Bedouin Culture

Bedouin musician Location: Arabian Peninsula, Africa, Sinai, Negev

History: The Arabs have two distinct cultures: sedentary and nomadic. Bedouin culture is the latter. While the sedentary Arabs took advantage of oases throughout the Middle East, the Bedouin took advantage of scarce resources by becoming nomadic herdsman. From the Arabian Peninsula both groups spread throughout the Middle East. The Bedouins migrated from oasis to oasis, utilizing the periphery and moving on. Due to the nomadic nature of the Bedouin they were unable to establish possession of these oases from the powerful societies of the region. As the Bedouin moved throughout the region they were surrounded on all sides, the Byzantines to the north, the Sabaeans to the south, the Romans to the west, and the Persians to the east. During this period the region had many religious influences and the main religion was a combination of Bedouin polytheism, Judaism, and Christianity. The four major powers of the region began to diffuse and become weak. In 500 A.D. the Bedouin tribe Quraysh conquered the city of Mecca, which at the time was the major religious center. The final chapter and most important came from Muhammed and began the Islamic religion.

Daily Life: The Bedouin live today as they have for thousands of years, traveling from one oasis to another. They use the resources in one area while the others are replenished naturally. The Bedouin travel in small bands and live in tents. The status of men and women is clearly different. The men have a separate part of the tent called a mag’ad and the women have an area called a maharama. Music, poetry, and dance are major parts of their culture.

Feature: The most recognized item in the Bedouin culture is their clothing. The wardrobe starts with a long hooded robe, the jalabiyya. The men wear a headcloth called a kufiyya which is secured with a rope called an ‘agal. The women are required to have all hair covered, but ‘asaba.

Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on Bedouin culture.

Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL.

If you are Bedouin, your feedback is much appreciated.