2. LANDFORMS &
RIVERS
Collision of African, Eurasian,
and arabian plates has
created a mixture of
mountains, plateaus, valleys,
narrow gulfs, and seas.
As the african and arabian
plates move apart, the red sea
is getting wider
there are frequent
earthquakes as a result of this
tectonic activity
3. MESOPOTAMIA
To the north of the arabian
peninsula
Part of the fertile crescent
“Land between the rivers” -
tigris & Euphrates
5. NATURAL
RESOURCES
Water - Not Plentiful (tigris
& Euphrates are the main
source)
In the mountains, farmers
depend on rain
6. OTHER WAYS TO GET
WATER
deep wells or an oasis
fossil water (underground
and non-renewable)
desalinization - remove salt
from seawater (Saudi
arabia produces more
desalinized water than any
other country)
7. FIRST CIVILIZATIONS
The world’s first civilizations
developed in the fertile
crescent.
many animals and plants
were first domesticated
there.
3000 BC - Sumerians built
the worlds first known cities
in mesopotamia
8. CONQUEST -
PERSIANS
Akkadians conquered the
sumerians in 2350 BC
People from all directions
invaded and set up new
empires
550 bc - empire develops in
persia, where iran is today
Persians had one of the
largest, richest, and most
powerful empires in the world.
9. RISE OF ISLAM
AD 570-632: PROPHET
MUHAMMAD
ESTABLISHED ISLAM
Islam is one of the world’s
most widely practiced
religions
By the time Muhammad
died, Islam had spread to
most of the arabian
peninsula
More on islam later...
10. SAFAVIDS
In the early 1500s, rulers
called Safavids came to power
in Iran.
Historians consider their rule,
which lasted more than 200
years, to be a golden age of
persian culture
literature, architecture and arts
flourished. persian carpets,
ceramics and textiles became
renowned.
11. OTTOMAN EMPIRE
In the 1500s, OTTOMANS
conquered Mesopotamia
and the east and west coast
of the Arabian Peninsula
Ottomans and Safavids
held power until the 1800s
and 1900s when the british
and russian empires took
over
12. CULTURE - ARABS
People in the Persian Gulf
and Interior Southwest Asia
are ARABS and ARABIC is
the dominant language
The spread of Islam
influenced the spread of the
Arabic language and the
Arabic world, so eventually
all Arabic speakers became
known as Arabs
13. CULTURE - KURDS
Kurds live in the border-
lands of Iran, Iraq, Syria,
and Turkey.
They are Muslims, but not
Arabs
Their desire for self-rule is a
source of political unrest in
some countries
14. CULTURE - PERSIANS &
FARSI
Most of Iran’s people are
Persians who speak Farsi
Some Kurds and other
ethnic groups in the region
also speak farsi.