Five Important Artifacts in the Middle East

The Ka’aba – As the most holy site in all of Islam, the Ka’aba is easily one of the most important artifacts in the Middle East.  “During the holy months, when the desert fairs and the great markets envelop the city of Mecca, pilgrims from all over the Peninsula make their way to this barren land to visit their tribal deities,” (Aslan 419-420).  Not only do people from all over the Peninsula make their way, but Muslims from all over the world seek pilgrimage to Mecca in order to pray around the Ka’aba.  The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam.  Within this, those that voyage will walk around the structure seven times.  For the average Muslim, when the call to prayer comes every day, it is the Ka’aba in Mecca that he or she faces when praying.  For these reasons alone, the Ka’aba is arguably the most important artifact to the Islamic culture that still remains today.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – As the sixth President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a very controversial figure.  Accused by many of rigging his election in 2009, his negative stance on homosexuality and his denial of the holocaust, Ahmadinejad is quite obviously not a crowd pleaser.  “What Ahmadinejad shows about the complexity of the Middle East is that it is not one uniform group of beliefs,” (Schlak).  After the Iranian Revolution occurred, Ahmadinejad’s family became highly involved with politics in the region.  He is an extremely conservative figure and has the primary focus of making Iran an Islamic state.  Because of his stature and prominence at a global level, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is one of the most important figures in the Middle East.

The Great Sphinx – The Great Sphinx is an artifact that is different from many in the Middle East.  It is highly symbolic of the history of the region.  The Sphinx still stands today, its face broken and battered, but nonetheless it remains, much like the region and its history.  It has lasted through all the suffering along with the people.  It does not have a truly defined existence other than the fact that it does exist.  Although the Muslim people of the world clearly do have a defined existence, there is still a sense of a lack of identity, in particular due to the ongoing wars of Israel and Palestine. However, much like the Sphinx, these people today still stand as a prominent player in the world. The Sphinx acts as a great symbol of how strong the people of the Islamic culture are, from 4500 years ago to present day.

The Western Wall – The Western Wall is one of the holiest sites within Jerusalem and is deemed as the most important Jewish shrine remaining.  Built in 20 BC as a retaining wall to the Temple Mount complex, it is the only remaining fragment remaining from the Roman devastation.  It is common belief that the Divine Presence never left the wall, thus praying to it is considered praying directly to God.  It is a divine place for all Jewish people around the world.  “The ancient 2,000 year old stones of the Wall have witnessed the Jewish peoples birth, exile and redemption. The Western Wall is a living testimony to the strength and resilience of the Jewish nation,” (Fichera).  Much like the Ka’aba is arguably the most important artifact remaining for Islam, the Western Wall is one of the most important remaining artifacts for the Jewish people.

Osama Bin Laden – As the founder of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden is a very important person to the Middle East.  Perhaps, though, his importance comes from the rumors and myths that have been spread of him over the past few decades.  Bin Laden was one of the United States primary targets throughout the war in Iraq after being accused of the September 11^th attacks.  He fully believed in the right for violent jihad against those that went against his Muslim beliefs.  Although common belief is that he attacked outsiders more often than not, Al-Qaeda does not hold back on anyone.  “Al-Qaeda leaders regard liberal Muslims, Shias, Sufis, Ahmadiyyas and other sects as heretics and have issued attacks on their mosques and gatherings,” (Dannreuther).  The tactics that Bin Laden has used and the mass amount of terror that he has spread allows for him to be deemed one of the most important, yet dangerous, people in the Middle East.

Five Ingredients that Differentiate the Middle East

Climate – The climate in the Middle East varies so extremely, from the southern most countries of Egypt and Sudan to the northern most of Armenia and Turkey.  However, there are some facts that would make this seem false.  “…the world’s 15 most water-scarce countries — Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Israel and Palestine — are in the Middle East,” (Friedman).  Despite the fact that these countries all share a scarcity of water, this is simply one aspect of it all.  The climate zones of these areas differ greatly.  For example, turkey has a moderate climate with hot, dry summers and mild wet winters.  This is a stark comparison to Yemen, which consists mainly of extremely hot and arid desert land.  And then there is Pakistan, which in the single country alone has a hot, arid desert, a temperate northwest, and an arctic northern region.

