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Judaism is one of the major religions in the Middle East. It has many important holidays. One of the religious holidays, Yom Kippur, is a very important tradition. On this day its your opportunity to atone all of your sins. All are expected to fast and no work many be done. For some its common to wear white to represent purity.

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The Sumerians believed their gods ruled every aspect of life especially nature, they believed gods caused truth and justice but also violence and suffering. They thought their highest duty was to keep the gods happy. They had each city-state had a ziggurat, religious temple, dedicated to one of the gods/goddesses .

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The Middle East is known for having very large oil sources. The oil industry brings in tons of money for this area. They export about 40 million barrels of oil a day, and about 40% of oil in the US comes from the Middle East. But with all this profit others countries are going to want some it. And, lots of fighting outbreaks over this oil.

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The Persians essentially started the first economy in the Middle East. Under the rule of Darius the economic life began to improve. Darius set up a common set of weights and measures and he encouraged the use of coin. But many still followed the barter system, a cashless economic system.

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The first known alphabet also came from the Middle East. The Phoenicians developed the first alphabet with 22 consonant sounds. Later the Greeks adopted the alphabet adding symbols for vowel sounds, and from that came the modern alphabet.

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The Sumerians invented the first writing system in the world known as cuneiform. The word comes from the Latin word wedge, because scribes used to write wedge shaped marks on clay tablets. Started as writing to record goods brought to storage houses, but quickly grew into symbols to record more complicated thoughts, such as myths, prayers and laws.

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In the Middle East the main language is Arabic. More than half of the counties speak it. Other languages include Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish.

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The Sumerians and Phoenicians formed the first modern language for the Middle East. The Phoenicians created the alphabet while the Sumerians created the first writing, they really made language powerful in the Middle East.

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Islam is the most popular religion in the Middle East. It believes that there is only one God and the Muhammad was the last prophet. All Muslims must follow the Five Pillars which are, Declaration of Faith, Pray five times a day, Give Alms, Fast, and Hajj (go to Mecca at least once).

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Another common religion is Christianity. Christians also believe there is only one God but also his son Jesus Christ the Messiah. The New Testament in the Bible speaks of the tales of Jesus and how he died and rose again. Holidays include Christmas, Easter, and Ash Wednesday.

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The Middle East has many government systems. It really depends on the country. Governments range from, Monarchies, Democracies, Dictatorships, and dominate parties.

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When the Shah was in control of Iraq he ruled through a monarchy. He tried to lessen ties with Islam in the country which caused dislike to him. He was also a very bad economic leader who was eventually forced out of power.

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The Arab league is an example of social organization in the Middle East. It was made to strengthen the ties between the states that were in it. They were trying to promote each others common interests

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In the book Persepolis we saw that many people and her liked things from the Americas. But, they were not allowed in Iran, yet many people still had them and they were pretty popular at the time.