Middle East, Part One

The Middle East has been called “The Cradle of Civilization.” Here great empires developed more than 5,000 years ago, while primitive tribes roamed over most of the rest of the world. We know about these ancient empires because their people left written records.

The Sumerians, who lived on land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (in what is now Iraq), were the first people to develop written language. Today, this ancient land has become an area of conflict in a struggle for change – a struggle between old and new, Arab and Jew, Muslim and Christian.

In the Middle East live people of different races, nationalities, cultures, educational levels, and religious sects. Most of the people are Arabs, and most of the Arabs are Muslims – followers of the Islamic religion.