Political Groups – From Fatah to Hamas to the Palestinian Liberation Organization and more, the various political groups in the Middle East reflect upon the different perspectives of the people.  “Political Islam is very much a product of the modern world,” (Gelvin 309).  The policies that are in place in the modern world, the amount of super powers in comparison to the third world countries, and the developing region of the Middle East have shaped each of these organizations in specific ways.  Fatah is a major Palestinian political party, yet is also a part of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.  Hamas, Fatah’s Islamist faction rival, does not hold ties with the PLO, and is considered a terrorist organization.  To add even more to the complexity, the PLO was also considered a terrorist organization at one point in history as well.  The immense differing opinion of each political group in the Middle East has shaped many of the citizens’ ideologies and morals.

Shia and Sunni – The Sunni and Shia sections of Islam are in constant struggle with each other, ultimately creating division where unity is needed.  “Although sharing a common sacred history, each group strove to develop its own interpretation of scripture, its own ideas on theology and the law, and its own community of faith,” (Aslan 306).  Perhaps the greatest conflict between the two groups is within the recognition to the true heirs to the caliphs.  The Sunni branch believes that the first four caliphs, Mohammed's successors, rightfully took his place as the leaders of Muslims. They recognize the heirs of the four caliphs as legitimate religious leaders.  Shiites, in contrast, believe that only the heirs of the fourth caliph, Ali, are the legitimate successors of Mohammed.

Palestine and Israel – One of the most largely talked about topics when speaking of the Middle East, the war in Palestine/Israel truly divides the Middle East as a region more than anything else.  Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the region of Palestine/Israel has been one of the most heated areas in the world.  Numerous important wars have occurred in the region, including the Suez Crisis in 1956, the Six Day War in 1967, and the 1973 Yom Kippur War.  The origins of this ongoing crisis were sparked initially during the time of the Holocaust, when thousands of Jewish people were forced to flee their homes.  As such, the Jewish diaspora ultimately lead to the expulsion of thousands of Arab people from the land of Palestine.  This led to the Palestinian belief in a right of return, and the Jewish belief that Palestine/Israel was their natural homeland to begin with.  “This dispute is, simply put, a real estate dispute,” (Gelvin 217).

Age and Population – The Middle East is without a doubt a growing region in the world.  Currently, most European nations have fewer than 20% of the population at or below age 15.  In some areas of the Middle East this number is drastically different.  For example, 48.7 percent of the population of Yemen is currently under the age of 15.  Although this is good to show that the nation is youthful, it will ultimately lead to many problems.  Think twenty years in the future, when nearly 50 percent of the population is at age 25.  Unemployment rates in regions like this are already consistently low, and unfortunately that number will only skyrocket.  However, other areas in the Middle East won’t experience this problem at quite the extreme.  The United Arab Emirates has almost half of what Yemen has, 25.8 percent of the population under the age of 15.  With the Middle East being such a large region, the scale of age and population is drastically different between each country.

Five Ingredients that Unite the Middle East

Religion – Islam and Judaism are the two primary religions of the region, both containing their history in the area.  Despite the constant differing opinion in the area today, both religions contain massive amounts of history in the area.  “The relationship between the Jews and pagan Arabs was symbiotic in that not only were the Jews heavily Arabized, but the Arabs were also significantly influenced by Jewish beliefs and practices,” (Aslan 525-526).  In multiple instances, both religions have very similar structure and sets beliefs.  Both Islam and Judaism also share a common origin through Abraham.  When looking at the Middle East, these two religions make up the vast majority of people living in the area.  With so much of the fighting occurring due to ideological differences, it is almost ironic that both contain so many similar roots.

Aljazeera – As the predominant news channel that is the primary information provider to the Middle East, Aljazeera has turned from a news channel once hated by many to the number once source for most Middle Eastern citizens.  Jehane Noujamin, an Egyptian American film maker, created a documentary named Control Room in 2004.  Within this movie, the beginnings of Aljazeera are developed.  Through a short documentary, the perception of the conflict in the Middle East can be so easily changed just by looking at it from the perspective of the news in the area.  Josh Rushing, a former Lieutenant of the United States Marine Corps, was given direct orders by the Pentagon to not comment on the film.  After disobeying direct orders, Rushing was asked to leave the Marine Corps, and eventually joined an English Aljazeera channel.  Despite the fact that Aljazeera provides almost all news to the Middle East, only two places in the United States actually play the channel.  This is rather unfortunate, as the skewed perspective of so many American people could be changed drastically with the simple allowance of such an important news source.

