2. Middle East: Culture Continue notes on pages 50-51

3. Culture? –Population –Languages –Religion –Agriculture –Economics –Urbanization

4. Population: Where are the people?

5. Population Population is dense near WATER – Tigris and Euphrates (what’s that called?) – Jordan River – Low overall population (why?)

6. Deaths under 40 Years

7. Population Ethnicities: – Mostly Arab – Pashtun – Turks – Bedouins – Persians – Kurds

8. Pashtun – The largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

9. Kurdistan List the four Middle Eastern countries that have significant Kurdish populations. Why is there fighting between Kurds and other Muslims? Definition of Kurd - A Muslim who is not an Arab. Kurds are a distinct ethnic group that has never had their own homeland. The countries they live in do not want to give up any land, so there is a large amount of conflict.

10. Languages –Unified by Arabic Language - An Afro-Asiatic Language –Israel- Hebrew –Afghanistan- Pashto –Iran- Farsi –Turkey- Turkish

11. Languages

12. Religion ISLAM!!! – Prophet Mohammed – Monotheistic= one god – Allah – Divisions: Sunni, Shiite

13. The Five Pillars of Islam Leave room below each one for notes. Shahadah (creed) Salat (prayer five times each day) Zakat (tithing) Sawm (fasting) Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

14. Shahadah (creed) "I testify that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is his messenger."

15. Salat (prayer five times each day)

16. Zakat (tithing) $$$

17. Sawm (fasting)

18. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

19. Islam in Iran Two major branches of Islam in the entire Middle East: Sunni (about 89%) Shia (about 10%) Iran is one of the exceptions. The Shia Imams (Muslim preachers) control Iran, so Shi’ism is the branch that is most powerful there, while Sunnism is the most powerful in almost every other country.

20. Islam in Iran…..Continued Iran is also the only country that has an Ayatollah. Currently, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the Islamic ruler in Iran. He is important because Iran is a theocracy, or a government that is ruled by religious authority and that makes him the supreme ruler there.

21. Agriculture –commercial farming in Israel Mediterranean climate yielding citrus, avocados & ranching –Nomadic Herding Bedouins –Desertification

22. Agriculture

23. Economy Mostly dependent on oil – Generally, those who have it are wealthy, those who don’t aren’t (excepting Israel and Turkey)

25. Urbanization Populations move to cities Baghdad

26. Riyadh