Download History and Culture

History and Culture
History and Culture
• The world’s first civilizations developed in
the area known as the Fertile Crescent.
• This arc of productive land extends
northward from the Persian Gulf and
through the plains of the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers.
History and Culture
• By about 3000 B.C. a people called the
Sumerians built the world’s first known
cities in southern Mesopotamia.
• These cities depended on wheat and
barley to make a living.
History and Culture
• Akkadians conquered the Sumerian cities
in about 2350 B.C. and created the
region’s first real empire.
• Over time cities declined and grew in the
region. About 550 B.C. an empire
developed in Persia, which is Iran today.
History and Culture
• The Persians were one of the largest,
richest, and most powerful empires in
world history.
• Later the Greeks and the Romans
controlled much of this region.
History and Culture
• The prophet Muhammad established
Islam.
• Muhammad was born in Mecca and had a
religious experience that changed his life.
History and Culture
• Muhammad reported that a messenger of
God, the angel Gabriel, told him to preach
the word of God. (Allah)
• Muhammad spread his message to his
followers called Muslims.
History and Culture
• A holy book called the Qur’an contains
what Muslims believe to be Allah’s
message to Muhammad.
• After Muhammad’s death Arab armies
carried Islam through wars and along
trade routes.
History and Culture
• Muslims all over the world now face
Mecca, Islam’s holiest city when they pray.
• Islam is one of the world’s most widely
practiced religions.
History and Culture
• Empires continued to rise and fall in this
area until modern times.
• The rule of the Safavid dynasty which
lasted more than 200 years is considered
the golden age of Persian culture.
History and Culture
• The expanding British and Russian
Empires took control of Iran and
Afghanistan until they both became
independent during the 1900’s.
• Iraq and Saudi Arabia both became
independent in 1932.
History and Culture
• Islam is the unifying cultural feature of the
region.
History and Culture
• Arabs:
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Largest ethnic group in the entire region.
Arabic language is the dominant language.
Islam is the major religion.
Saudi Arabia and Iraq both major Arab
countries.
History and Culture
• Persians:
• Iran and Afghanistan
• Farsi language
• Persians dominate Iran and hold most of
the important positions in Iranian society.
History and Culture
• Pashtun:
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Largest ethnic group in Afghanistan
Speak Pashtu language
Several small tribes here.
People’s loyalties are more in line with
their family or clan than their ethnic group.
History and Culture
• Kurds:
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Muslim
Located in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey
Desire self-rule
Language related to Farsi.
Religion
• Islam has split into two main groups, the
Sunni and Shi’ism.
• Their difference centers around who can
be their religious leaders, called imams, in
Muslim society.
Religion
• Sunni groups choose their imams, while
the Shia allow only descendents of the
prophet Muhammad’s family to become
imams.
• Today 90 percent of Muslims are Sunnis
and 10 percent are Shia.
Religion
• Sunnis are found everywhere Islam has
spread, while Shia is concentrated in Iran,
southern Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and
Lebanon.
Religion
• Both groups are expected to make the
religious pilgrimage to Meca.
• Throughout history there have been
conflicts between the two groups.