Revolution – The Middle East is an area that is constantly going through revolution.  The most recent of these occurred in the form of the Arab Spring.  The Arab Spring was sparked through various acts, but the most important of these was from the use of social media.  Revolutions in the Middle East have always had a significant impact.  “The Iranian Revolution overthrew the Pahlavi Dynasty, which had ruled Iran from 1926 to 1979,” (Gelvin 294).  The uprising that occurred in Iran was due to the ignorance of human rights in the area.  It followed suit to other revolutions throughout history.  The Arab Spring has been so drastically different.  "Revolutions of the past have usually had charismatic leaders who were politically savvy and sometimes even military geniuses. Such revolutions followed what we can call the Revolution 1.0 model. But the revolution in Egypt was different: it was truly a spontaneous movement led by nothing other than the wisdom of the crowd...people who would only post comments in cyberspace became willing to stand in public; than those protesters, among many others, made the great leap to become marchers and chanters, and grew into a tyrannical regime..." (Ghonim).  Revolution 2.0 and the Arab Spring brought an entirely new concept to what revolution can be, and as the Middle East continues to develop, it is most likely going to be seen as a greater occurrence.

Oil – As one of the largest exports, oil is undoubtedly one of the most unifying items in the Middle East.  It has contributed to making multiple countries extremely wealthy in the area.  From Qatar to the United Arab Emirates, Middle Eastern countries thrive off drilling for oil.  “In 2010, oil exports accounted for 90 percent of Saudi Arabia’s revenue, 94 percent of Kuwait’s, and 95 percent of Abu Dhabi’s,” (Gelvin 256).  Qatar alone has experienced vast economic growth over the last several years due to the rise in oil prices.  Oil and gas still account for more than 50% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Simply put, oil and gas are responsible for the massive amount of expansion and help to run the country. Oil has made Qatar one of the highest per-capita income countries, and one of the world’s fastest growing countries. The World FactBook states that Qatar has the second-highest GDP per capita in the world.  Qatar has reserves of natural gas that are near 26 trillion cubic meters, which is roughly 14% of the world total and the third largest in the world.  The video attached shows how Qatar has been able to develop a strong and beautiful infrastructure with its profits.

The Veil – The veil is easily one of the most commonly attributed pieces of clothing to the Middle East.  When looking at any American or outside perception of the Middle East, the veil is perhaps the only thing that will carry over in each picture.  Traditionally in the Middle East, “veiling was practiced among upper-class women only,” (Gelvin 243).  However, in more recent times, the veil has become an article that both men and women alike will wear.  Regardless, the veil is worn for various reasons, not simply religious beliefs.  Elizabeth Metraux, who has spent part of her life living and working in the Middle East, demonstrates the importance of “lifting the veil” and understanding the actual importance of women in the Middle East.

Snapshot of the Great Sphinx of Giza, Researched and Presented by Ethan Fleisher

The Great Sphinx of Giza

1. The official name and location of the artifact:
Official Name: The Great Sphinx of Giza

(Arabic: أبو الهول‎ Abū al Hūl, English: The Terrifying One)

It stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile River in Giza, Egypt.

2. History of the Great Sphinx:
The Great Sphinx is one of the world's largest and oldest statues, but basic facts about it, such as who its face was modeled after, when it was built, and by whom, are still debated. These questions have resulted in the popular idea of the "Riddle of the Sphinx.”


Names of the Sphinx:
Although it’s commonly referred to as The Great Sphinx of Giza today, it is not known what the creators of the Sphinx called it. It does not appear in any inscriptions in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, nor are there any inscriptions describing its purpose or construction process. The New Kingdom refers to the Sphinx as Hor-em-akhet (English: Horus of the Horizon).

The commonly used name Sphinx was given to it in classical antiquity, about 2000 years after the accepted date of its construction. This name was in reference to a Greek mythological beast with a lion’s body, a womans head and the wings of an eagle. The name is rather contrast to the male head and lack of wings that the Sphinx has.

The modern Egyptian Arabic name is أبو الهول (Abū al Hūl, English: The Terrifying One).


