Lesson video

Hi geographers, my name's Ms. Hoggett.

And I'm really excited you're here to learn some geography with me today.

I'm sure if you try your best, you'll be absolutely fantastic.

Don't worry too much if you haven't studied this topic before, I'm here to help you.

Our lesson today is titled History and Legacy: Empires, Borders, and Religion.

And this sits within the unit, the Middle East: How Have Natural Resources Shaped the Middle East? Our learning outcome for today is that I can explain how religion and historical empires have shaped the Middle East.

To help us through today's lesson, there's a number of keywords that are going to be really useful to us.

Judaism, Christianity, Islam, empire, and colonialism.

So Judaism is the religion observed by many Jewish people, characterised by belief in one God and a religious life based on the Torah and the Talmud.

Christianity is the religion followed by Christians, based on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Islam is the religion followed by Muslims, centred on the belief in one God, Allah, and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad.

Empire is a group of countries or regions ruled by one leader or country.

And colonialism is when one country takes control of all or parts of another country.

So Judaism, Christianity, Islam, empire, and colonialism are going to help us understand today's lesson.

Today's lesson is split into two learning cycles.

How has religion shaped the Middle East? And, how have empires shaped the Middle East? We're going to start with our first learning cycle now, how has religion shaped the Middle East? On the screen, you can see a modern map of the Middle East.

The Middle East region is shaded in green.

I'd like you to pause the video and have a think.

How did the borders on this map come to be? And who decided them? Pause the video, have a think, and tell the person next to you.

What did you come up with? We're going to unpick this in a bit more detail because the answer to this is partly to do with religion and empires.

Now, the Middle East has been shaped by religion.

Which three major religions originated in this part of the world? Pause the video and have a think about the answer to that question.

What did you come up with? Let's take a look.

So Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are the three major religions that originated in this region of the world.

Let's check your understanding.

What are the names of the religions that originated in the Middle East region? Pause the video and have a go at answering this question.

Well done if you said Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

You're doing a brilliant job so far, well done.

So Judaism originated in the ancient land of Canaan around 1800 BCE, a region in the southern part of the Middle East, including areas of what are now Israel and Palestine.

And you can see that located on the map.

On the other hand, Christianity emerged in the 1st century CE in Roman-ruled Judea.

This was found in the southern Middle East.

This area is now part of Israel, and the Palestinian Territories.

Again, you can see that located on our map too.

And lastly, Islam began in the early 7th century CE in the Western Arabian Peninsula.

This region is now part of Saudi Arabia, as we can see located on our map.

So let's check your understanding of that.

I'd like you to match up the name of the religion to when it emerged.

So pause the video and have a think about when Judaism, Islam, and Christianity emerged in the Middle East.

Well done for giving that a good go.

Let's check your answers.

So Judaism was 1800 BCE.

Islam was the early 7th century CE.

And Christianity was the 1st century CE.

Well done, geographers, if you got that spot on.

So we're going to think about how they spread over time.

And Christianity spread out from Judea.

By 600 CE, Christianity was well established in much of the Middle East, including modern day Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, and Eastern Egypt.

And you can see the spread of Christianity by 600 CE shaded in pink on our map on the screen.

Islam also spread rapidly after 632 CE.

And by 750 CE, it was the dominant religion across the Middle East, including in modern day Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen.

And you can see in yellow the spread of Islam by 750 CE.

Now, the historical legacies of the religion can still be seen in the modern day map of the Middle East.

Israel is a state with a Jewish majority, which was established in 1948.

Many Jewish Israelis observe the practises of Judaism.

On the other hand, Christian communities exist in many countries, including Lebanon and Syria.

But despite this, Islam is still the dominant religion in most of the Middle East.

However, there are significant differences within Islam.

For example, Iran is a majority Shia Muslim, while Saudi Arabia is a majority Sunni Muslim.

So complete the sentences below by naming the correct place.

A, Judaism started in, blank.

B, Christianity began in, blank.

And, C, Islam originated in, blank.

Pause the video and have a go at answering those three questions.

Well done for giving that a really good go.

So you should have the following answers.

