por The Arabic culture It is the set of traditions, beliefs, customs and other cultural manifestations shared by the majority of the inhabitants of a group of countries ranging from North Africa to the Middle East. Its origin of this culture is located in the Arabian peninsula and is closely linked to Islam.
To differentiate those considered culturally Arab from those who are not, the definition provided by the Arab League is usually used. It states that «an Arab is a person who speaks Arabic, lives in an Arabic-speaking country, and sympathizes with the aspirations of the Arab peoples.»
In addition to a common language, although divided into several regional dialects, the Arabs share many traditions, most of them linked to religion. Among these are the pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy place of Islam, the celebration of Ramadan or the sacrifice of the lamb.
On the other hand, the great territorial extension of the Arab culture means that different customs can be found depending on the geographical area. Something similar happens with gastronomy and music, which, although they share some elements in common, maintain certain territorial particularities due to external influences received.
Origin and history of Arab culture
Arab culture originated in Arabia, a peninsula located between the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. It is a very arid area that only allows the practice of agriculture in areas near the coast or in the oases.
The population of said peninsula was of the Semitic race. Most of them were nomadic Bedouins who lived by herding camels and goats. The cities were very few and only the two commercial centers in the area stood out: Mecca and Yatrib.
Politically they were organized into tribes, often at odds with each other. Some of them were polytheists and others fetishists.
pre islamic
The population of the pre-Islamic period was made up of the Semitic peoples who emigrated to the peninsula. Their only common feature was that they spoke a similar language.
The basis of Arab culture were the Babylonians, Chaldeans, Aramaeans, Nabateans, Assyrians, Egyptians, Himarites, and Sabanians. It was made up of the Semitic peoples who emigrated to the peninsula. Their only common feature was that they spoke a similar language.
Islamic
In the town of Mecca, in 570 d. C. the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, was born. A good connoisseur of Jewish and Christian traditions, he began to preach a new religion in AD 610. C. It was a monotheistic religion, which worshiped a single god, Allah.
At first, his words were not well received in his hometown and Muhammad was forced to flee to Yathrib (later renamed Medina) in 622. This flight is known as the Hijra and marked the beginning of the era. islamic The Muslim calendar counts the years from that date.
Muhammad managed to raise an army and took Mecca in 630. From then on, his following grew steadily. Muhammad died two years later, with Arabia united by his doctrine, contained in a holy book called the Qur’an.
After the death of Muhammad, the expansion of Islam began, in addition to internal confrontations for religious and political power. His successors were called caliphs and established the caliphate.
Orthodox (632 -660 AD)
During this period there was the only caliphate shared by Sunni and Shiite Muslims. The four caliphs that ruled were extending the territory through the conquest of Palestine, Armenia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, Byzantium and Egypt.
Umayyad (660 – 750 AD)
The death of Caliph Ali, in the year 661, meant the establishment of a hereditary regime and the elimination of the Shura, the advisory body that had existed until then. Furthermore, the caliphs of this period were established in Syria and Damascus became the capital of the caliphate.
The Syrian Umayyads were greatly influenced by the Byzantines, which meant that the customs of the Arabs were becoming more like those of Byzantium and less like those of Arabia. This peninsula, although it lost its political power, continued to maintain its religious power.
Abbasid (750 – 1242 AD)
The murder of the Umayyad family at the hands of Abu Abbas marked the beginning of a new dynasty, the Abbasids. This moved the capital, first, to Baghdad and, later, to Cairo.
The Muslims were expanding their territory until they reached India, but various internal conflicts caused the caliphate to divide into three: the Caliphate of Córdoba, in Cairo and Baghdad.
On the other hand, the Abbasids promoted culture and science. This led to a boom in these fields, to the point that the Arab world became the intellectual center of the time. In Baghdad, for example, there was a House of Wisdom in which scholars translated all the world’s knowledge into Arabic.
golden age of islam
The earlier periods, from the 8th to the 13th or 14th centuries, are known as the Golden Age of Islam. At that time, Arab academics, merchants, and engineers made numerous contributions in their different fields. Likewise, its poets and artists created a culture that influenced the rest of the world.
