Situated in the intersection of the Silk Road, the bridge connecting the West and the East, this location, both geographically and culturally, proved a tremendous advantage, as well as great challenges transforming the history of the Middle East.
While being in the middle means you can experience diffusion of culture, religions, and innovative ideas, you find yourself amongst the center of conflicts from different empires and civilizations.
Afghanistan’s sobriquet is “Graveyard of Empires” as it’s the land where numerous empires, from ancient to modern time, where wars have continued.They are the Persians, Greeks, Arabs, Mongols and Turks. They’re also the British Empire, the Soviets, and the US troops whose names made the news in recent months.
In spite of everything, the Middle East still harbors the mysterious beauty of the sand dunes, Lapis lazuli Istalif pottery, and poetry that remains in the hearts of both locals and international readers. Let's put your bias aside for a moment, and immerse in the beauty that culture can bring.
In this article, you'll learn about
ancient empires of the Middle East and their inventions
why Middle East is called the cradle of religions
the real difference between Arabs and Muslims
how to call different Islamic garments
the difference between Sunni and Shi'a Muslim
the new Middle East that you can start seeing (we highly encourage you to read this part)
Home to great empires
Persian Empire
You probably know as little about the Persian empire as you know of rocket science. Dusting that secondary history book written from the Western perspective, all they talked about is probably how they’re defeated by Alexander the Great. However, past civilizations are the stepping stone which can result in the present we see today.
The modern-day Persian empire is Iran. Although many people associate Middle East with religions such as Islam, Zoroastrianism actually took over the region much sooner. Nowruz, which is a festival in Zoroastrianism, was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016, and is celebrated by 12 countries in the region for over 3,000 years!
An important thing when learning culture and history is to understand that every civilization’s culture comes in different forms. We know the Greeks for their sophisticated marbles and mannerism, Renaissance art, but that isn’t necessarily the same for others. The Perisans took great pride in themselves for their beautiful, delicate carpets, attention-to-detail architecture, and their crimson plum.
Contrary to what we see nowadays, women in the Persian Empire were seen as equal to men. Pregnant women received higher wages and special treatments in society, and this happened thousands of years ago! Sometimes time isn’t a valid indicator of social progress, and that’s why we need to learn history.
Ottoman Empire
Geographically speaking, the Ottoman empire has an interesting location. Known as Turkey in modern day, it engulfed a decent amount of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Although the empire is a story of the past, many of its houses are preserved and recognized as UNESCO Intangible Heritage in countries such as Turkey and Albania.
The person who reigned and ruled the country is called Sultan, who also came together with an onion-like headdress, which is called a turban. Just as the crown, a turban is a sign of social status and classes. You can easily find traces of their influences in books such as The Kite Runner, where Amir called himself and Hassan “Two Sultans of Kabul.”
The world owes the Ottoman Empire many inventions in surgery such as forceps, scalpels, and catheters. Although we generally associate the West with them, they actually originated from this empire, and brought to the Renaissance through trading and more. Thank them for the stars, and the astronomical clocks. History is not what you look at, but what you decide to see and the time you decide to explore.
The cradle of religions
Islam
Arabia is believed as the cradle of Islam. Many people choose to follow this monotheistic region, and they are called Muslims. In the Arabic world, Islam means “peace” or “submission” to the will of the God.
The founder of Islam is Muhammad. He was born in 570 in the city of Mecca, which now is the capital of Saudi Arabia. After 23 years of writing the Koran and preaching Islam, he died in the city of Medina at the age of 62.
Although customs such as female infanticide, circumcision, bride’s virginity proof, etc. are still present in regions with Islam, reseach showed us that the religion is not a cause, but an excuse that others used to manipulate women and children. The religion was created with a good will, but it's the lack of education that are making the people suffer.
Arab states' flags usually have green, black, white, and red on it. These colors posed significant spiritual and religious meaning, let's check them out!
