Basically North African and Middle Eastern cultures have very similar traditional clothing styles, food, architecture, beliefs and art.
This is caused by two main factors: common environment and common rulers.
Both North Africa and the Middle East are hot, dry and deserty. Dominated by the Arabian-Syrian/Sahara Deserts, both cultures were greatly influenced by their harsh environment that necessitated certain adaptions (most notably clothing and certain foods, pork for example generally rots easily in the desert and becomes dangerous to eat).
There is also the issue of their common religion/rulers. A large portion of their joint history has been spent serving under one ruler or another (Rome, Abbassids, Ottomans, etc.) They also share a common religion, greatly influencing eachother.
Jacob isn't one of the Great Partriarchs who had once built altars.
Obviously the poor had no money, so the bosses of say New York would pay clueless immigrants to vote for them in elections to keep them in high city offices and to continue holding power.
Samuel de Champlain built a colony in Quebec he developed a fur trading post with the natives. He went on raids and was the first European to find Lake Champlain which he named for himself.
<span>:)he made triads with the natives in that area but then the natives turned on him and he killed them</span>
