What is the Holy Land? PDF

What is the Holy Land? Where is it? Why is it “holy?” Objective: Describe where the Holy Land is. Explain why the Holy Land is holy. Introduction ➡ Directions: Examine the map and respond to the prompts below. Predict...

What is the Holy Land? Where is it? Why is it “holy?” Objective: Describe where the Holy Land is. Explain why the Holy Land is holy. Introduction ➡ Directions: Examine the map and respond to the prompts below. Predict During the Crusades, Christians and Muslims fought over control of the Holy Land (depicted in the map to the right). 1. Based on the map to the right and your knowledge of Global History and Geography, describe the location of the Holy Land. 2. Why do you think this area of the world is called “Holy Land?” 3. Based on your knowledge of Global History and the map to the right, what do you know about the history of the region where the Holy Land is located? What and where is the Holy Land? The Holy Land is a region of the Middle East that includes modern-day Israel-Palestine, western Jordan, and parts of southern Lebanon and southwestern Syria. This area is called the Holy Land because events important to followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam took place here. Jerusalem is the most important city in the Holy Land. Today, because of its importance for each of the religions, the city is divided into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. Armenians are a Christian group originally from Western Asia. The Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Quarters contain holy sites that are sacred to their faiths. Map of the “old city” in Jerusalem. Image was created by Jpatokal at English Wikivoyage and published on Wikimedia Commons under a CC BY-SA license. Holy Sites in Jerusalem  The Western Wall Dome of the Rock Church of the Holy Sepulchre The separate men's and women's prayer areas at the Western Wall, The Dome of the Rock (Arabic: ‫مسجد قبة الصخرة‬‎, Hebrew: ‫)כיפת הסל‬, on The Church of the Holy Sepulchre as it stands today. This image was created by Jorge Lascar and is published on Flicker under a CC BY license. seen during heavy use of the wall during Passover. the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Image was created by Daniel Case and published on Wikimedia Commons under a CC BY-SA Image was created by Andrew Shiva and published on Wikimedia Commons under a CC BY-SA license. license. The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, is The Dome of the Rock is a shrine that was built over the Christians believe that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre believed to be a part of the Second Jewish Temple in Foundation Stone. The Foundation Stone is the holiest is located where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 site in Judaism and is believed to be where Abraham where his body was laid to rest. CE. Jewish people from all over the world come here to prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac for God. Muslims pray. believe that the Foundation Stone is the place where the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven. 1. Why is Jerusalem an important city for each of the following belief systems? 1a. Judaism 1b. Islam 1c. Christianity 2. What might be some positive effects of living in a city which such diverse 3. What might be some negative effects of living in a city which such diverse belief systems? belief systems?  Historic and Geographic Context: Who controlled the Holy Land? When? The histories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all related to the Holy Land. Complete the next activity to see when each of those faiths controlled the area and how political control of the Holy Land changed leading up to the First Crusade in 1095 CE. Think Like a ➡ Directions: Examine each of the maps below depicting who controlled the Holy Land leading up to the First Crusade in 1095. Using Geographer the maps and your knowledge of Global History, respond to the accompanying questions. The Kingdom of Judah According to the Hebrew Bible, which is disputed by historians, the Kingdom of Judah ruled Jerusalem and the area around it in 830 BCE. According to the Hebrew Bible, the people in this kingdom were Jewish. They practiced monotheism and worshiped the god that modern followers of Judaism worship. Connect Cause and Effect Analyze the Map Which states were in control of the Holy Land in 830 BCE? Contextualize Based on the text above and map to the left, what belief system was endorsed by the state that ruled Jerusalem in 830 BCE? Annotate The Holy Land in 830 BCE. Image was created by Briangotts and Slashme and published on Wikimedia Commons under a CC BY-SA license. Roman Control of the Holy Land ➡ Directions: Read the secondary source below and review the map. Then, respond to the questions. The map below shows the Roman Empire at its greatest extent. The Roman empire’s land in the Middle East included the Holy Land, at the time known as the Province of Judea. For most of the Roman Empire’s existence, the emperors were polytheistic and enforced the worship of their gods throughout the areas they ruled. The Jewish people who lived in Judea refused to worship Roman gods because they were monotheistic. This tension and disagreements over taxation led to a series of wars that resulted in the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE and forced Jewish people to leave the Holy Land and other parts of the Roman Empire for fear of persecution. Afterwards, the province was known as Palestine, not Judea. After the death of Jesus of Nazareth, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire. Like Jewish people, Christians were persecuted by the Romans, but over the course of hundreds of years its popularity overcame the persecution and the empire adopted Christianity as the only authorized religion in 380 CE. Image was created by Tartaryn and published on Wikimedia Commons under a CC BY-SA license. 