Middle East Terms

Question 1

Ka’ba

Answer 1

House of God, a black stone at Mecca

Question 2

Qur’an

Answer 2

The word of Allah

Question 3

Caliph

Answer 3

chief Muslim civil and religious ruler, successor of Muhammad.

Question 4

Hadith

Answer 4

Collection of sayings and anecdotes about Muhammed.

Question 5

Umma

Answer 5

Community (religious)

Question 6

The 5 Pillars of Faith

Answer 6

Recite proffesion of faith
Pray 5x in direction of Ka’ba
Fast and pray in Ramadan
Hajj
Help the poor

Question 7

Jihad

Answer 7

Struggle against sin/enemies of Islam

Question 8

Diwan

Answer 8

A governmental body

Question 9

Imam

Answer 9

Leader of community prayer

Question 10

Shi’ites

Answer 10

Ali is Muhammed’s successor, believed in the twelve Imam

Question 11

Sunnis

Answer 11

Accepted Muawiya as Caliph, ummas, and prophets

Question 12

Ulama

Answer 12

Sunni religious scholars who interpret the Quran

Question 13

Emirs

Answer 13

ruler/commander

Question 14

Shari’a

Answer 14

Muslim law

Question 15

Qadis

Answer 15

Islamic judge

Question 16

Vizier

Answer 16

high official (esp. in Ottoman empire)

Question 17

Dhimmis

Answer 17

protected people

Question 18

Madrasa

Answer 18

a place of study

Question 19

Sufism

Answer 19

Islamic mysticism and ascetism

Question 20

Tawaf

Answer 20

7 circuits around Ka’ba with prayer

Question 21

Ihram

Answer 21

a white seamless garment made of two pieces of clothing

Question 22

Talbiya

Answer 22

a chant said in sacred locations

Question 23

Wuquf

Answer 23

the standing at Arafat plain

Question 24

Sa’y

Answer 24

hagar’s search for water for ishmael, until she finds zamzam

Question 25

Dhu al-hijjah

Answer 25

the month of the pilgrimage

Question 26

Khalil-Allah

Answer 26

Friend of God Abraham

Question 27

Umrah

Answer 27

worshipping Allah by completing the steps of the Hajj

Question 28

Origins and composition of the Arabs

Answer 28

Ishmael's descendents, of the Bedouins

Question 29

Factors for the spread of Islam

Answer 29

military conquest, trade, pilgrimage, and missionaries

Question 30

Split between Sunnis and Shi'ites

Answer 30

Their contradicting beliefs on succession after the Prophet Muhammad died. Sunni leaders, called Caliphs, are elected through voting while Shiite leaders, or Imams, are direct descendants of Muhammad.

Question 31

Role and position of women in Muslim society

Answer 31

Lesser position, obedient, chaste But Quran says they are equal to men

Question 32

Ethical monotheism

Answer 32

God is believed to be the only god as well as the source for one's standards of morality

Question 33

Messiah

Answer 33

anointed one, "christ"

Question 34

Torah

Answer 34

Moses recieved it from God on Mt. Sinai

Question 35

Nebuchadnezzar

Answer 35

of Babylon. Destroyed the Kingdom of Judah, besieged, plundered and destroyed Jerusalem, and took away the Jews in captivity

Question 36

Purim

Answer 36

the lots that Haman (of Persia) cast in order to determine the day on which he would kill the Jews.

Question 37

Apostle/Evangelist/Disciple

Answer 37

one of the twelve chief disciples of Christ

Question 38

Easter

Answer 38

resurrection of Jesus

Question 39

Habiru

Answer 39

nomads, fugitives, bandits, and workers of inferior status related to Hebrew?

Question 40

Covenant

Answer 40

an agreement (between the people and Yahwah/God)

Question 41

Abraham

Answer 41

the first of the Hebrew patriarchs and an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Question 42

Talmud

Answer 42

primary source of Jewish religious law

Question 43

Babylonian Captivity

Answer 43

The Jews were exiled to Babylon and forced to stay there for several decades until a Persian king, Cyrus the Great, allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their destroyed temple.

Question 44

The Assyrians

Question 45

Rabbi

Question 46

Cyrus the Great

Question 47

Major developments in the history of Judaism

Question 48

Main tenets of Christianity

Question 49

Historic convergences and divergences between Jews and Christians in the Middle East

Question 50

Impact of Judaism and Christianity

Question 51

Origins of Civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt

Question 52

How does writing shape what we know of the past?

Question 53

How did writing develop to meet the needs of cities and states?

Question 54

How did Mesopotamians form the first states and their institutions spread?

Question 55

Describe how Mesopotamian culture came to predominate most of the ancient near East.

Question 56

Contributions of Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures

Question 57

Explain how geography, leadership, and religion enabled the Egyptians to build and maintain a cohesive, prosperous society, and how did migrations and invasions show Egypt’s fate.

Question 58

History

Question 59

Cuneiform

Question 60

Hyksos

Question 61

Pharaoh

Question 62

Ziggurat

Question 63

Ramses II

Question 64

Irrigation

Question 65

Book of the Dead

Question 66

Uruk and Ur

Question 67

Hammurabi

Question 68

Sargon

Question 69

Epic of Gilgamesh

Question 70

Hieroglyphics

Answer 70

Hi

Question 71

Hittite

Question 72

Epic Poems

Question 73

Sea People

Question 74

Purple People

Question 75

Major environmental factors that have shaped the ME

Question 76

Major geographic characteristics

Question 77

Role of geography in historic and cultural development in ME and NA

Question 78

Major Topographical features of ME

Question 79

Ottomans

Question 80

Anatolia

Question 81

Sultan

Question 82

Devshirme

Question 83

Janissaries

Question 84

Shah

Question 85

Safavid

Question 86

Qizibalsh

Question 87

Mughal

Question 88

Jizya

Question 89

Religious and military factors that gave rise to the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires.

Question 90

Impact of Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals

Question 91

Turkish diplomacy with Westerners in Europe and in Asia.

Question 92

Domestic and external difficulties that caused the decline of Ottoman Turkey and Safavid Persia.

Question 93

Historical backgrounds to current conflicts

Question 94

Trace the significant events of the past century that have contributed to the conflict.

Question 95

Role of terrorism in the foreign policy issues of the Middle East.