Unit 3 Lesson 4: Arab Republics

Unit 3 

Lesson 4: Arab Republics

Lesson Objectives:

1) identify Egypt and Syria as Arab republics

2) identify some characteristics of those countries and their leaders

Some Arab countries are republics. A president rules them with a parliament (group of representatives elected by the people of the country).

Egypt is one of the biggest republics in the Arab world. It has a very interesting history that has attracted many people over the years.

 

Year	Important Historical Event
3100 B.C.  (Before the birth of Jesus)	King Menes of Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt and formed his empire. (Ancient Egypt was divided into two parts: Upper Egypt (to the south), Lower Egypt (to the north). This division is related to the flow of the Nile river from Eastern Africa going north to the Mediterranean Sea. So Upper Egypt is to the south of Lower Egypt, and Lower Egypt is mainly the Nile Delta).
2700/2200 B.C.	The Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx were built.
640 A.D.  (Anno Domini/ after the birth of Jesus)	The Roman Empire in Egypt was conquered by the Islamic armies, and Egypt started to belong to the Islamic Empire thus keeping the freedom of choice whether to convert to the Islamic religion or not.
1798 A.D.	The French forces and French navy under Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt through the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and occupied it for 3 years. To reassure people, Napoleon brought some scholars and scientist who uncovered the Rosetta stone. Whereas the Egyptian struggled to get their freedom especially after massacres committed by the French soldiers and leaders and eventually Napoleon was forced to withdraw with his forces from Egypt after 3 years of occupation.
1867 A.D.	Said and Ibrahim Ali built the Suez Canal (The Suez Canal is a waterway in Egypt which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. It is important because it allows transportation between the continents of Europe and Asia without going around Africa).
1882 A.D.	Egypt was conquered again by the British forces, an invasion that lasted for around 70 years
1919 A.D.	Saad Zaghloul, the leader of the revolutionists against the British occupation was exiled (sent away from the country/ banished).
1922 A.D.	Egypt was declared (announced) as a country with a government, constitution, and a parliament.
1952 A.D.	Egypt was freed from the British occupation and got its independence

 

After gaining its independence from the different occupations, Egypt’s new era (age) began with Gamal Abdel Nasser, the second president of the Egyptian Republic. During Abdel Nasser’s reign (time in power), the Israelis occupied the Suez Canal.

After Abdel Nasser’s death, Anwar Al Sadat came next as the president of Egypt.

Egypt and Syria united together and were able to start a war against Israel in the year 1973. They were able to free the Sinai Peninsula from the Israeli occupation.

(The Sinai Peninsula is a triangular piece of land in Egypt lying between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea).

Anwar Al Sadat was assassinated (killed/ shot). Hosni Mubarak came to rule the country after him as the new president of the Egyptian Republic. He led Egypt into being one important country in the Arab world.

Egypt with its capital city, Cairo.

Large demonstrations (protests) against Mubarak started after 30 years of him being a president. President Mubarak resigned (left his position as president of Egypt) and turned power to the military forces. Later, a couple of presidents took over the presidency. Finally, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became the sixth president of Egypt.

Another important republic in the Arab world is the Republic of Syria.

Agriculture and cattle (domestic or farm animals) breeding (controlling the mating and production of animals and plants) appeared first in Syria among all other countries in the world. Even civilization in Syria was amongst the most ancient (old) civilizations on Earth.

Syria was occupied by many empires during history.

In the year 1920, Syria was occupied by the French troops although it was under the control of the Ottoman Empire for many years.

In the year 1936, Syria was announced as a Republic under the first Syrian President, Hashim al-Atassi.

In the year 1944, Syria was declared as an independent republic.

In the year 1970, President Hafiz Al Assad became the Syrian president and started developing the government.

In the year 2000, after President Hafiz Al Assad passed away, he was succeeded by his son Bashar Al Assad.

Syria is bordered by Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, Turkey to the north, and Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

Damascus is the capital city of Syria.

Exercise 1:

List four of the presidents of the Egyptian Republic.

1. Gamal Abdul Nasser

2. Anwar Al Sadat

3. Hosni Mubarak

4. Abdel Fattah el- Sisi

Exercise 2:

Answer the following questions.

1. Who was the first president in Syria?

Hashim al-Atassi

2. What happened to Syria in the year 1944?

Syria was declared as an independent republic.

3. Who became president in Syria in 1970?

Hafiz al-Assad

Pages 73 and 74.

Exercise I: Use the words in the box to fill in the blanks.

1. The assassination of Anwar Al Sadat led to the election of Hosni

Mubarak.

2. An absolute monarchy is when the king has the complete authority.

3. A parliament is usually formed by a group of people of representatives elected by the people of a country.

4. A republic is a system governed by a president who is elected for a specific period of time.

5. A country with a constitution and representatives elected by the public is a democracy.

6. A document with a set of laws used to protect and organize the relations amongst the people of a country is called a constitution.

7. A system where one person, the dictator, has absolute power is a dictatorship.

 

 

 

Exercise II: Circle the best choice.

1. Sultan Qabus ibn Sa’id is the leader of ____________________.

a. Saudi Arabia

b. Oman

c. Bahrain

2. The country whose history goes back to the year 622 with the Hijra of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) from Makkah is ______________________.

a. Kuwait

b. Syria

c. Saudi Arabia

3. The country that was in the past very famous for trading copper is __________________.

a. Qatar

b. United Arab Emirates

c. Kuwait

4. The freedom of press is protected by a very important law that was issued in ____________________.

a. Kuwait

b. Bahrain

c. Qatar