Main Ideas The Arabian Peninsula • The Arabian Peninsula is heavily influenced by the religious principles of Islam. • Oil production dominates the economy of the region. Places & Terms Mecca mosque Islam theocratic A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE Two million people pour into the Saudi Muhammad OPEC Arabian city of Mecca for a few weeks each year. They come from all over the world. In the past, the trip to Mecca involved a difficult jour- Connect to the Issues ney across oceans and over miles of desert. Today, pilgrims arrive on air- religious conflict planes. These people are fulfilling the Islamic religious duty of hajj, Muslim claims to land in the which is a pilgrimage to the holiest city of Islam—Mecca. For five or region laid the foundation for more days, all are dressed in simple white garments and all perform future conflict. special activities, rituals, and ceremonies. It is a powerful example of spiritual devotion by the followers of one of the three major religions that claim a home in Southwest Asia. Islam Changes Desert Culture The modern nations in this subregion are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, PLACE Thousands of Muslim Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. They are locat- pilgrims gather at the holy site of the ed at the intersection of three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. Ka’aba in Mecca. The Ka’aba is the black box at the right in the picture. Because of this location, there were many opportunities for trade, and exchange of culture and religion. TOWN AND DESERT In the past, some towns in the subregion served as trade centers for caravans moving across the deserts. Other cities were ports where goods were exchanged from the Silk Roads in East Asia, Indian Ocean trade from South Asia, and Mediterranean Sea trade from Europe. Still other towns were near oases and fertile lands along major rivers. Nomadic desert dwellers called Bedouins moved across the peninsula from oasis to oasis. They adapted to the harsh conditions of the desert and built a culture based on strong family ties. They often fought against other families and clans for pasturelands for their livestock. Their fighting skills would eventually help to spread a new religion that devel- oped in the region—Islam. Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of its founder, the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad lived part of his life in the city of Mecca. The Arabian Peninsula 503 ISLAM BRINGS A NEW CULTURE The new religion united the people of the Arabian Peninsula in a way that had not been done previously. Islam requires certain religious duties of all who follow its teachings. The basic duties are called the Five Pillars. By performing these religious duties, all converts to Islam, called Muslims, practiced a similar culture. The Five Pillars are: • Faith All believers must testify to the following statement of faith: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” • Prayer Five times a day, Muslims face toward the holy city of Mecca to pray. They may do this at a place of worship called a mosque or wherever they find themselves at the prayer times. • Charity Muslims believe they have a responsibility to support the less fortunate by giving money for that purpose. • Fasting During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims do not Background eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset. This action Ramadan is the reminds Muslims that there are things in life more important than ninth month of the 12-month eating. It is also a sign of self-control and humility. lunar year • Pilgrimage All able Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage (hajj) calendar used by to Mecca at least once during their lifetime. Muslims. It does not match the THE SPREAD OF ISLAM As more and more people on the Arabian calendar used by Peninsula began to convert to Islam, they spread its teachings. Armies most Americans. of Bedouin fighters moved across the desert, conquered lands, and put Muslim leaders in control. Arabic language and Islamic teachings and culture spread across Southwest Asia. Muslim armies spread across three continents—Asia, Africa, and Europe. By the Middle Ages, a large area of the world was controlled by Muslim empires. Governments Change Hands The governments of lands controlled by Muslims were theocratic. This means religious leaders control the government. Rulers relied on reli- gious law and consulted with religious scholars on running the country. Arabian Peninsula History The gold-capped domes of Al-Khadhimain Mosque in 1936 Baghdad, Iraq, were constructed Oil discovered in Saudi Arabia. early in the 16th century. 750 1839 Muslim Empires British seize part of at their peak Arabian Peninsula. 