| Golan Heights | called Al Jawlan, a hilly plateau over looking the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee |
| wadi | Riverbeds that remain dry except during the rainy seasons |
| Tigris River and Euphrates | two ancient river valley civilitations in an area called the Fertile Crscent |
| Jordan River | Provides on of the most precious resources in the entire region-water. |
| Dead sea | A landlocked salt lake |
| Rub al-Khali | "Empty Quarter" "Place whre no one comes out" |
| oasis | Area in the desert where vegetation is found because water is available |
| salt flat | When winds evaporate the moisture in soil and chemical salts remain. |
| western wall | the wailing wall |
| Dome of the Rock | houses the spot where muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad rose into heaven. |
| Zionism | 19th century movement |
| Palestine Liberation Organization | was formed to regain the land for Palestinian Arabs |
| guest workers | are largely unskilled laborers |
| stateless nation | a nation of people without a land to legally occupy |
| palestinians | a group of people who have been displaced in the region |
| west bank | a strip of land on the west side of the jordan river |
| gaza strip | is a territory along the Mediterranean sea |
| drip irrigation | small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water used for crops |
| desalinization | the removal of salt from ocean water, is done at technically sophistricated water treatment plants |
| fossil water | water pumped from underground aquifers |
| crude oil | petrolium that has not been processed |
| refinery | it coverts crude oil into useful products |
| mecca | the holiest city in the islamic religion |
| islam | monotheistic religion |
| muhammad | the creater of islam |
| mosque | an islamic cherch |
| theocratic | the leader of the religion is the leader of the country |
| OPEC | Organizatio of Petroleum Exporting Countrys |
| Kurds | an ethnic group in southwestern Asia |
| Mesopotamia | the "land between the rivers" |
| sunni | One of the main branches of islam, 83% of muslims |
| shi'ite | One of the main branches of islam, most Iranians |
| Taliban | a fundamentalist muslim political group |