Green – The silk and pillows of Jannah are believed to be green
White – Considered the purest and cleanest color in Islam and the color of the flag of Muhammad, the Young Eagle
Black – The color of Jahannam as well as the color of the Black Standard
Judaism
The origins of Jews is Abraham and they believe God established a strong connection and agreement with them. In their story, Jacob - Abraham’s grandson instituted Israel and his descendants developed the country
Judaism is the religion of the Jews of the Middle East. The Middle East is a land located between 3 continents: Asia, Europe and Africa, so it is the intersection of ancient civilizations. The country of Israel, today known as Israel. About 1000 years BCE, the nation of Israel was founded by the famous hero king David. Jews experienced many ups and downs in the 6th century BC. Jews were attacked by many countries and had to be exiled to other countries, a large number of them were bullied.
Christianity
In Christianity, disciples believe that Jesus is the Christ sent by God and they considered Jesus as the medicator that connects mankind and God.
The Old Testament of Judaism was used to establish Christianity. Christianity upholds Judaism's essential doctrines and creeds, accepting the Old Testament Scriptures as authoritative. As can be seen, Christianity resurrected and developed Judaism.
We already know that Galileo Galilei, who is an Italian astronomer, failed to convince people and Catholic Church about the idea of a heliocentric solar system as he contradicted the Bible at that time. As a result, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Therefore, we can clearly see that the harsh reality and pseudoscience of Christanity region sometimes can prevent us from accessing the truth.
Arabs or Muslims? Or both?
Arabs
Some people might be surprised with this fact that actually Arabs are not a race itself. Arabs are united by culture and history. In the Arab world, there are 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Arabs worship Allah (“the god”), the one who controls and manages their life. Most Arabs were influenced by this region when they were still in school. Furthermore, family is also as important as their faith in Allah since they respect family loyalty. Women tend to nurture their family and have to follow specific roles in Arabs culture, while men and old people take control, therefore, it raises the gender equality issue
It seems like Western Hollywood portray people living in Arabs culture as criminals, racists or terrorists. Somehow, Arabs tend to become a perfect example of a villain in the movies industry, which significantly affects people’s scope, while the truth is the many Arabs are hospitable and friendly.
Muslims
People usually mistaken that Arabs and Muslims are the same. In the Muslim community, there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger. They also worship the omnipotence of Allah and believe he controls and manages their life.
Due to the similarity in Arabs culture, women also need to follow their roles in the society. Muslim women suffer from those stereotypes that they don’t participate in the public life, making them meek and self-segregated. Therefore, many of them have broken these stereotypes and proved themselves that they are also hard working and strong. They fight for feminism, activism and freedom.
Islamic schools
All Muslims believe that the Prophet of Islam - Muhammad is chosen by Allah. With Allah's blessings and continuous revelations, Muhammad guided the Muslims to lead life according to the Koran, a collection of divine revelations, and the "Hadith" (the sayings, teachings, and practices of the Prophet Muhammad, which serve as a supplement to the Koran). In a short period of 22 years, from 610 to 632 A.D., he succeeded in leaving a great political and spiritual legacy that ultimately led to the establishment of Islamic civilization.
| Sunni Islam | Shi'a Islam |
Approach to Governance | Believed that leadership should be governed by consensus (ijma') through an elected head of state, the khalifa, according to democratic principles. This is inherited in specific provisions of the Qur’an and the Sunna. | Believed that the leader of Islam, whom they refer to as the imam rather than the khalifa, must be a descendant of the Prophet. The concept is the basis for a hereditary hierarchy in the Shia tradition |
The Imamate function | The prophet is seen as having been divinely ordained to guide human beings to worship Allah and seek his mercy. However, even the progeny of prophets are considered to be denied the privilege of the closeness and the blessings of Allah if they fail to practice his commandments. | The prophet is seen as having these roles
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Faith of life regarding Paradise and Hell on the Day of Judgment | Redemption of human beings is dependent on faith in Allah, His prophets, acceptance of Muhammad as the final prophet, and belief in righteous deeds as explained in the Koran. The mercy of Allah will determine the redemption of all human beings. Even the prophet Muhammad is at the mercy of Allah. | The Shia are guaranteed paradise if they obey and follow Muhammad and the Twelve Imams. Ibn Babuwaihi, a Shiite scholar, quoted Ibn-i-Sadiq, the sixth Imam, in reference to Muhammad's address to Ali. |
Were they against one another?
