THE arab culture it involves traditions, language and customs of peoples who originate in the territories of the Middle East, North Africa and West Asia.
Likewise, Arab culture is a concept independent of religion, as it encompasses Muslim, Jewish, Christian and pagan peoples.
If we consider only the countries of the "Arab League" (1946), there are at least three hundred million people who are part of this culture.
Arab countries
The main countries with Arab culture are:
Arabian Peninsula
- Iraq
- Bahrain
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
- Yemen
- Kuwait
- Oman
Nile Valley
- Egypt
- Sudan
Maghreb
- Libya
- Tunisia
- Algeria
- Morocco
- Mauritania
- Western Sahara
Fertile Crescent
- Iraq
- Lebanon
- Syria
- Palestine
- Jordan
Arab world
The Arab world comprises those countries and peoples that have adopted the Arabic language. They are mainly concentrated in North Africa.
The "Arab world", which identifies itself with language, should not be confused with "Islamic world", which refers to religion.
Not all Arabic is Muslim (or Islamic) and many people who do not speak Arabic are Muslim.
Arab culture traveled with the peoples of these regions and reached Spain, Portugal and from there to the Americas. In countries like Brazil and Argentina there are important communities of Arab descent.
Origin of Arab Culture
Arab culture arises in the Arabian Peninsula with the Semitic peoples descended from Ishmael, the patriarchal son of Abraham.
The most representative figures are the nomads Bedouin, which lived in desert regions and supported themselves mainly from cattle raising.
However, with the formation of the arab empire in the seventh century, Islamic culture and religion spread across the peninsula, modifying the customs of these nomadic peoples. Thus, Islam and language will be the basis of the “Arabization” process in North Africa.
As this domination was done with relative tolerance, there was a reciprocal influence between those who were Muslims and spoke Arabic and the peoples who were dominated. Through their travels, the Arabs came into contact with the Hellenic peoples, learned and preserved their Greek philosophy.
In this way, Christian and Jewish communities were tolerated in Muslim-majority territories and ended up absorbing Arab traditions.
Arab Culture Customs
In common, this culture has values such as loyalty, honor, traditionalism, a sense of hospitality and conservatism. They prioritize friendship, respect, patience and privacy above all.
The Arab tradition for business is also well known, in which it is necessary to have patience to haggle and negotiate the value of goods.
Another important aspect of this culture concerns the ways of eating. Muslim Arabs do not eat pork, eat only with their right hand and usually eat sitting on the floor.
arab religion
It is estimated that 90% of Arab peoples profess the Islamic religion, founded by Mohammed (Mohammed) in the year 622 of the Christian Era.
This faith united the numerous Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. For this reason, it is very common to think that all Arabs are Muslims.
However, communities of Christians, Jews and even those who maintain animist beliefs such as the Yazidi, one of the peoples that make up the Kurds.
Likewise, Jews and the Orthodox Church were already installed in territories where Islam flourished. There are also Christian denominations such as Melkites, Copts, Maronites, among others.
Therefore, it is incorrect to say that every Arab is a Muslim. Finally, let us remember that the largest Islamic country in the world, Indonesia, is not an Arab country.
Arab family
The Arab family is patriarchal. The mother is responsible for the housework and care of the house, while the father is the provider and makes the decisions of the house. Currently, however, in several Arab countries, women work outside the home.
It is common to find men hugging and exchanging kisses on the cheek or walking hand in hand (this is a sign of great friendship).
However, when addressing a woman, usually Arab men do not look at them and only greet her with words. That's because in most Arab countries, public kissing between couples is prohibited.
arabic dress
Generally, due to religious influence, Arab peoples tend to cover the body more than Westerners. High temperatures also make it necessary to wear veils and turbans in order to protect the face and head.
Women tend to dress with more decorum and are rarely found with their hair uncovered.
use a hijab (fabric that covers the head without hiding the face), a abaya (long black tunic) or a niqab (fabric that covers the lower part of the face). Importantly, each country has its own clothing codes.
Likewise, these Arab garments or clothing that show the more conservative side of this culture.
For their part, men can be found dressed in western fashion, with jeans and a shirt. However, in countries like Saudi Arabia, you must wear a turban and tunic.
arab wedding
The Arab wedding ceremony varies according to religion. However, one characteristic is certain: regardless of belief, the party will be long and very lively.
arab muslim wedding
The Arab Muslim Marriage (Nikah) is a colorful, happy, full and full of symbolic rituals. Typically, the event lasts up to three days.
They can be celebrated at any time, except on the day after Ramadan or between the ninth and tenth day of the first month of the calendar of Islam.
As Arab culture is permeated by Islam, the wedding must take place in a mosque, under the blessing of an Imam or Sheikh.
Traditionally, the first day is dedicated to the engagement ceremony (Mangni). This represents an official consecration in which the exchange of rings and the signing of marriage take place.
It is a civil contract, signed by the groom, the bride and their guardian, endorsed by two more witnesses.
In the second day (Manja), attention is turned to the bride. It is produced for marriage with traditional henna tattoos (feet and hands), which can only be tattooed by single women.
Finally, on the third day, the wedding party itself takes place. At this moment, the couple's families will meet with the other guests, amidst a lot of food, music and dancing.
As for clothing, it is worth noting that the bride can wear up to seven different dresses, as long as the dress worn on the third day of the party is white. The groom, on the other hand, usually dresses in silk and a turban.
Arabian language
Indeed, the Arabic language is a unifying factor in this civilization as much as Islam, since most Arabs are followers of Islam.
It is noteworthy that the word “Arabic” means “clear” or “understandable” to refer to those whose language was intelligible.
Unlike Latin and Anglo-Saxon languages, Arabic is written from right to left and has only 3 vowels and 22 consonants.
Dissemination of Discoveries and Knowledge
The Arab peoples were great creators and transmitted to the Western world navigation knowledge that allowed remarkable advances, such as the compass and the astrolabe.
Furthermore, alchemists were the forerunners of modern chemistry and they are credited with discovering alcohol.
Mathematicians were equally important, from which we inherited the knowledge of Arabic numerals, algebra and the concept of zero (brought from India).
Arabic architecture
From these algebraic calculations, Arab engineering and architecture were able to build beautiful mosques, palaces, with their arches, domes and minarets.
All of them are well decorated by the decorative art of the arabesques, where geometric motifs with Persian, Indian and Byzantine influences predominate.
It is worth highlighting here the religious prohibition of representing human figures, which justifies the predominance of geometric figures, plants and flowers in their precious mosaics.
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