Ancient Middle East

6 Pages 1614 Words

The ancient, fruitful Middle East is not easily defined. It is an area that can be viewed in many different ways, and to capture a single definition for the region is difficult, if not impossible. This region encompasses a vast array of cultures, religions, ethnicities, values, and geographical configurations. These differences are vital to understanding the social process and the cultural makeup that lie within this area. In this essay I plan to touch on four important aspects that contribute the unification and the diversification of the Middle East, starting with the geographically differences that litter the different counties, then the cultural gaps, and finally, I will discuss the religions that are popular in the area, focusing on the effects of Islam.
Even naming this land in question is up for debate. If it is called the Middle East, what does it lay middle east of? It is an ethnocentric description on the part of the world, and all though Americans are accustom to using it, it is not necessarily the most universally popular name for the region. None the less, it is the way I also plan to describe these twenty-one culturally rich countries.
Geography's great strength as a science it is a holistic perspective, combining the characteristics of the inhabitants with understanding of the natural environment. A stereotypical analysis of Middle Eastern geography would include immense deserts and nomadic wonders inhabiting the few waterways that meander through to the Arabian Sea. On the contrary, although there are without a doubt a lot of desolate dry landscapes, it should also be noted that there are three colliding plate systems, which produces a variety of land marks. First, a highly arid shield, or a massif, that extends from Africa to India is to blame for the lowland areas. Second, the Arabian Shield constructs the mountain ranges that are scattered around the country sides and are responsible for the earthqua...