Development:

Traditional view of the building timeframe of the Sphinx, although there is contrary evidence and viewpoints, is generally accepted to be approximately 2500 BC by the pharaoh Khafra, who also built the second pyramid of Giza. There are many dissenting theories from multiple Egyptologists and excavators that argue the exact date of creation, who had it built, and who it was modeled after.



3. A detailed description of the Great Sphinx:

The Sphinx is a limestone statue of a lions body with a human head on it. It is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 241 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 66 feet high. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture in the world.


Excavation of the Sphinx:
After the Giza Necropolis was abandoned, the Sphinx became buried up to its shoulders in sand. The first documented attempt at an excavation is rumored to 1400 BC.

In 1817, the first modern archaeological dig uncovered the Sphinx's chest completely. The entire Sphinx was finally excavated in 1925 to 1936.

In 1931 engineers of the Egyptian government repaired the head of the Sphinx when part of its headdress fell off in 1926 due to erosion that had also cut deeply into its neck

In addition to part of the headdress needing repaired, the one meter nose of the Sphinx is missing. There are two theories of why this happened: the first being that an Egyptian named Muhammad Sa’im al-Dahr was outraged at Egyptian peasants making offerings to the Sphinx and pried off his nose, which evidence from the Sphinx itself supports. The second theory is that cannonball fire from Napoleon’s soldiers hit and broke it off.

4. What does the artifact reveal about the modern Middle East?
The Sphinx reveals a large amount about the Middle East. It depicts, first off, the amazing architecture and artistic abilities that the people of the area have held throughout history. The Sphinx is a symbol of Egypt and the Middle East that has been around for nearly 4500 years. In this incredible amount of time, it has suffered damage through erosion, vandalism, and war, yet it still stands.

It is rather symbolic of the Islamic traditions and lifestyle for this very reason. It has lasted through all the suffering along with the people. It does not have a truly defined existence other than the fact that it does exist. Although the Muslim people of the world clearly do have a defined existence, there is still a sense of a lack of identity, in particular due to the ongoing wars of Israel and Palestine. However, much like the Sphinx, these people through today, in the modern Middle East, still stand. The Sphinx reveals a great symbol of how strong the people of the Islamic culture are, from 4500 years ago to present day.


Sources:http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=greatsphinxofgiza-giza-egypt
http://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781405320931,00.html?/Egypt
Lehner, Mark (1997). The Complete Pyramids. Thames & Hudson. p. 41. ISBN 0500050848.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sphinx_of_Giza
http://www.aeraweb.org/khafre_seq.asp

Snapshot of the State of Qatar, Researched and Presented by Ethan Fleisher

Location and Official Name:

State of Qatar

دولة قطر

Dawlat Qatar

Qatar is located in the Middle East, and it occupies a small area known as the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It's sole land border is Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest being surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The land size of Qatar is only that of 4,416 square miles, making it slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut. The Capital City, Doha, is located in the east on the Persian Gulf, and is home to 320,000 people.

Social Structure:

In the 2010 census, the estimated population for Qatar was roughly 1,696,563, ranking it as the 148^th most populated country. The official language is Arabic. People in the area are known as Qatari's. Out of the total population, the ethnic make up is fairly spread out. Nearly 20% of the population is Qatari (Arab), 20% are other Arabs, 20% are Indian, 10% Filipino, 13% Nepali, 7% Pakistani, 5% Sri Lankan, and 5% other. Although Arabic is the primary language, English, Hindu, Urdu, and Punjabi are also commonly spoken.

Health Care in Qatar is primarily done through Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). HMC is affiliated with Cornell University, and is the premier non-profit health center provider in Doha. HMC has four rather advanced and sophisticated hospitals.

Qatar National Day on December 18^th is the day Qatari's celebrate their national identity and history.

Women in Qatar have the right to vote and may run for public office as well. Qatari women are also allowed to drive with the permission of their male guardian, which is much unlike many Gulf countries.

Politics:

Qatar has been ruled as an absolute monarchy by the Al Thani family since the mid-19^th century. It was formerly a British protectorate and became independent in 1971. In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became Emir when he seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani. All of the mos timportant positions in Qatar are held by members of the Al Thani family, or by people close to the Al Thani family. The legislature of Qatar is known as the Consultative Assembly of Qatar.

