Middle Eastern Geography

The Middle East covers a majority of Western Asia and Egypt, and Middle Easterners represent the largest ethnic group in the Middle East. The area known as the Middle East includes Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Northern Cyprus, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Overview of Middle Eastern History

Several empires including the Assyrian, Persian, Roman, and Byzantine empires ruled the Middle East. The Middle East has had continuous wars over the years, and the ruling empires have changed due to the warfare. The last empire in rule was the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottoman reign ended with Arab and British forces in 1918. From the 1920s, the other states gained their independence. Many countries around the Persian Gulf have large quantities of oil, which has created a lot of wealth for countries in the Middle East.

Conflict in the Middle East

The Middle East is the historical origin of major religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Historically, the Bible promised a piece of land to Jewish people in Palestine. The British Empire supported that Palestine allow the Jewish people to live in the land called the "Holy Land."

After World War II, the United Nations recommended that Palestine divide into two countries to establish the "Holy Land" for the Jewish people. The land was divided, and the "Holy Land" was named The State of Israel, but Palestine refused to acknowledge that Israel existed. Jewish people were expelled from other Arab countries and bullied to move to Israel, while Palestinians were pushed out of Israel. The conflict between these two groups only increased throughout the years—even with various peace attempts. The Jewish people fight to keep their land, and the Palestinian people fight to gain their land. Ideas about the conflict in the Middle East appear quite often on the news and in conversation, so make sure to take time to research for yourself in order to gain knowledge regarding this particular issue.

Look below for an image of the territory belonging to Israel and Palestine.

 

Arabic Literature

The largest ethnic group in the Middle East are the Arab people, and "Middle Eastern" is more so a geographical term, so Arabic literature stems from the Middle East. The Qur'an (literally translated as "the recitation") is the most important piece of literature for Arabic culture because the Qur'an is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God.

A large part of Arabic literature is poetry that contained a wide variety of themes. Even prose from this area contains some poetry within the text. A famous example of Arabic fiction is the epic One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights). Arabic literature also includes Romantic literature, Comedies, and Science fiction.

The nonfiction literature includes facts, ideas and instructive stories. Manuals might include instructions on how to rule or how to write.

A revival in Arabic literature known as "al-Nahda" (the Renaissance) took place in the 19^th Century and included an increase in Arabic literature. From al-Nahda, a well-known tale appeared called The Count of Monte Cristo.

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