Location: The Arab Culture is found throughout Algeria, Bahrain, Comoro, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Arab culture extends five and a quarter million square miles with eighty percent living in desert conditions. The traditional view of Arabs as nomads, which started with Muhammad’s immigration in 622, makes up less than five percent of the total world population today. Urbanization and industrialization due to heavy Western influence have changed the demographic concentration of the Arab people. Almost half of Arabs live in cities where both men and women have more educational and employment opportunities.
Language: The Arab people speak Arabic, which is the religious language of the Qur’an. Spoken by people from Egypt, North Africa, Iraq, Syria, and Arabia, this language is uniform throughout the entire Arab world. Including a variety of guttural (from the throat) sounds, this language is complex and unique from other languages.
Daily Life: The new society of Arabs still holds close to traditional values and morals. Loyalty to the family has always, and continues to be the top priority of the Arab. Religion is also a main focus in how they live their lives. Islamic religion was first developed in the 7th century AD, and was centered among the Arab desert nomads, but Arabs of today are only 20% of the total Muslim population around the world. Now Muslims are in the greatest numbers in about 35 countries spreading from the Pacific to the Atlantic and from Africa to Asia. Muslims follow the holy book called the Qur’an. They hold the Qur’an high and it's teachings are followed in all areas of life, from religious to governmental and social issues.
Arab or Egyptian cuisine is known for flavor and its use of fresh ingredients. The staple in every Arabs’ diet is a bread called Aish, which is a darker form of the Pita bread in the Greek culture. Fava beans are also important in the diet. At an Arab meal, one would expect to have a soup, meat, vegetable stew, bread, salad, and rice or pasta. Their desserts aren't rich like those of many other cultures; mostly fruit is served after a meal.
Technology is rapidly growing throughout the Arab world. In Lebanon, there was the first national television station to broadcast 24 hours nonstop. They also have many other TV and radio stations, as well as newspapers that can be seen on the web. The pastoral dessert nomad herding camels and sheep across the desert has been replaced by professionals and technicians working in the large modern cities. Many Arabs find employment with oil companies and other big manufacturing companies who have bases in the Middle East.
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Works Cited
“Arab.” Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com 2 October. 2000
Barakat, Halim. The Arab World. University of California Press 1993. (6-42).
Karen Pearson-Roden