Chapter 18 Section 2 North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Central Asia History and Government

This region has seen the birth of some of the world’s greatest civilizations and three of the world’s major religions.

By 6000 B.C., hunters and gatherers gave way to farming communities along the Nile River, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Taurus and Zagros Mountains.

Domesticate The region’s farmers were among the first... to adapt plants and animals from the wild to make them useful to people.

Earliest Civilizations Emerged about 6000 years ago in Mesopotamia, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates.

Culture Hearth A center where cultures developed and from which ideas and traditions spread outward.

The Fertile Crescent A rich agricultural area... from Mesopotamia to Egypt, home to the Sumerians.

Sumerians  Developed Cuneiform.  Invented the wheel.  Developed a base 6 number system (time and circle).

Cuneiform Sumerian writing system using wedge-shaped symbols pressed into clay tablets.

Base 6 Contributions  Divided time into 60 second minutes and 60 minute hours.  Grouped the day into two 12 hour segments.  Divided the year into 12 months.  Divided the circle into 360 degrees.

Egyptian Civilization  Along the Nile River.  Developed a calendar that was divided into 365 days.  Built impressive pyramids.  Created hieroglyphics.

Pyramids at Giza

Frank and Earnest on Pyramids

The Sphinx with Khafra Pyramid

Sphinx in the Louvre

Hieroglyphics Egyptian writing system using pictures and symbols to represent words or sounds.

Frank and Earnest on Hieroglyphics

Phoenicians A trading empire which arose along the eastern Mediterranean coast. Developed an alphabet in which letters stood for sounds (phonetics).

Persian Empire  Emerged around 500 B.C.  Ancestors of today’s Iranians.  Developed Qanats.

Qanat An underground canal used in water systems of ancient Persians.

Qanat

Silk Road A trade route from China to the Mediterranean Sea. Samarqand in Uzbekistan was one of the trading stations.

Samarqand  One of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.  Known as the “Crossroads of Civilization.  Invaded during the 1200s by the Mongols.

Monotheism A belief in one God. Three major religions developed in the region; Judaism Christianity Islam

Judaism  Oldest Monotheistic Religion.  Followers known as Jews.  Jerusalem is capital and religious center.  Holy book is Torah.  House of worship is synagogue.

Christianity  Originated in about 30 A.D..  Followers known as Christians.  Based on teachings of Jesus.  Holy book is Old and New Testament.  House of worship is a church.

Islam  Originated in about 610 A.D..  Followers known as Muslims.  Based on revelations of the prophet Muhammad.  Holy book is Qur’an (Koran).  House of worship is a mosque.

Prophet A person believed to be a messenger from God. According to Islam, Muhammad is the final prophet of Allah (God).

Mosque An Islamic house of public worship. Islam began in Makkah (Mecca) and is the home of the Grand Mosque.

Grand Mosque in Mecca

Mosque of Djenne, Mali

Muhammad-Ali-Mosque

Minaret Minarets (Arabic manara (lighthouse) منارة, but more usually مئذنة ). Minarets are generally tall, graceful spires, attached to Islamic mosques from which the Muezzin calls the faithful to prayer.

Blue Mosque in Istanbul Minaret

One fifth of the world’s population follow Islam, and are called Muslims (“those who submit to God’s will”).

Five Pillars of Islam  Profession of faith  Prayer  Helping the poor  Fasting during Ramadan  The Hajj

Hajj in Makkah

The Crusades and Mongol invasions brought conflict and foreign control to the region. During 1800s, a European trained middle class developed in the region, with European ideas of nationalism.

Nationalism The belief in the right of each people to be an independent nation.

During 1960s Many previously European ruled North African and Southwest Asian territories gained their independence. Central Asian territories gained their independence in 1991.

Nationalize To place a company or industry under government control. Iran, Iraq, Libya, and Saudi Arabia took control of foreign-owned oil companies within their borders.

Israel  Not a Muslim or Arab state  Zionists began to settle in Palestine in the late 1800s  Jewish state founded in Palestine in 1948

Zionists An international political movement, organized in the 19 th century, that supports a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel.

After World War I  The British gained control of Palestine.  Supported a Jewish State.  The Holocaust increased Western sympathy for the Zionist cause.

After World War II  In 1947, the UN partitioned Palestine into two separate states.  Four major wars erupted between the Jews and the Arabs over the next 25 years.

Palestinian State The 1993 peace settlement gave the Palestinians the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for Arab recognition that Israel has right to exist.

Barriers to Palestine  Jewish settlements in the West Bank.  Status of Jerusalem.  In January 2006, the Hamas gained control of the Palestinian National Authority.

Hamas A Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization, whose charter (written in 1988 and still in effect) calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and its replacement with a Palestinian Islamic state.

Persian Gulf War In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. In January 1991, a 30 nation coalition force, led by the U.S., forced Saddam Hussein to withdraw his Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Embargo A ban on trade. Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait forced the world community to impose a ban of trade with Iraq.

War in Afghanistan In October 2001, American and British armies invaded Afghanistan to remove the Taliban government and to capture Osama bin Ladin. The Taliban were removed, but bin Ladin is still at large.

Iraqi War The U.S. led invasion of Iraq, officially began on March 20, The stated objective of the invasion was "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people".

Saddam Hussein  Dictator of Iraq from  Invaded Iran in  Invaded Kuwait in  Executed Dec. 30, 2006 for crimes against humanity.

Monarchs Rule  Saudi Arabia  United Arab Emirates  Morocco  Jordan