Qatar is a civil law jurisdiction, however, Shari'a law is applied to aspects of family law, inheritance, and certain criminal acts.

Religion:

Islam is the predominant religion in Qatar. In 2004, 77.5% of the population practiced Islam, while 8.5% were Christians and the remaining 14% fell under the other religions. Of the 77.5% of the Muslims in the community, about 5% are Shi'a.

The national law of Qatar does not have religion set as part of the criteria to become a citizen of the country. Thus, the majority of the non-citizens are from the South and Southeast Asian and Arab countries, with religions ranging from Sunni and Shi'a Muslims to Protestant and Catholic Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Baha'i's.

The majority of the Christian population are foreigners. There are some Arab Evangelicals from Syria and Palestine, with nearly 50,000 Catholics coming from Egypt as well.

There are no foreign missionary groups that operate openly within the country, but the government does allow churches to conduct Mass.

Economics

Qatar has experienced vast economic growth over the last several years due to the rise in oil prices. 2008 marked eight consecutive years in which the country had a budget surplus. The main policy of Qatar's economy is to develop the non-associated natural gas reserves and increase private and foreign investment in non-energy sectors. Oil and gas still account for more than 50% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Basically, oil and gas are responsible for the massive amount of expansion and help to run the country. They have made Qatar one of the highest per-capita income countries, and one of the worlds fastest growing countries. The World Factbook states that Qatar has the second-highest GDP per capita in the world.

Qatar has reserves of natural gas that are near 26 trillion cubic meters, which is roughly 14% of the world total and the third largest in the world.

94% of the labor in the country is carried out by foreigners. Labor laws in Qatar allow for Qatar to be the only state in the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) that allows labor unions.

Qatari's wealth and standard of living compares to that of Western European states – Qatar has the highest GDP in the Arab World.

Qatar is striving to develop a “knowledge economy” based on science and technology. It has established a place known as Education City, which consists of international colleges. It is also attempting to bring more sports events into the area, and has a bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. It also wants to build an “entertainment city” in the near future. With all this in mind, Qatar is attempting to build a large scale, strong financial market.

Technology

Qatar has a modern telecommunication system centered in Doha. People can call Qatar using submarine cable, satellite, or VoIP. Internet Qatar is the primary internet service provider in Qatar, and it features a SmartFilter technology that blocks websites deemed inappropriate to Qatari interests and morality.

Al Jazeera is a television network headquartered in Qatar. Al Jazeera is one of the premier news networks for all of the middle east.

There is very little print media, but it is going through an expansion. There are more than three English daily and Arabic daily titles. There is only one business magazine that goes out monthly, called Qatar Today, and only one sports magazine, called Doha Stadium Plus.

Environment

The Qatari peninsula goes nearly 100 miles north into the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia. Much of the country consists of a low lying desert. In the southeast, Khor al Adaid, the inland sea, is an area of sand dunes that surround an inlet of the Persian Gulf. Much of the weather involves mild winters and extremely hot, humid summers.

The highest point in Qatar is Qurayn Abu al Bawl, at 338 feet.

21^st Century Challenges and Opportunities

There are great opportunities in Qatar. Due to the vast GDP per-capita that the country has, it has amazing possibilities for expansion in the future. The possible expansion of Entertainment City, the Qatar Financial Centre, and the ever growing bonds between the United States and Qatar in trade are all in favor of massive expansion of the country. There is a new town, named Lusail, which is the largest project ever in Qatar, and is currently under construction.

Qatar attempts to be a mediator for many of the Middle Eastern conflicts. It has hosted academic, religious, political, and economic conferences. The annual Doha Forum brings in people from various backgrounds to discuss anything from media to politics, information technology, free trades, and water security issues.

Environmental issues plague Qatar, much like most Middle Eastern countries. In 2005, Qatar had the highest per-capita carbon dioxide emissions in the world, at 55.5 metric tons per person. The reason behind this, however, is the idea that everyone in Qatar uses vehicles as their main mode of transportation, due to the extremely low cost of fuel. This number is three times that of the United States even, and Qatar has had the highest carbon dioxide emissions for the past 18 years.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Factbook

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Monetary_Fund

http://dohaforum.qatar-conferences.org/2011/EN/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Qatar.html

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5437.htm