Difference isn't the problem, but how we decide to see it. Sunni and Shi'a Muslim managed to live in peace for a long time, but after many transformations, their relationship got more tense. For more information, please read here.
Getting the names right!
The garments prescribed to Islamic women and chosen to be worn by themselves is the most discussed topic about the religion, on a day-to-day basis, yet is not understood clearly by everyone.
Islamic veils consist of 4 main variations - Niqab, Chador, Burqa and Hijab - most worn in Western countries and prevail more in Arab.
Hijab
Gently wraps the wearer’s head and is let to fall from one shoulder to another.
Niqab
elongates from head to toe, while the wearer’s eyes are left uncovered. There is also a half version in which the fabric it is an ensemble of a headscarf and a faceveil and the wearer’s forehead is now revealed. This style of veil is the most common in Gulf Arab States like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
Chador
Chador also streams from head to toe, though the face is only traced, not covered. It is not worn by the same mechanism of draping or wrapping like the previous to but pinned at the wearer’s chin. It is usually worn in black and is common in Middle East countries, especially Iran.
Burqa
With a Burqa, the face and body are totally covered and the wearer's sight is enabled by a strip of mesh fabric - net, instead of the tightly woven fabric. Due to the arrival of Taliban starting in 1996, the veil is now mandatory in Afghanistan.
There is heat in the public spectacle towards these headgears for women in the Middle East since the other religions like Judaism and Christianity as well as Islamic women around the world.
According to an interview with Nazma Khan, the girl who initiated World Hijab Day in 2013, it is for many reasons that Islamic women wear scarves. It originates with the intention of modesty to cover the females’ body to prevent the evocation of intimate desires from males, especially for those who are wives to respected figures such as prophets. In the modern day, wearing Hijab is also a mean for feminist empowerment. Covering up voluntarily voice an opposing view of femininity to channel the cinched waist or wear rather revealing garments. Hence the recent, 2021 proposal of a ban over Hijabs for kids and teenagers younger than 18 to advocate for the movement of Anti-separatism was backlashed by the hashtag #HandsOffMyHijab as this is just another form of oppression over the free will of women, on top of another.
If that being said, why do hijabs still hold the symbol of oppression especially in the West? In religious writing, there is no specified mandation around the accessory, however enforcement from the Taliban party taking over Afghanistan, during the period of 1996 to 2001 sparked serious arguments. It insists on the Burqa over other types (covering the body of women entirely, even their eyes), while the same system was not applied to men who are equally obligated to remain modest through dressing exhibits explicitly the party’s favor of men. Thus inherits the unwanted reputation for beautiful cultural expression and women’s free choice.
Meet your new Middle East
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai, or Malala, is a Pakistani activist for female education and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She is also the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and second Pakistani to ever receive a Nobel Prize!
You can get to know her more by reading I am Malala.
Qalb Calligraphy
Sumaiyyah, or the owner of Qalb Calligraphy is based in East London and a talented calligrapher. Through her Youtube videos and Instagram posts, she spread the awareness self care and other positive, heart-felt messages through every stroke of her brush. Celebrate peace with Sumaiyyah yere!
Nas Daily
Nuseir Yassin, or Nas, is an Israeli-Palestinian Harvard graduate quit his job to travel the world, and is now one of the most successful content creater on Facebook and Youtube. Through is 1000-day journey, Nas would continue to travel and inspire lots of people through his 1-minute videos.
Rumi
If India is proud of Rabindranath Tagore, then people of Middle East must be thrilled about Rumi and his poems. Although he lived almost 750 years ago, Rumi had left masterpieces for the world to enjoy after his death.
Thanks for reading! We hope you learnt something new about the Middle East today!
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