Chapter Notes 11-1: History and Religion I. Mesopotamia A.One of the 1st civilizations that grew in the “Fertile Crescent” land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. B.One of the earliest city-states was an area called Sumer. C.They created a form of writing known as cuneiform. D.Hammurabi’s Code was an attempt to bring justice and fairness to the idea of law. (eye for an eye) II. Ancient Egypt A.Egypt grew out of the river valley, the Nile, the longest river in the world. B.Upper and Lower Egypt were united under one great ruler called a pharaoh.

C.Egyptians had a polytheistic religion, meaning they worshipped many gods. D.Large tombs that belonged to pharaohs were called pyramids. E.They used a form of picture writing called hieroglyphics. F.One of the greatest trading empires were the Phoenicians. Religions of the Middle East III. Judaism - followers are known as Jews A.Oldest of the 3 religions and their holy book is the Tanakh. B.Believe that God made a covenant with Abraham and his people. C.They believe that they are God’s chosen people and are still waiting for the Messiah. D. The scattering of Jews all over the world is known as the Diaspora.

IV. Christianity - followers are called Christians A. Their holy book is called the Bible. B.Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God and the Messiah that the Jews were waiting. C. Christianity is the most practiced religion in the world. (2 Billion) V. Islam - followers are called Muslims. A. Their holy book is called the Quran. B.Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last and greatest prophet of Allah or God. C.The Quran describes the 5 Pillars of Faith, 5 obligations all Muslims must fulfill. D. Muslims practice in houses of worship called mosques.

RELIGIONSJUDAISMCHRISTIANITYISLAM FOLLOWER’S CALLED: HOUSE OF WORSHIP: PEOPLE: HOLY WRITINGS: NAMES OF GODS: HOLY CITIES: HOLLIDAYS: BASIC BELIEFS: CHRISTIANS CHURCH JESUS CHRIST BIBLE GOD JERUSALEM CHRISTMAS, EASTER, GOOD FRIDAY SON OF GOD “MESSIAH” JEWS SYNAGOGUES ABRAHAM, MOSES TORAH YAWEH JERUSALEM, ISRAEL HANUKKAH, YOM KIPPUR DON’T BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD MUSLIMS MOSQUES MUHAMMAD QURAN ALLAH JERUSALEM MECCA, MEDINA RAMADAN SUBMITTING TO GOD

VI. The Region in the Modern World A.Late 900’s, N. Africa and SW Asia was a vast Arab empire. B.In the 1200’s, Ottoman empire controlled the region until WWI. C.After WWI, large areas came under control of European powers. D.In 1947, the UN voted to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab countries. E.In 1948, Israel becomes a nation, Arab and Israeli conflicts have occurred ever since. F.People in this region blame U.S. and Europe for keeping Muslim nations poor and have led to terrorism.

Chapter Notes 11-2: Cultures and Lifestyles I. Population Changes A.Lack of water influences where people live. (More than ½ urban) B.Many people moving to the cities (Istanbul, Cairo, Tehran) for better living conditions. C.Overcrowding, job shortages, and lack of transport are problems of people moving to the cities. II. Religious Practices A.Muslims must fulfill the 5 Pillars of Faith: 1. statement of faith 2. pray 5 times a day 3. give money to the poor 4. fast during the month of Ramadan 5. holy journey, hajj, to Makkah (Mecca)

B.Christians celebrate Easter and Christmas as holy days. C.Jewish people honor the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. III.Religion, the Arts, and Daily Life A.Arabic, is the major language of this region. B.Countries w/ high manufacturing have better living standards. (Israel) C.Saudi Arabia and Qatar are wealthy from oil production. D.Many N. Africans have migrated to Europe for a better life. E.Recently, the status of women is changing, have more rights. F.In more traditional countries, (Saudi Arabia) women are expected to obey their husbands and stay home.