Students will study how the Middle East was the center of civilization, birthplace of the alphabet, the wheel, and three predominant religions, and they will, also, realize the importance of the Middle East as oil supplier to the world. This Jackdaw, through hands-on exhibits, presents the culture, and some politics, of the Middle East. Students will learn about the region’s four major languages, and they will be fascinated by “how and why mummies were made,” by whirling dervishes, muezzins and minarets, and by regional recipes and songs. The region’s critical importance today and are characterized with key historical documents on the creation of Israel and an early agreement between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat. Historian: Vivian Russell. The contents of this Jackdaw feature:
Broadsheets
- The Land and the People: Historical Background
- Growth and Change
- People of the Arab World
- Israel
Exhibits
- Map of the Middle East.
- Languages of the Middle East: Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Persian.
- Songs of the Middle East: Egypt, Israel.
- Ancient and modern architecture.
- How and why mummies were made.
- Fabulous creatures.
- Whirling dervishes.
- Muezzins and minarets.
- Recipes: Middle Eastern favorites.
- Palestine and the creation of the State of Israel.
- Transcripts of letters between Yasir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin, Norway, 1993.
Study Guide / Lesson Plan – Reproducible Activities
