Download Middle East

Middle East,
Southwest Asia
and Africa
By: Farah, Kate, Elena, Winnie
8000 B.C.E. – 600 C.E.
Persia
P (Political)
Kingdoms of Mesopotamia
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Sumerians
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Ur, Erech, and Kish were major city-states of first major civilization
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Government was controlled by priests, but war between city-states allowed shift of power to
commanders
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Akkadian
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Sargon of Akkad created the world’s first empire after conquering Sumerian city-states
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Babylonian
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King Hammurabi of Babylon created Code of Hammurabi (justice, responsibility, and fairness
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Hittites
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Became military superpower due to their use of iron weapons
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Assyrians
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Assyrians learned to use iron after Hitties and built an empire that swept through Fertile
Crescent
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Highly disciplined, but cruel  frequent uprisings by those that were conquered
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Persians
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Major world force that stretched beyond Nile River valley in Egypt around the eastern
Mediterranean
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satraps (local leaders) ruled provinces
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rule became centralized during Sassanid Dynasty
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Sassanid Empire falls (classical empires at this time fall) and Islamic Empire rises
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Phoenicians
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Powerful naval city-states
E (Economic)
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Sumerians
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Sumerian workers began to use bronze to create tools and weapons
Lydians
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Concept of coined money over the barter system (goods exchange)
Phoenicians
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Dominated trade in Mediterranean in 1790 B.C.E.
R (Religion)
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Hebrews
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Monotheistic, unlike other civilizations
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Judaism
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First Jews
Sumerians
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Each city-state had its own god (polytheistic)
S (Social)
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Sumerians
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Cuneiform (helped record laws, treaties, and social and religious customs)  many
civilizations adapted this (such as Akkadians and Phoenicians)
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12 month calendar and math system based on 60 (60°, 360°)
Phoenicians
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Developed simple alphabet that used 22 letters
I (Interaction)
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canals and dikes were built due to unpredictable flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates River
Babylon fell to invasions of Hittites
Assyrians took over the entire Fertile Crescent, but was defeated by the Medes and Chaldeans
Chaldean king, Nebuchadnezzar, rebuilt Babylon as a place of architecture and culture
Persians
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Persian Wars united Greek city-states against Persia  war ended in stalemate
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Cyrus of Achaemenid Empire was responsible for most of the empire’s expansion
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Macedonian Greeks overthrow Achaemenids
A (Arts/Architecture)
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Sumerians
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Architectural development such as arches and columns
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Ziggurats (pyramid-type temples that worshipped their gods)
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Introduction of wheel was a major development that reduced travel time
Persians
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Great Royal Road (longest road used for transportation and communication)
Change and Continuity
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Conquering civilizations adopted and adapted the customs and technologies of those that were
defeated (ex: Hitties and Assyrians)
600 C.E. - 1450
Persia
P (Political)
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632: Abu Bakr becomes the first caliph
Umayyad dynasty from 661-750
Abbasid Dynasty from 750-1258
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762 - establishment of capital at Baghdad
Abbasid political unity starts to diminish due to geographical overextension
Umayyads of al Andalus (Spain) from 756 to 976
Fatimid Dynasty from 909-1171
Ottoman Turks rise to power (1300s and 1400s)
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experience a series of rebellions that lead to decline
E (Economic)
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Trade routes such as the Silk Roads which transported spices and goods
also information to build upon their societies
Abbasids establish a single currency (dinar)
R (Religion)
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Caliphs who were successors or deputies who ruled by using the
Qur’an and Muhammad’s actions to guide them
Qur’an and Sunna were the sources of authority and the guide to
daily life
The Five Pillars of Islam which are the religious duties
Sunni- Shi’a Split
The Shi’a was the party of Ali who resisted the rule of the
Umayyad’s and the Sunni were the followers of Muhammad’s
example
jizya (tax) is enforced on Christians and Muslims
S (Social)
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Arabic becomes the official anguage during the Umayyad
Caliphate.
1450 - 1750
Persia
P (Political)
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Ottoman Empire
 Osman Bey united groups of semi nomadic Turkish people (later known as the Ottomans)
 Osman and his men aimed to be “ghazi” (holy warriors)
 employed elite troops: Janissaries
 Ottomans became a formidable naval power as they fought against the navies of the
Christian states
 most aggressive enemy was another Muslim state, the Safavid Empire
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The Safavid Empire
 Established by shah Ismail
 rulers of both empires had complete control over the army and were able to appoint or
dismiss any officials they want
E (Economic)
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Ottoman used new military technology such as gunpowder
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Columbian Exchange which brought new and exotic foods to the plates of the
Ottomans and the Safavids (ex: potatoes and tomatoes)
R (Religion)
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Ottoman Empire had large amounts of Christians and Jews. The Safavids had sizeable
communities of Zoroastrian and Jewish communities
To deal with these subjects, the Ottomans and the Safavids didn’t require these people
to convert to Islam, but instead referred to them as dhimmi or protected people.
