Arabia
Next up is Arabia, or the Middle East, home of the Arabian desert, Muhammad, the Kaaba, Mecca, the Koran and oil.
Enmerkar, Lugalbanda and Gilgamesh, the rulers of the Sumerian city of Uruk, the area of which we now call Iraq.
Queen of Sheba, which was along the south coast of Arabia visiting King Solomon of Israel
Muhammad, founder of the religion Islam
Mecca, a holy city in Saudi Arabia
Kaaba, a cube shaped holy building in Mecca
Hijra, the flight of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina
Koran, a holy book of guidance and direction.
Abu-Bakr, father in law, friend to Muhammad, who succeeded him after his death
Umar ibn al-Khattab, also known as Umar the Great, another Caliph (religious leader), who succeeded Abu-Bakr
Scheherazade, a Persian Queen and storyteller of One Thousand and One Nights
Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq from the 1970′s to early 2000.
Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic movement until his death in 1989.
Fast of Ramadan
sand storms
camels
Arabian Desert
March Arabs, people who live along the Tigris-Euphrates rivers
Ziggurat of Ur, a pyramid that was the shrine of the moon god Nanna
Persian carpets
Bedouin Nomads, Arabic nomads
The Persian Gulf War
middle-eastern foods
middle-eastern music
Muhammad, founder of the religion Islam
Mecca, a holy city in Saudi Arabia
Kaaba, a cube shaped holy building in Mecca
Hijra, the flight of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina
Koran, a holy book of guidance and direction.
Abu-Bakr, father in law, friend to Muhammad, who succeeded him after his death
Umar ibn al-Khattab, also known as Umar the Great, another Caliph (religious leader), who succeeded Abu-Bakr
Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq from the 1970′s to early 2000.
Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic movement until his death in 1989.
Fast of Ramadan
sand storms
camels
Arabian Desert
Ziggurat of Ur, a pyramid that was the shrine of the moon god Nanna
Persian carpets
Bedouin Nomads, Arabic nomads
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| We explored Middle Eastern food at a local restaurant, Babylon. We learned a lot about Middle Eastern food. We had Baba ghanouj, which was tahinini and roasted egg plant, and cabbage salad, which had peas in it for appetizers. They were both very good. Katie ordered the Shawarma platter, which was the most spicy dish we ordered. It came with a yogurt sauce, which Katie couldn't use because she can't eat milk products. I tasted the sauce and it was surprisingly bitter. James, Sam, Alex , Quentin and I all had some type of Kabob. They were mildly spiced and came with a variety of vegetables to clear the palette. Steven had the Turkish coffee, which was an esspresso-type coffee sweetened with a syrup and flavored with cardamom. Steven ate Tepsi of Eggplant, a stew of eggplant, green peppers, onions, potatoes and tomatoes. |
middle-eastern foods
middle-eastern music
books:
- Seven Daughters and Seven Sons, Barbara Cohen, (age 13 and up), set in an ancient Arab nation.
- The Arabian Nights Entertainments: Aladdin, Sindbad and 24 Other Favorite Stories, Andrew Lang or The Arabian Nights by Wafa Tarnowka
- Shadow Spinner, Susan Fletcher, (5th grade/age10 and up), a spin on the fabled Shahrazad and 1001 Arabian Nights
- King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian, Marguerite Henry (age 8 and up)
- Ali and the Golden Eagle, Wayne Grover,"An American working in Saudi Arabia befriends a boy from a remote village and helps him train an eagle to hunt."
- The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis, (5th grade and up), Life under the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan.
- Lugalbanda: the Boy who got Caught up in a War, Kathy Henderson
- Gilgamesh, the King, Ludmila Zeman
