Middle+East+D+Hyun+Jiwon+Minhee

//Minhee Jo, Hyun Kim, Jiwon Chung//
 * Middle East**


 * //Research//**

-The countries in the Middle East is can sometimes be not clear but it includes Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, some sates in the Arabian Peninsula, most Arab states of the eastern Mediterranean, and stretches to the states of northwest Africa, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan.
 * Courtries**

- Sultan is the main power of the government - Grand Vizer is directly beneath the sultan and has absolute power over government officials in the army - A corps of official ulema (Muslim religious scholars) did civil services to the government. - The sultan’s government protected the boundaries of Islam, organized the yearly pilgrimage to the holy cities, and engaged in the construction of many public works. - The sultan's government had most contact with officials in the great cities, but its reach extended to the rural communities of agricultural producers through the collection of taxes. - Such a vast system depended on good rulers in order to function smoothly, but in the early 17th century, the sultans became weaker than their predecessors. When the government regained strength later, the grand vizer had more power. - Aurangzeb ruled from 1658 to 1707 - Although he expanded the Mughal holdings to their greatest size, the power of the empire weakened during his reign. This loss of power was due largely to Aurangzeb’s oppression of the people. He rigidly enforced Islamic laws, outlawing drinking, -gambling, and other vices.  -The Ottoman Empire. In the 1300's and 1400's, a group of Turkish Muslims called the Ottomans began gaining control of Asia Minor and southeastern Europe. In the 1500's, the Ottomans conquered most of the Arab lands of the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire was one of the world's most powerful empires in the 1500's and 1600's. During this period, the Ottomans threatened to conquer central Europe, twice attacking Vienna, Austria. - Osman was a successful ghazi, and his followers were called the Ottomans. -In the 1700's, rapid industrial development in Europe began to give Europe an economic and technological advantage over the Ottoman Empire. In the 1800's, European political, economic, and cultural dominance in the Middle East grew. To strengthen themselves, the Ottomans tried to improve their military, political administration, and education system, based on Europe's example. - The Ottoman Empire was ruled by one family for seven centuries. - Osman I was the first of over 30 members of the Ottoman dynasty to reign. - Ottoman rule spanned the 13th to 20th centuries, and the dynasty showed tremendous resiliency over the course of those centuries; it achieved vast expansion and never succumbed to foreign domination or internal threats. -The Ottoman Empire reached its peak of power, wealth, and influence under the reign of Sultan Suleiman I. - Suleiman reigned from 1520 to 1566, and under his leadership, the empire became the most powerful force in the world. - Suleiman doubled the size of the empire. - The period of Suleiman's reign is commonly seen as a renaissance of the Ottoman society.
 * Government **

- Islam - Judaism - Muslim - Aurangzeb tried to erase all the gains Hindus had made under Akbar. For example, he brought back the hated tax on non-Muslims and dismissed Hindus from high positions in his government. He banned the construction of new temples and had Hindu monuments destroyed. Not surprisingly, these acions outraged the Hindus.
 * Religion **

**- Producing includes the farmlands of the Nile, and the Fertile Crescent trailing down from the eastern Mediterranean coast to the far Tigris. Counting these farmlands out, there are also animal husbandry activities keeping herds of mostly sheep, goats and camels. Apart from Israel the agriculture labor is the most common throughout the Middle East. - Most of all it plays a important part in the international economy because of it's oil riches. The Middle East has over 60% of the world's reserves and 40% of the whole production of oil.  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'">- Aurangzeb had to levy oppressive taxes to pay for the wars against these increasing numbers of enemies. He had done away with all taxes not authorized by the Islamic law, so he doubled the taxes on Hindu merchants. This increased tax burden deepened the Hindus’ bitterness and led to further rebellion. As a result, Aurangzeb needed to raise more money to increase his army. The more territory he conquered the more desperate his situation became. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> "ABC-CLIO Social Studies Databases: Login." ABC-CLIO Social Studies Databases: Login. 19 Aug. 2008 <http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display.aspx?categoryid=24&entryid=30 9382&searchtext=middle+east&type=simple&option=all>. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction. Boston: Mcdougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, 2003. pgs 60-70
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Economy
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Citation **<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'">

"Middle East." __World History: The Modern Era__. 2008. ABC-CLIO. 22 Aug. 2008 [|http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com]. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">"Ottoman Empire." __World History: The Modern Era__. 2008. ABC-CLIO. 22 Aug. 2008 <[|http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com]>. Middle East. Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia. Helicon Publishing. 2005. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. KOREA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL. 23 Aug 2008. <[|http://elibrary.bigchalk.com]>.