HISTORY 111A. HISTORY OF THE TURKS AND THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE UNTIL
1800
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Lecture 2. The Bases of Traditional Middle Eastern Civilization.
1. Definition of 'Middle East' as opposed to 'Near East,' 'Far East.'
Southeastern Europe, SWASIA.
2. Geographic determinants of Middle Eastern civilization: a. Surrounded
by water.
i. Two oceans: Indian and Atlantic
ii. Six seas: Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara, Black, Caspian and Red
iii. Two gulfs: Persian (Arab), Oman
b. Mountain ranges
i. Suleymaniye (western Pakistan)
ii. Hindu Kush (Northern India an Afghanistan)
iii. Elburz and Zagros (Iran)
iv. Pontic and Taurus (Anatolia)
v. Atlas (Morocco)
vi. Mountains of Lebanon and Palestine.
c. Watered centers of civilization
i. Areas between mountains and ceas: Cilicia (Cukurova) Black Sea coast
of Anatolia, coastal Yemen, coast of Palestine.
ii. River valleys: Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, Jordan
iii. Oases: Aleppo, Damascus, Mecca and Medina
3. Mountains, rivers and oceans provide Middle East with natural defenses
against outside invasions, allow widespread communication, trade, invasions
within Middle East. Breaks in natural defense lines leave traditional paths
of invasions from outside:
i. Cilician Gates from Southeastern Anatolia into Syria.
ii. Transoxania, between Hindu Kush and Caspian-Aral seas.
4. Need to keep order and security through large states or empires while
allowing for differences among various people of Middle East: decentralization
within centralization-leads to creation of strong empires and states which
bring prosperity. Breakup of empires leads to internal and external invasions,
decline of prosperity, creating need for new empires to retore order and
security.