These people had to pay a special tax called jizya and were allowed a large amount of
autonomy
I (Interactions)
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1453: capture of Constantinople of the Byzantine Empire was the beginning of
Ottoman Empire with Constantinople as the capital of the new empire
Ottoman Empire with their advanced gunpowder weapons were able to overrun the
Safavid Empire’s cavalry force, but lacked the forces to occupy all of the Safavid
Empire, enabling the shahs to regain power.
1750 - 1914
Persia
P (Political)
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Ottoman Empire (Military Decline)
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After the death of Suleiman I (1566) a series of weak sultans and problems arose
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Division of party in factions, corruption of government, inflation, foreign threat, and
rebellions
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Janissaries (military troops) were corrupted and undisciplined
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Provincial governors gained power  private armies
E (Economic)
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By the 1700s the armies of the Ottoman Empire were behind Europe in both strength and
technology
Less trade through empire as Europeans shifted to the Atlantic Ocean basin
European imports put pressure on Ottoman artisans because the items were inexpensive 
led to riots
Ottomans depended on foreign loans
Foreigners began to administer the debts of the Ottoman state by 1882 
extraterritoriality-right to rule according to their own laws
Suez Canal – linked Europe and its empires in Asia and East Africa to increase trade.
R (Religion)
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By 1700s Muslims began to persecute Hindus
S (Social)
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government used the French legal system as a guide to form its own laws
Legal and educational reforms of the Tanzimat Era ("reorganization") (1839-1876)
Young turks - a group of exiled Ottoman subjects that pushed for equality before the
law, universal suffrage, and the rights of women
I (Interaction)
 Greece (1830) and Serbia (1867) broke away from Ottoman Empire
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1908 – Young Turks led a coup that overthrew the sultan and set up a sultan that they
themselves controlled
1914 - Present
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Southwest Asia:
 Nations of this region had a rise in nationalism
 1922-Mustafa Kemal led Turkish nationalists to overthrow the last Ottoman Sultan
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1923 Kemal became the president of the New Republic of Turkey, which was the first
republic in Southwest Asia. Many reforms were made by Kemal: Separation of Church
and State; Legal system based on European Law; Woman gained freedom along with
the right to vote and holding public office positions.
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Persia: Britain tried to take over Persia, which led to Persian nationalism. A army
officer seized power in 1921, and in 1925 got rid of the Shah. Reza Shah Pahlavi,
Persia’s new leader, wanted to modernize them. He created public schools, public
roads and railroads, promoted industrialization and extended women’s rights.
Although, he kept all the power to himself, and changed Persia to Iran in 1935.
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Saudi Arabia: 1902, Abd al-Aziz Ibn Saud, made a campaign to unify Arabia. 1932,
he renamed the kingdom Saudi Arabia for his family. He carried Arab and Islamic ways
and the loyalty to the government was based on custom, religion and family ties.
Alcohol was considered illegal. He also brought modern technology such as
telephones and radios to his country. This was only limited to religiously acceptable
areas.
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Oil Resources: Rising need for petroleum brought industrialization. In the 1920’s and
30’s European and American countries found oil in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and
Kuwait. Foreign businesses invested money to create oil fields. Persian Gulf has 2/3 of
the world’s oil supply. Oil brought vast profits, but along with it imperialism by western
nations were also brought.
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North Africa:
 During WWII, Mussolini wanted control of Egypt. It would allow for the takeover of
Egypt’s Suez Canal which was key to getting into the oil fields of Middle East. In
February of 1941, British swept 500 miles across North Africa and Italy lost. Then
General Rommel was sent to command the new tanks called “Afrika Korps”, so he
could take over Egypt and the Suez Canal. After fierce fighting, on November 3
Rommel was defeated.
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Middle East
 Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi welcomed Western government and their oil
companies. Iranian nationalists disliked this and under Prime Minister Muhammad
Mossaddeq they took control over the British oil company and in 1953, the shah was
forced to flee. U.S. arrested Mossaddeq because they thought he would turn to
Soviets for support, resulting in the shah returning to power. End of 1950’s Tehran,
Iran’s capital was westernized with skyscrapers banks and modern factories.
Conservative Muslim leaders such as Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini wanted a republic
ruled by Islamic law, so in late 1978 riots occurred in major Iran cities. 1979(January)
Khomeini came back from exile and created anti U.S. policies. Iran and Iraq’s tensions
worsened and war broke out between then in 1980. 1988 U.N. ceasefire stopped the
bloodshed after millions died.
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OPEC: 1970’s Arab-Israeli conflict had used oil as a political force.