Geog597.01:Chapter 7

Reading Guide
(Chapter 7)

Beginning of chapter up to "The Origins of the Middle Eastern City" (pp. 255-258).

1. What geographical characteristics are generally shared by places within the Greater Middle East? How have these characteristics affected city development in the region? 2. What are "tells"? "The Origins of the Middle Eastern City" (pp. 258-261). 3. The first couple of paragraphs in this section describe the locations of the oldest cities in the Greater Middle East. What present-day countries are in the locations of these "centers of incipient urbanism"? 4. What are the main features of the traditional Islamic city that developed between the 7th and 10th centuries? (Tie this in with question 17). 5. Today, the population of the Greater Middle East is mostly urban. What main factors have led to this situation?

"Cities and Urban Regions" (pp. 261-276).

6. Your authors state that migration is one of the two forces that led to the urban transformation of the Greater Middle East. What are the various reasons for this migration? 7. What three cities form the urban "core" of the Greater Middle East? 8. Where are the four most well-defined "megalopolises" of the Greater Middle East? 9. Where did the concept of a "capital city" first originate? 10. In the last paragraph of the first column on p. 265, your authors state that "the 19th and 20th centuries presented a major break with the past." Explain what they mean by this. 11. Istanbul is clearly the largest, most dominant city in Turkey. Why isn't it the capital of the country? 12. Why did Kazakhstan move its capital in the 1990s? 13. What are the first, second, and third holiest cities of Islam? What is the holiest city in the world for Jews and Christians? 14. Explain the impact of international boundaries on the geography of port cities in the Greater Middle East. 15. In the last paragraph of p. 268 your authors state that seaports are not the only port cities in the Greater Middle East. Explain. 16. Name and describe the five zones of today's Middle Eastern city? 17. Describe the religious, commercial, and residential features of the traditional Islamic city. 18. Many Middle Eastern cities have been built from wealth generated by oil. How do these cities differ in their structures from the older traditional cities of the region?

"Key Problems" (pp. 289-291).

19. Your authors begin this section by stating six things that Middle Eastern cities do well. What are they? 20. Describe the following problems faced by Middle Eastern cities: fresh water, cultural homogenization, and heritage.