Post on 16-Jan-2016
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Arab culture is not
monolithic. Arabs follow
different faiths, live in
countries all over the world
and belong to different
types of groups and
societies
Arabic culture is rich in
customs and traditions
that focus largely on the
importance of religion and
family.
Regions in The Arab world :
• Nile Valley: Egypt and Sudan
• Al-Maghrib Al-Arabi: Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and
Mauritania
• Fertile Crescent: Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and
Jordan
• Arabian Peninsula: Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, Oman and the UAE (United Arab Emirates)
• The Arabian Peninsula’s Al-Janoub Al-Arabi: Yemen and Oman
The traditional Islamic families use a patriarchal structure in
which the patriarch is responsible for the well being of his
family in every way. Marriage and family play a significant role
in the social lives of the Islamic world, as a marriage unites two
families as much as it joins the two people being married.
Arab culture teaches that the needs of the group are more
important than the needs of one person.
Women in the Arab world, as in other areas of the world, have
throughout history experienced discrimination and have been
subject to restrictions of their freedoms and rights. Some of
these practices are based on religious beliefs, but many of the
limitations are cultural and emanate from tradition as well as
religion.
Arabic society is, on the
whole, extremely
conservative, and a large
host of social behavior are
prohibited either by law or
by harsh social taboos. This
is especially true for women.
Islam is the central religion of the Arab
world, which began with the prophet
Muhammad's revelation and teachings in
the 7th century.
The Qur’an is the holy book of the Islamic
faith.
Islam is one of the three Abrahamic religions
(additionally Judaism and Christianity) all of
which believe in one God and the
importance of practicing God’s will on earth.
Arabs in general value loyalty and honor.
In relationships, it is important to establish trust. Unlike
most Westerners, Arabs generally take friendships very
seriously. They only call a select group of people "friends"
and discuss others as acquaintances, family friends or
associates.
Arab dress for men ranges
from the traditional flowing
robes to blue jeans, T-shirts
and business suits.
The robes allow for maximum
circulation of air around the
body to help keep it cool, and
the head dress provides
protection from the sun.
At times, Arabs mix the
traditional garb with clothes.
Adherence to traditional dress varies
across Arab societies. Saudi Arabia
is more traditional, while Egypt is
less so. Traditional Arab dress
features the full length body cover
(abaya, jilbāb, or chador) and veil
(hijab). Women are only required to
wear abayas in Saudi Arabia. In
most countries, like Kuwait,
Lebanon,Libya, Jordan, Syria and
Egypt, the veil is not prevalent.
Arabic is a literary language, the
language of Islam as written in
the Koran.
Linguistically, the language shares
many similarities with Hebrew and
Aramaic. As a spoken language,
there exist many regional dialects
that differ greatly among one
another as well as in the written
form. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is a standardized form of the
language used among the educated for media and scholarly
purposes
The Arabic arts take on many
celebrated forms, from
paintings to belly dancing to
calligraphy.
Most art is highly integrated
with religion and spirituality; for
example, Hadra, a Sufi exorcism
ritual, incorporates
improvisational vocal
performances with drums and
resonating strings, followed by a
procession of men who dance
with continuing rapidity toward
a state of trance.
Much Arab music is characterized by an emphasis
on melody and rhythm rather than harmony. Thus much
Arabic music is homophonic in nature.
Some genres of Arab
music are polyphonic,
as the
instrument Kanoun is
based upon the idea
of playing two-
note chords, but
quintessentially,
Arabic music is
melodic.
Originally, the
Arabs of the
Arabian Peninsula
relied heavily on a
diet of dates,
wheat, barley, rice
and meat, with little
variety, with a
heavy emphasis on
yoghurt products,
such asleben.
Arabian cuisine today is the result of
a combination of richly diverse
cuisines, spanning the Arab world
from Iraq to Morocco and
incorporating Lebanese, Egyptian,
and others. It has also been
influenced to a degree by the
cuisines of India, Turkey, Berber, and
others.The Qur’an has specific instructions on how food must be
prepared and that certain foods are off limits entirely.
Any animal sacrificed for others than Allah (God) cannot be
eaten, and that pigs are completely forbidden.