5. Which state was in control of the Holy Land in 117 CE? ______________ 6. Based on the text above and map to the left, what belief system was endorsed by the state that ruled the Holy Land after 380 CE? ____________ 7. What changed in the Holy Land between 830 BCE and 380 CE? How might this have affected relationships between Jewish people and Christians? Byzantine Control of the Holy Land ➡ Directions: Read the secondary source below and review the map. Then, respond to the questions. After the Western and Eastern halves of the Roman Empire split in 285 CE, the eastern half became known as the Byzantine Empire. This map shows the Byzantine Empire at its height in 550 CE, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The Byzantines were Christian, but in 1054 they split from the Roman Catholic Church to create the Eastern Orthodox Church which does not recognize the Pope as the leader of the religion. Most Christians in Eastern Europe are still a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church today. Image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and is public domain. 9. Which state was in control of the Holy Land in 550 CE? ______________ 10. Based on the text above and map to the left, what belief system was endorsed by the state that ruled the Holy Land in 550 CE? _______________ 11. What changed in the Holy Land between 380 CE and 550 CE? How might this have affected relationships between Jewish people, Roman Catholic Christians, and Eastern Orthodox Christians? Rise of Islam and the Islamic Caliphates ➡ Directions: Read the secondary source below and review the map. Then, respond to the questions. First under the leadership of Muhammad, the founder of Islam and later by other Caliphs that led the Islamic community, the region under Muslim rule grew from modern-day Saudi Arabia to include all of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Portugal and Spain), and southwestern Asia. The Byzantine Empire lost control of much of the Middle East including the Holy Land which was surrendered to the Rashidun Caliphate in 637 CE after a six month siege of Jerusalem. Though ruled by different groups of Muslims, the Holy Land was under Islamic control until the First Crusade in 1095. The Muslims allowed Jewish people to live in and practice their religion in Jerusalem after being persecuted by the Byzantines. Expansion of Islamic Caliphates Expansion under the Prophet Muhammad, 622-632 Expansion during the Patriarchal Caliphate, 632-661 Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750 Image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and is public domain. 13. Which state was in control of the Holy Land in 750 CE? _____________ 14. Based on the text above and map to the left, what belief system was endorsed by the state that ruled the Holy Land in 750 CE? _______________ 15. What changed in the Holy Land between 550 CE and 750 CE? How might this have affected relationships between Jewish people, Roman Catholic Christians, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and Muslims? Invasion and Dominance of the Seljuk Turks and Conflict in the Muslim World ➡ Directions: Read the secondary source below and review the map. Then, respond to the questions. The Seljuk Turks were a group of nomadic warriors from western Asia who converted to Islam. They were part of the Sunni sect. They conquered Persia (modern-day Iran) and expanded their empire to include most of modern-day Turkey, and the Holy Land by 1071 CE. By the start of the First Crusade in 1095, the Seljuk Empire was no longer unified. The empire was divided and the rulers of each section were concerned with consolidating their own power. In addition, another Islamic caliphate called the Fatimid Caliphate that was based in Egypt had taken control of Jerusalem by 1092. The Fatimid Caliphate rose to power in Egypt in the early 900s. They gained power and territory by defeating the weakening Abbasid Caliphate whose capital was in Baghdad. The Abbasids, who ruled Egypt before the Fatimids were Sunni Muslims like the Turks, while the Fatimids were from the Shi’a sect. Though the Fatimids took the Holy Land in 1092, their power was weakening in the region. This passage was adapted by New Visions from the Fatimids Caliphate and Seljuk Empire on Wikipedia which is published under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license. The expansion and contraction of the Fatimid Caliphate. The purple section The Seljuk Empire at its height in 1092. The Seljuk Turks were a group of nomadic represents the size of the area they controlled at the start of the First Crusade in people who converted to Islam. 1095. Image was created by MapMaster and published on Wikimedia Commons under a CC BY-SA license. Image was created by Omar-toons and published on Wikimedia Commons under a CC BY-SA license.