Top 10 Middle East facts

Samsung (Korea). Samsung C&T Corporation (Construction and Trade), established in 1938, is the origin of Samsung Group. Samsung C&T was the primary contractor of 3 worlds tallest skyscrapers: Burj Khalifa, Petronas Twin Towers and Taipei 101.

It is the site of Muhammad's ascension to heaven. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city, after Mecca and Medina. In Islamic tradition in 610 CE it became the first Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (later moved by Muhammad to Mecca), and Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later, ascending to heaven where he speaks to God, according to the Quran.

"servant of God". Abdullah or Abdallah is built from the Arabic words Abd (servant) and Allah. Since both Torah and Christian Bible use word 'Allah' for God in their Arabic translations, the name Abdullah is also common among Jews and Christians living in the Arab countries.

Foot whipping. This criminal is being prepared to falaka, a type of punishment used in the Ottoman Empire and Middle East. Foot whipping is effective due to the clustering of nerve endings in the feet and the structure of the foot, with its numerous small bones and tendons. The wounds inflicted are particularly painful and take a long time to heal. Falaka was used for centuries as a way of torture and punishment.

Jews. A sukkah is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is a symbolic shelter, commemorating the time God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness they inhabited after they were freed from slavery in Egypt. Many observant Jews will spend the whole week in the sukkah. The festival of Sukkot is held in autumn, in September or October.

Black dogs. According to a Sunni narration classified as authentic by Muslim Ibn al-Hajjaj, black dogs are a manifestation of evil in animal form. According to many Muslim scholars, a contact with a dog's saliva requires one to wash seven times. The British Transport Police receives complaints suggesting that sniffer dogs trained to detect explosives should no longer come into contact with Muslim passengers.

Morocco. The name of fez comes from the city of Fes, Morocco, where it became fashionable among Andalusian Arabs in the 17th century. The fez got widely popular in the Ottoman Empire after 1829, when Sultan Mahmud II ordered his civil officials to wear the plain fez, and also banned the wearing of turbans.

Babylonian Empire. Hammurabi's code was one of the earliest and most influential sets of laws written. It is a well-preserved Babylonian law code of ancient Mesopotamia, dating back to about 1754 BCE. It is now held in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

At point 3. Mecca was long ruled by Muhammad's descendants, the sharifs, either as independent rulers or as vassals to larger empires. It was absorbed into Saudi Arabia in 1925.

Jordan. Petra is famous for its rock-cut architecture. Established in 312 BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is one of the most-visited tourist attractions of Jordan. Petra declined rapidly under Roman rule, in large part from the use of sea-based trade routes. In 363 an earthquake destroyed many buildings. The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812.