Judaism started in Canaan.

Christianity began in Judea, and Islam began in Saudi Arabia.

Well done if you got those absolutely spot on.

So we're going to have a think about what we've learned so far, and I'd like you to complete this first practise task.

So on your map, I would like you to colour code each country based on its dominant religion today.

So we know that Israel has a dominant religion of Judaism.

Lebanon has a dominant religion of Christianity and Islam.

Whereas Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Oman, Egypt, Yemen, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait all have the dominant religion of Islam.

So you could use the three colours located on the screen to help you.

Pause the video and have a go at completing this practise task.

Well done for giving that really good go, geographers.

So you needed to colour code your map based on the dominant religion today.

And we can see that the majority of our countries have been colour coded for Islam, whereas we have Judaism and Christianity also featured in Lebanon and Israel.

So we can see that Islam is the most dominant religion across the Middle East today.

Well done, geographers.

So we are now ready to move on to learning cycle two.

How have empires shaped the Middle East? When we look at a map of the Middle East region today, it's easy to think that it was shaped mostly by religion.

And yes, religion has played a big role, but there's much more to the story.

The map of the Middle East has been shaped by thousands of years of empire building, conquests, and colonial control.

We are going to go through time and explore how some of the world's most powerful empires have shaped the region.

So we can begin with the Persian empire.

Around 550 BCE, the Persian empire stretched from the Middle East to parts of India, Egypt, and even Europe.

It was known for its tolerance of different cultures and religions.

And it built vast networks of roads and trade routes.

The Persian empire laid early foundations for how power and territory were organised in the region.

Next came the Hellenistic empire led by Alexander the Great.

Alexander's armies marched across the Middle East spreading Greek culture, language, and ideas.

This created a blend of cultures, known as Hellenism, that influenced the cities like Alexandria and Egypt.

Even today, you can see traces of this mix in ancient ruins and art across the region.

After the Greeks came the Romans.

By the 1st century CE, the Roman empire controlled parts of the Middle East, including modern Syria, Israel, and Jordan.

But when the Roman empire split, the eastern half became the Byzantine empire with its capital in modern day Istanbul.

The Byzantines ruled parts of the Middle East for hundreds of years, and sped Christianity as a major religion.

In the 7th century, a major shift happened.

The rise of Islam led to the creation of powerful Islamic caliphates, large empires led by religious and political leaders.

In this time, Arabic was introduced as the main language and Islamic culture and architecture was widely spread.

Then for over 600 years, the Ottoman empire dominated much of the Middle East.

Based in modern day Turkey, the Ottomans controlled cities like Baghdad, Damascus, Mecca, and Jerusalem.

The Ottoman empire created stable provinces, and had a mix of religions ethnic groups living under one system.

This lasted until the end of World War I when the empire collapsed.

And after the fall of the Ottomans, European empires stepped in, especially Britain and France.

They divided up the Middle East using different agreements.

Now, this is when many of the modern borders you see today were drawn, creating countries like Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.

These new borders often cause tension that still affects the region today.

So the map of the Middle East isn't just shaped by religion, it's been carved and re-carved by powerful empires for thousands of years.

Each empire left its own mark, influencing borders, cultures, and conflicts that we see today.

So let's check your understanding.

I'd like you to identify the missing empires from the timeline of the Middle East.

Pause the video and have a go at completing this question.

Well done for giving that a really good go.

Let's check your answers.

So for our first gap between 27 CE and 1453 CE, we should have said the Roman and Byzantine empire.

And then for our next gap, we should have said Ottoman empire.

And then lastly, we should have had European and colonial empires.

Good work, geographers.

Now, many of these empires had a religious dimension.

And the shaping of the region by empires and religion are not completely separate.

At its peak, the Roman empire stretched from North Africa to northern England and included much of the Middle East.

During this time, Christianity began to spread across the region.

And the Roman buildings, infrastructure, and culture had a lasting impact on society.

So let's think about what you've just learned.

Which religion began to spread during the time of the Roman empire? Was it, A, Judaism? B, Christianity? Or, C, Islam? Pause the video and have a go answering this question.

