Middle East Terms Flashcards
FINALS OMFG
Ka’ba
House of God, a black stone at Mecca
Qur’an
The word of Allah
Caliph
chief Muslim civil and religious ruler, successor of Muhammad.
Hadith
Collection of sayings and anecdotes about Muhammed.
Umma
Community (religious)
The 5 Pillars of Faith
Recite proffesion of faith
Pray 5x in direction of Ka’ba
Fast and pray in Ramadan
Hajj
Help the poor
Jihad
Struggle against sin/enemies of Islam
Diwan
A governmental body
Imam
Leader of community prayer
Shi’ites
Ali is Muhammed’s successor, believed in the twelve Imam
Sunnis
Accepted Muawiya as Caliph, ummas, and prophets
Ulama
Sunni religious scholars who interpret the Quran
Emirs
ruler/commander
Shari’a
Muslim law
Qadis
Islamic judge
Vizier
high official (esp. in Ottoman empire)
Dhimmis
protected people
Madrasa
a place of study
Sufism
Islamic mysticism and ascetism
Tawaf
7 circuits around Ka’ba with prayer
Ihram
a white seamless garment made of two pieces of clothing
Talbiya
a chant said in sacred locations
Wuquf
the standing at Arafat plain
Sa’y
hagar’s search for water for ishmael, until she finds zamzam
Dhu al-hijjah
the month of the pilgrimage
Khalil-Allah
Friend of God
Abraham
Umrah
worshipping Allah by completing the steps of the Hajj
Origins and composition of the Arabs
Ishmael’s descendents, of the Bedouins
Factors for the spread of Islam
military conquest, trade, pilgrimage, and missionaries
Split between Sunnis and Shi’ites
Their contradicting beliefs on succession after the Prophet Muhammad died. Sunni leaders, called Caliphs, are elected through voting while Shiite leaders, or Imams, are direct descendants of Muhammad.
Role and position of women in Muslim society
Lesser position, obedient, chaste
But Quran says they are equal to men
Ethical monotheism
God is believed to be the only god as well as the source for one’s standards of morality
Messiah
anointed one, “christ”
Torah
Moses recieved it from God on Mt. Sinai
Nebuchadnezzar
of Babylon. Destroyed the Kingdom of Judah, besieged, plundered and destroyed Jerusalem, and took away the Jews in captivity
Purim
the lots that Haman (of Persia) cast in order to determine the day on which he would kill the Jews.
Apostle/Evangelist/Disciple
one of the twelve chief disciples of Christ
Easter
resurrection of Jesus
Habiru
nomads, fugitives, bandits, and workers of inferior status
related to Hebrew?
Covenant
an agreement (between the people and Yahwah/God)
Abraham
the first of the Hebrew patriarchs and an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Talmud
primary source of Jewish religious law
Babylonian Captivity
The Jews were exiled to Babylon and forced to stay there for several decades until a Persian king, Cyrus the Great, allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their destroyed temple.
The Assyrians
Rabbi
Cyrus the Great
Major developments in the history of Judaism
Main tenets of Christianity
Historic convergences and divergences between Jews and Christians in the Middle East
Impact of Judaism and Christianity
Origins of Civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt
How does writing shape what we know of the past?
How did writing develop to meet the needs of cities and states?
How did Mesopotamians form the first states and their institutions spread?
Describe how Mesopotamian culture came to predominate most of the ancient near East.
Contributions of Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures
Explain how geography, leadership, and religion enabled the Egyptians to build and maintain
a cohesive, prosperous society, and how did migrations and invasions show Egypt’s fate.
History
Cuneiform
Hyksos
Pharaoh
Ziggurat
Ramses II
Irrigation
Book of the Dead
Uruk and Ur
Hammurabi
Sargon
Epic of Gilgamesh
Hieroglyphics
Hi
Hittite
Epic Poems
Sea People
Purple People
Major environmental factors that have shaped the ME
Major geographic characteristics
Role of geography in historic and cultural development in ME and NA
Major Topographical features of ME
Ottomans
Anatolia
Sultan
Devshirme
Janissaries
Shah
Safavid
Qizibalsh
Mughal
Jizya
Religious and military factors that gave rise to the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires.
Impact of Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals
Turkish diplomacy with Westerners in Europe and in Asia.
Domestic and external difficulties that caused the decline of Ottoman Turkey and
Safavid Persia.
Historical backgrounds to current conflicts
Trace the significant events of the past century that have contributed to the conflict.
Role of terrorism in the foreign policy issues of the Middle East.
