I had never heard of this place before, however I was interested as to why it had two names. I learned that Yathrib is the original name, however it has been replaced by Medina. Medina is the second holiest city in Islam, being the burial place of the Prophet Muhammed, and where he fled from Mecca. As such, it is an important pilgrimage site for Muslims. I was interested to learn that it has a Jewish history, as it was previously under Jewish control (and called “Yathrib”) until Muhammed’s arrival. While researching this, there were rather  different accounts of this event from Jewish vs. non-Jewish news sources.

https://forward.com/news/9510/the-jews-of-old-time-medina/ (A bit sketchy but interesting)

Fez is an imperial city in Morocco, and became an important Islamic city under the Almoravids in the 11th century. It is known historically for its Islamic universities, and was a center of trade as well. I had only heard of this name in relation to the Fez hat, having seen a photo of a great uncle wearing one, and it turns out that (similarly to how sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it is from that specific region of France)  this city was the place where all such hats were made up until the 19th century. 

I was familiar with the name of this country, but did not know much about it. It was originally the capital of a medieval Serbian empire before being absorbed by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th-20th century. As a result the majority of the country’s population is (Albanian) Muslim. In recent history, it was under Yugoslavian control until 1989, was then taken over by Serbia, and then fought for and finally gained independence as an autonomous nation in 2008. It is recognized as such by the majority of the EU, but not all members (notably Serbia and Russia).  The national dish is Flija; an apparently delicious crepe and cheese dish. 

Granada is a city in current day Spain, and is most well known today for the Alhambra, once a fort, then a palace during the creation of the Muslim ("Moorish"?)Nasrid dynasty in the 13th century, and finally in 1492 a Christian court. It is known for its beautiful architecture and mosaics.  The name Granada in Spanish means “Pomegranate” and the entire city is decorated with motifs of the fruit. 

Cyprus (Republic of Cyprus) is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean, with strong Greek and Turkish influence. Historically, it has been ruled by many different powers; Greek, Persian, Macedonian, Ottoman, British, and more. While small, it has historically been an important location throughout history because of its location - a stepping stone to Greece, Turkey, and various other locations throughout the Mediterranean. It is currently known for tourism and mining, home to the “Agrino” wild sheep!

https://www.britannica.com/place/Cyprus#:~:text=In%201960%20Cyprus%20became%20independent%20of%20Britain%20%28it,colony%20since%201925%29%20as%20the%20Republic%20of%20Cyprus.

I had never heard of Rub’ al-Khali before, however “the Empty Quarter” intrigued me. What would that mean? I learned that this is the name of the largest sand desert in the world, located in the Arabian Peninsula. Because of its inhospitable nature, it is mostly unexplored and therefore unknown.  However, some of the world’s largest reserves of oil have been found underneath parts of the desert. While it is not hospitable to humans, its resources are very important for the Saudi Arabian economy and the modern world. 

The Red Sea was something I had heard about in regards to the biblical story of Moses, however I knew nothing about it otherwise. Interestingly, the Red Sea is occasionally home to enormous algae blooms that turn the sea, normally blue, red. It is the saltiest and warmest body of seawater in the world, and borders modern day Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Egypt, and Sudan. It connects Europe and Asia via water, and is historically and currently important for trade and travel. 

The Zagros Mountain range stretches across modern day Western Iran, bordering Turkey and Iraq. It has historically divided many empires, and acted as a physical barrier between the Persian and Ottoman empires . The topography makes this environment suitable for grazing animals, such as goats, with some villages in fertile valleys. As such, historically and today nomadic cultures based off of grazing animals have flourished in these mountains. The Zagros mountain range has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, and is home to wild versions of pomegranates, barley, pistachios, lentil, walnut, grape, and more (!).  

The Shatt al-Arab is a river in modern day Iraq. It flows from the merging of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers and empties into the Persian Gulf. It is shallow, yet still suitable for travel by boat. During the 1980s it was a site of conflict during the Iran-Iraq war, and currently acts as a border between Iran and Iraq. 

The Oxus River, currently known as the Amu Darya, is one of the longest rivers in central Asia, and acts as a border between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, as well as between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Historically and presently it has been an important water source for agriculture, and has supported human settlements since the 5th century. Under the Soviet Union, water was diverted at a large scale for large scale cotton based agriculture, thus depleting much of the river in the 1950s. Unfortunately, the river has become incredibly polluted, negatively affecting the plant and animal life of the area.