Well done if you said B, Christianity.

That would be absolutely spot on.

Now, the Ottoman empire controlled much of the Middle East from the 1500 until the early 1900s.

It ruled over key cities such as Jerusalem, Damascus, and Baghdad, and became an important centre of Islamic culture and government.

Ottoman architecture, laws, and trade routes shaped life in the region for centuries and left a lasting influence on the modern Middle East.

You can see in the map there the Ottoman empire from 1520 to 1566.

And we can see we have modern day Turkey, modern day Iraq, and modern day Saudi Arabia all highlighted on the map.

After the first World War, Britain and France took control of much of the Middle East.

Britain governed areas such as Iraq, Jordan, and the territory then known as Palestine.

While France controlled Syria and Lebanon.

They drew new borders, introduced European systems of government and law, and often ignored the views of local people.

These changes created tension in the region, and continue to affect the politics and identity of the Middle East today.

You can see on the map where places were ruled by different countries.

So you have French rule and French influence, British rule and British influence, and then those areas under international protection.

Now, we've labelled here the areas that Britain had control over.

And we've also labelled the areas where France had control over.

So we can see how the areas varied in terms of their rule.

So true or false, Britain and France had direct control over all of the Middle East between 1916 and 1948? Pause the video and have a go at answering this question.

Well done if you said false.

We know that Britain and France did not control all of the Middle East during this time period.

Much of the territory in countries like Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia remained independent.

And some areas were under indirect influence, rather than direct rule.

Good work, geographers.

Now, some ongoing tensions in the Middle East have roots in the region's past and historical role of empires and religion in shaping borders.

So we're going to practise what you've learned so far.

And I would like you to match each statement with the empire it refers to.

So you've got three statements.

Controlled much of the Middle East from the early 1500s until the early 1900s.

Our second statement is, introduced modern European systems of government and law.

And our third statement is, Christianity began to spread across the Middle East.

So I'd like you to have a think about whether that belongs to the Roman empire, the Ottoman empire, or British and French colonial control.

For part two, I would like you to fill in the blanks using words from the box to complete the passage.

Some of the words in the box are incorrect, and should not be used.

So make sure you are only using the correct terms. Pause the video now and have a go at completing this practise task.

Well done for giving that a really good go, geographers.

Let's check your answers.

So for our statements, we should have matched the first statement, controlled much of the Middle East from the 1500 until the early 1900s to the Ottoman Empire.

Our second statement, which read, introduced modern European systems of government and law to British and French colonial control.

And our third statement, Christianity began to spread across the Middle East to the Roman empire.

Well done if you got those absolutely spot on.

And then we needed to fill in the blanks.

So our answers should look something like this.

The Middle East has been shaped by thousands of years of empire.

Different empires have ruled over the region at different times, leaving behind important influences on religion, culture, laws, buildings, and borders.

In 117 CE, the Roman empire was at its largest and controlled many parts of the Middle East, including areas that are now modern day, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and parts of Turkey.

During this period, Roman culture, trade, and religion, including the early spread of Christianity, began to influence parts of the region.

From the 1500s to the early 1900s, much of the Middle East was ruled by the Ottoman empire.

This included areas that are now Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

The Ottomans introduced Islamic law, built mosques and public buildings, and controlled trade routes across the region.

Their rule strongly shaped the religion, culture, and daily life of many people in the Middle East.

After the first World War, the Ottoman empire collapsed and Britain and France took control of large parts of the Middle East.

Britain governed Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine, while France controlled Syria and Lebanon.

This created new borders and introduced European style governments and legal systems. Well done for giving that a really good go, geographers.

So we've now reached the end of our lesson on history and legacy, empires, borders, and religion.

And we're now ready to summarise what we've learned in today's lesson.

So Judaism, Christianity, and Islam began in the Middle East.

Many different empires have ruled over parts of the Middle East.

Both religion and empires have shaped culture, buildings, laws, customs and borders in the Middle East.

Colonial rule after the First World War created modern political borders.

Well done for giving today's lesson a really good go, geographers.

I'm sure you've done brilliantly, and I look forward to seeing you in our next lesson.