Teacher's Guide for West Asia

Ishtar Gate (now in Berlin)

With the war going on in Iraq right now, there's bound to be a lot of interest in West Asia. One approach is to look at the history of West Asia to see what it can tell us about the problems that face the world today. What sorts of governments succeed in West Asia? What are the things people have fought about in the past? Is it better for there to be big empires, or small countries?

Another approach would be to look at the conflict between the people who focus on the Mediterranean Sea and the people who focus on the landmass of West Asia. How has this led to conflict? What are the different attitudes of these people?

Of course West Asia is also the home of several important world religions: Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam. You could look at each of these, and their relationship to each other.

Or, you could consider West Asia's economic role as a link between China/India and Europe/Africa. How has this been important to the development of West Asia? What important ideas have been passed through this route?

Main West Asia page
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