The Middle East is a historically rich region that includes much of western Asia and Egypt, recognized as the birthplace of major religions and early civilizations. It is home to diverse ethnic groups and languages, with Islam being the predominant religion. The region's economies vary significantly, from those heavily reliant on oil exports to others with diverse economic bases, alongside a shared culinary tradition and familial social structure.

1. MIDDLE EAST
PRESENTED
BY
RAAVI TRINATH

2. INTRODUCTION
 The term ‘Middle East’ may have originated in the 1850s in the British India Office.
 The Middle East is a region that roughly encompasses a majority of Western Asia and Egypt.
 It is the birthplace and spiritual center of many religions and earliest civilizations.
 Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Manichaeism, Yezidi, Druze, Yarsan and Mandeanism, Mithraism, Zoroastri
anism, Manicheanism, and the Bahá'í Faith.
 Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia) and ancient Egypt were originated in this region.
 The region is well known for its oil reserves.

3. COUNTRIES

4. DEMOGRAPHICS
ETHNIC GROUPS
 The Middle East is today home to numerous long established ethnic groups.
 Including; Arabs, Turks, Persians, Jews, Kurds, Somalis, Assyrians (Chaldo-Assyrians), Arameans-
Syriacs, Egyptian Copts, Armenians, Azeris, Maltese, Circassians, Greeks, Turcomans, Shabaks, Yazidis,
Mandeans, Georgians, Roma, Gagauz, Mhallami and Samaritans.
RELIGIONS
 Islam in its many forms is by far the largest religion (about 99%).
 Christianity and Judaism are also represented.

5. DEMOGRAPHICS
LANGUAGES
 The five top languages, in terms of numbers of speakers, are Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Berber, and
Kurdish.
 Arabic (with all its dialects) is the most widely spoken and/or written language.
 Persian is the second most spoken language.
 English is commonly taught and used as a second language, especially among the middle and upper
classes

6. CLIMATE
 Mild, wet winters with hot dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers
on high plateau; dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer
 Temperatures can soar upto 40°C
 Only light showers of rain

7. CUISINE
 The cuisine of the region is diverse while having a degree of homogeneity.
 Some commonly used ingredients include olives and olive oil, pitas, honey, sesame seeds, dates, sumac, chickpeas,
mint and parsley.
 Some popular dishes include Hummus, Manakeesh, Grilled halloumi,

8. CLOTHING
Jordan lady in typical clothes

9. FAMILY ROLE AND NAMES
FAMILY ROLE
 Family is the most important unit of their social system and defines social relations.
 The individual is always subordinate to the family.
 Family is seen as a person’s ultimate refuge and support system.
 Children are taught profound respect for adults.
NAMES AND TITLES
 The use of titles in important due to the hierarchical nature of the society.
 When introduced to someone, try to call them by their professional,
or academic title and their surname.

10. HISTORIC PLACES TOVISIT
 Petra, Jordan
 Giza Plateau, Cairo, Egypt
 Temple Complex of Karnak, Luxor, Egypt
 Baalbek, Lebanon
 The Old City, Jerusalem, Israel
 Hagia Sophia, Istanbul,Turkey
 Ephesus,Turkey
 The Egyptian Museum
TheTemple of Karnak

11. ECONOMY
 Middle Eastern economies range from being very poor (such as Gaza andYemen) to extremely wealthy nations
(such as Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia)
 Overall all nations in the Middle East are maintaining a positive rate of growth
 Some nations are heavily dependent on export of only oil and oil-related products (such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE
and Kuwait)
 Others have a highly diverse economic base (such as Cyprus, Israel,Turkey and Egypt).

12. ‫شكرا‬