Decay
After that period of brilliance, the Arab world began a period of decline that lasted several centuries. The Mongol invasions, around the year 1258, marked the beginning of that decline.
Later, between 1393 and 1401, a new wave of invasions led by Tamerlane ended the Abbasid Empire, although over time the invaders became Islamized. Later, the Turks, Muslims but not Arabs, seized political power.
With the exception of Syria, which was favored by the Ottomans, the rest of the Arab world continued its decline. In addition, the Turks forced Arab artisans and guild leaders to settle in Istanbul.
This decline of Arab culture was enhanced by the arrival of Europeans in a large part of their territories. The fall of the Ottoman Empire did not help the Arabs to regain power, but the Europeans did.
arab nationalism
The Ottoman domination was not exempt from rebellions and uprisings against it, but they were all put down. The same thing happened when the Europeans began to control several Arab countries, such as Tunisia (by France), Libya (Italy) or Morocco (France and Spain).
Other countries, such as Egypt, were involved in the colonial confrontations between the European powers, until they ended up controlled by the British.
Although the European influence was felt in the Arab elites, an incipient nationalist sentiment also began to emerge that would grow in the following years.
arab rebellion
One of the most important episodes within the Arab world was the rebellion that took place in 1916. This uprising was led by the Sherif of Mecca and was intended to get rid of Ottoman rule in Palestine.
The rebels wanted to create an Arab state that stretched from Aleppo, in Syria, to Yemen. The insurrection lasted two years and gave rise to an Arab kingdom. This, however, did not last long and the colonial powers divided their territory and created the current map of the Middle East.
Twentieth century
In some cases, the Arab reaction to European rule was a return to more conservative religious roots. In others, however, they opted to relegate religion to the private level and imitate the political systems of Europe.
In addition to the positions indicated, there was a third response: the so-called Islamic modernism. His supporters, many among the intelligentsia, pointed out that modern European values were already found in Islam, but that it was not understood by the majority of society.
After World War II, and with the Cold War raging, some countries adopted a kind of dual society. The elites and upper middle classes became westernized, while the rest of society became more conservative.
This system used to be sustained by dictatorships, which the middle classes did not like. Over time, Western customs became identified with these dictatorial systems.
In some Arab countries the so-called secular nationalism arose, headed by the Egyptian Nasser. Likewise, leaders of the same style appeared in Iraq or Syria, who confronted the fundamentalist movements and, at the same time, the Western powers.
Secular nationalism disappeared for various reasons. On the one hand, most of the leaders were dictators and, on the other, their confrontation with the West, especially the United States, weakened them until they were overthrown by religious conservative movements.
Geographic location
There are three aspects that determine who is an Arab and who is not. The first is political, which includes the 300 million inhabitants of the member countries of the Arab League.
The second of these factors is language. Some 200 million people speak Arabic today.
The last of them is genealogical, since all those with ancestors originating in Arabia are considered Arab.
Current Arab world
Following the previous parameters, the current Arab world includes from Morocco, in Africa, and the Middle East.
The countries considered Arab are the following: Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania, Oman, Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.
Extension of Arab culture during the Golden Age
The spread of Islam outside of Arabia occurred after the death of Muhammad. The first caliphs conquered the Persian Empire, Syria, Palestine, and North Africa.
Later, during the Umayyad dynasty, the caliphate extended to Morocco and Spain. In the east, they reached the Indus River and Turkestan.
General characteristics
The Arab culture is the result of the mixture between that existing in the Arabian peninsula and that of the rest of the territories that they conquered. Thus, cultural traits typical of the Persians, Indians, Greeks or Spanish, among other peoples, can be contemplated.
This culture is, today, difficult to define. Its great variety provides great wealth and, also, cultural manifestations that differ depending on the territory.
There are, however, common characteristics, such as language or those related to the majority religion, Islam. Other religions present in the Arab world, such as Christianity or Judaism, also participated in the creation of Arab culture.
Outfit
The traditional Arab dress is still used in most countries. As in the rest of their culture, the way of dressing is related to the mandates of the Koran, which prohibits tight, transparent clothing and bright colors.
Although there are regional differences, men are required to cover the awrah, the part of the body that goes from the navel to the knees. Your clothing should be simple and not tight…