Bordered on three sides by water: North – Black Sea West – Aegean Sea South - Mediterranean Sea To the east is Georgia, Armenia and Iran. Northwest borders Bulgaria and part of Greece.

Turkey has sought to become a secular – non religious – state. Often called Asia Minor because of its size and influence on history. Turkey has the largest population of any country in the Middle East and the second largest in Europe.

The Kurds are an ethnic minority that populate the southeastern border of Turkey.

Istanbul is the largest city of the Middle East. The mainland (Asian) section of Turkey is called Anatolia. The Pontic Mountains stretch across the northern part of Turkey from the Dardanelles eastward.

The southern coast of Turkey is so scenic that it has earned the name the “Turquoise Coast.” Mount Ararat is mentioned in the Bible. Religious differences are the primary cause of trouble in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Cyprus Cypress is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. (Behind Sicily and Sardinia) Most inhabitants of Cyprus are Greek Cypriots (Greek Orthodox, the rest are Turkish Cypriots who are Muslim…the rest are a mixture of Christians and Jews.

Mandates are areas of control in the Middle East that the League of Nations gave to France and Great Britain following World War I. French mandate – Syria British mandate - Palestine

Levant – lowlands and mountain ranges have a Mediterranean climate Levant – lowlands and mountain ranges have a Mediterranean climate. The Levant and the river valleys of Mesopotamia form a crescent shaped area called the Fertile Crescent. .

Stop 3/8

Start 3/9

Syria The government of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad strictly controls both the economy and personal liberties. Capital and largest city is Damascus. It claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.

The Golan Heights are a highland area that has been a point of frequent dispute between the border states of Israel and Syria.

Lebanon Tyre – major city in Lebanon built on an island. Modern capital of Lebanon is Beirut. Most modern Christians in Lebanon are Maronites. Just under 40% of the Lebanese are some type of Christian.

Stop 3/9

3/10 Research

Start 3/11

Israel Shephelah is an area of low hills in Israel between the Plain of Philistia and the Lebanese Mountains. Negev is a desert, but irrigation helps it produce abundant crops of fruits and vegetables.

The Valley of Jezreel is mentioned in the Bible The Valley of Jezreel is mentioned in the Bible. The valley of Megiddo and Jezreel are to be the site of the last great battle. The Battle of Armageddon. The Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea.

Tel Aviv is the largest port and second largest city. The Mount of Olives is the main mountain, rising above Jerusalem, in the mountains of Judah, west of the Jordan river.

The flat topped, steep sided mountain fortress on which the Jewish Zealots held out against the Romans before eventually committing suicide is Masada.

Stop 3/11 (end of Part A)

3/14 (Start of Part B)

Palestine The long time leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization was Yasir Arafat. Hamas is the terrorist group most closely associated with Palestine.

The narrow, arid area of southern Israel bordering the Mediterranean Sea that Israel captured during the Six Day War but later turned over to the Palestinians is called the Gaza Strip.

Because most of the events recorded in the Scripture took place in the region often called Palestine, both Jews and Christians called the area The Holy Land.

Religion Judaism – Religion of the Jews. Zionism – name of the nineteenth- century Jewish movement dedicated to returning Jews to their God-given land.

Stop 3/14 (End of Part B)