613 632 1566 1960 Muhammad The Prophet Ottoman Empire OPEC begins Muhammad at its peak established. preaching. dies. 504 In some of the modern nations of this region—Iran, for example—religious leaders are in control of the government. COLONIAL POWERS TAKE CONTROL Toward the end of the 1600s, the leaders of Muslim nations were weak. Oil and the Economy At the same time, countries like Britain and France were Many of the oil-producing growing in power and establishing empires throughout countries are heavily dependent the world. Much of Southwest Asia fell under the con- on oil as a major source of busi- trol of those two nations, especially after World War I ness. Kuwait, which is almost floating on oil because its and the breakup of the Muslim-held Ottoman Empire. resources are so great, gener- The region was valuable to colonial powers for two ates about one-half of its GDP reasons: because of the Suez Canal, a vital link between from petroleum. Notice in the colonial holdings in the rest of Asia and European ports, chart below that the nations in this subregion are dependent and because oil was discovered there after 1932. on oil for at least 30 percent of However, only a part of the region was colonized. On their GDP. the Arabian Peninsula, a new power was rising. It was Because oil is a non-renew- Abdul al-Aziz Ibn Saud. A daring leader, Abdul al-Aziz able resource, it will eventually consolidated power over large areas of the Arabian run out. These nations must work to find other sources of Peninsula in the name of the Saud family. By the end of income to replace oil revenues the 1920s, only small countries on the Arabian Gulf and when they are depleted. parts of Yemen remained free of his control. The whole Oil Income Using the Atlas area became known as Saudi Arabia in 1932. Descendants Percentage of GDP* Using the map of Abdul al-Aziz still rule Saudi Arabia today. 100 on page 479, make a list of the 80 countries that Oil Dominates the Economy were not under 60 the control of The principal resource in the economy of the Arabian 40 Abdul al-Aziz. Peninsula is oil. The region grew in global importance as oil became more important to the economies of all % of GDP from Oil 20 nations. Arabian Peninsula nations make almost all of 0 their export money and a large share of GDP from oil, so uwait Qatar oil prices are very important to them. Large increases in Bahrain K Emirates oil prices allow the oil-producing nations to funnel Saudi ArabiaUnited Arab money into development of other parts of their *Oman and Yemen not available SOURCE: CIA World Factbook 2000 economies, especially water development projects. In 1960, a group of oil-producing nations, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, established an organization to ASIA SW coordinate policies on selling petroleum products. The group is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, also known as OPEC. The purpose of OPEC is to help members control worldwide oil prices Background by adjusting oil prices and production quotas. OPEC is a powerful force Other members in international trade. Other Southwest Asian members include Qatar, of OPEC include the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Iraq. Algeria, Gabon, Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria, and Venezuela. Modern Arabic Life Changes in the nations of the Arabian Peninsula during the 20th cen- tury were dramatic. The region is developing quickly with an emphasis on modernizing. Use of Western technology and machines undermined traditional ways of life. Camels, which used to be the mainstay of life in The Arabian Peninsula 505 the Arabian Peninsula, are no longer used as extensively as they once were. Pick-up trucks, automobiles, and motorcycles have replaced them. Gone, too, are some of the traditional marketplaces called bazaars or souks (sooks). These open-air markets brought together buyers and sell- ers with a great variety of merchandise, food, and entertainment. The market was a place to meet neighbors or friends, or to conduct business. Today, Western-style supermarkets or malls may be the shopping loca- tion of choice instead of the traditional bazaar. THE CHANGE TO URBAN LIFE Cities were always a part of life in Southwest Asia. However, because of changes in the economy, the entire area is much more urbanized. Millions of people abandoned their lives as villagers, farmers, and nomads and moved into cities. In 1960, the region was about 25 percent urbanized. By the 1990s, this number had risen to about 58 percent. According to estimates, 70 percent of the Making population will live in cities by 2015. Saudi Arabia has an urban popu- Comparisons lation of 83 percent. About 4 million people jam the capital, Riyadh. How does the As the economy switched to providing petroleum and petroleum percentage of products, the types of jobs available in cities changed as well.