Explain the term “culture hearth” and briefly trace the rise and fall of the realm’s two culture hearths.

Concepts to Study:
Discuss why we call this realm North Africa/Southwest Asia and not the Dry, Arab, or Islamic World or the Middle East.
Explain the term “culture hearth” and briefly trace the rise and fall of the realm’s two culture hearths.
Why is the “Fertile Crescent” so important for human history?
Be able to discuss how climate change may have played a role in domestication and irrigation practices.
Describe the emergence, evolution, and expansion of Islam from Saudi Arabia to much of the rest of the world.
Know the five pillars of the Islamic faith
Who founded this religion?
Where did it originate?
Understand how Islam spread (types of diffusion, how fast)
Which type of diffusion explains how Islam continues to spread today?
Analyze Islam’s basic Sunni/Shi’ite split and its evolution into modern times, including the rise of fundamentalism (revivalism) in recent years.
Know the difference between Sunnis and Shi’ites and what percentage of the Muslim population identifies as which.
Where is there a regional stronghold of Shi’itism? What is the modern country?
Be familiar with the Taliban, al-Queda, and ISIS
Understand the major political push for either religious revival or democratic reform.
What was the Arab Spring?
What was the domino effect during the Arab Spring?
Describe the geography of oil, its huge concentration in North Africa/Southwest Asia, and the enormous impact it has made in this realm
Who are the Kurds? Where are they found today?
How did the League of Nations play a role in creating conflict in this realm?
Which six countries from the NASWA geographic realm are on the list of the world’s nine largest producers of oil?
Identify the three zones of major oil production in this realm.
Describe how oil changed this realm in a span of 100 years. (list of 10)
Describe why is oil in this region is a “double-edged sword.”