• Contains deserts, steppes and mountains, rivers and straits; many nations border bodies of water • Land regions include the Fertile Crescent, Arabian Peninsula and Sinai Peninsula• Major waterways include Mediterranean Sea & Red Sea (connected by Suez Canal), Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Arabian Sea; major rivers include Jordan, Euphrates and Tigris

• Teachings of Muhammad written down in Qur’an - Abu-Bakr• Descendants of Muhammad called Imam; rulers that follow Muhammad take title of Caliph• After Muhammad’s death Islam goes through changes; Muslims disagree as to the appropriate mediator to Allah – Sunni’s & Shi’ites• Culture developed over time; advancements in art, science, medicine, agriculture, manufacturing, trade and commerce

1095 – 1272 CE• Series of religious wars fought for political reasons; Pope failed to regain “Holy Land” from Muslim “heretics”• Soldiers gain respect for one another while establishing a need for eastern goods• Root of tension & hostility between Christians & Muslims

• Great Sunni empire that emerged in Asia Minor lasting from 1299-1923 CE

• Significant territorial gains under Mehmet II, Selim I and Suleiman I

• Height of empire included land as far east as Persia and west to Vienna, Austria

Hagia Sophia Interior

• Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, and United Arab Emirates have largest quantities of oil; began mass production in 1945• Oil cartel OPEC is dominated by Middle Eastern countries; oil prices constantly change causing economic instability

• Discovery of oil (1908) gave Middle East region strategic & economic importance; Persian Gulf has two-thirds of world’s oil

• Modern Middle East began when Ottoman Empire was defeated & partitioned into a number of separate new nations; departure of European powers, mainly Britain & France; rising influence of U.S.• Cold War brought ideological struggle between United States and Soviet Union; each competed to influence region; U.S. sought to divert Arab world from Soviet influence• Importance in area due to discovery of oil, industrialization and modernization, establishment of Israel & impact of religious strife in the region

• Formed in 1948 for remaining Jewish population of world (per Balfour Declaration 1917) as a result of Holocaust• Considered by Jews as the “Promised Land” granted to them by God• Continued issues and violence occurs between Israelis and Arabs today due to disagreements involving the creation of the state of Israel and the territory it occupies

- Series of wars fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors; all conflicts associated involving Arab nations and Israel

- For Israelis, war marks successful establishment of Israeli state - For Palestinian Arabs, it’s referred to as "al Nakba" or “the Catastrophe"

- Peace movements have been made 1979 – Present; ceasefires with minimal setbacks; support for shrinking Palestinian territory has disappeared

• Throughout 20th and into 21st century, Middle East region has had periods of relative peaceful tolerance and periods of conflict and war • Current issues include expansion of terrorism, war and conflict, Iranian nuclear program and Arab Spring

• Conflict has been referred to as the "Soviet Union's Vietnam War" or "the Bear Trap" due to the improbability of victory• Led to Afghan Civil Wars from 1989-1992, 1992 - 1996 and 1996-2001

• Soviet Union invaded to support communist government of Afghanistan; fought guerilla war against Mujahideen without success; Afghan guerillas received aid from USA and other nations against USSR• Resulted in Geneva Accords; peace agreement between USSR and USA without support of Mujahideen

• First Gulf War: Iraq invaded Iran; despite territorial exchanges very little changed; UN pressure resulted in ceasefire August 1988 Second Gulf War: Iraq invaded Kuwait to seize their oil; United Nations sent military forces, mainly US troops in February 1991, to help Kuwaitis defend against Saddam Hussein and Iraqi soldiers; defeated the Iraqis in six weeks

• Extremist groups fighting for a cause have captured media attention throughout the world• Global terrorism has expanded to peaceful nations • Large well known groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Mujahedeen, Al Qaeda & Palestine Liberation Organization are leaders of terrorist activity

• US invaded Afghanistan after 9/11 attacks; dismantled Taliban government & fought insurgents until 2008• Killed Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011; war has not ended

• US forces invaded Iraq to uncover WMDs; none were found• US soldiers captured Saddam Hussein; war did not end• Iraqi government has not implemented democratic system US attempted to provide

• Nine year war ended & troops are removed; has Iraq recovered?

• Dismantled governments that were in place; attempted to establish democratic institutions; has not been successful• Attempted to alleviate inequality that existed between genders and ethnicities in these nations• Overall, response was positive but insurgents create issues for peacekeepers in certain regions• Free elections have been held in Afghanistan and Iraq as a result of the dismantling of the former governments; women have been able to vote for the first time in history

• Began in 1967 - 1979; after resumed on a modest scale

• Nuclear program continues pursuit of energy to replace oil supply; support Chemical, Biological and Nuclear programs against all pressures from United States and its allies

• Recent advancements of nuclear energy include construction of uranium enrichment plants

• Series of activities ranging from political protests to civil war that happened in a number of Arab countries, including Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and Syria, beginning in the late months of 2010 and early months of 2011 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline

• Remains a strategically, economically, politically, culturally and religiously sensitive region today

• Conflicts & hostilities continue to exist between Middle Eastern nations