Arabic Culture and Language Toolkit Developed by hrslo


The Arab world past and present



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The Arab world past and present



The Arab World (Quick Facts)

  • The Arab world( العالم العربي Al-Alam Al-Arabi) consists of more than twenty countries stretching from Mauritania in the west to Oman in the east.

  • They have a combined population of 300 million people and their combined economies surpass one trillion $ annually.



The Arabic Language (quick facts)

  • Official language of :

  • Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq,

  • Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Western Sahara, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

  • National language of:

  • Mali and Senegal

  • It is used in International organizations:

  • United Nations, Arab League, Organization of Islamic Conference,

  • and the African Union.

  • It is regulated by the Academy of the Arabic Language in Egypt.

  • The Academy of the Arabic Language (مجمع اللغة العربية) is an academy in Cairo founded in 1934 to develop and regulate the Arabic language in Egypt and the Arab World.



Who speaks Arabic? (quick facts)



Arab Countries

  • Algeria: defined as Muslim, Arab, and Amazigh (Berber) country.

  • The name Algeria derived from the name of the city of Algiers, from the Arabic word al-jazā’ir, the islands, referring to the four islands which lay off that city's coast until becoming part of the mainland in 1525.

  • Bahrain: The Kingdom of Bahrain, or Bahrain ( مملكة البحرين) is a borderless island nation in the Persian Gulf (SW Asia/Middle East/Asia.

  • Egypt: The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, (مصر, romanized Misr, in Egyptian Arabic Másr). While most of the country is geographically located in Africa, the Sinai Peninsula east of the Suez Canal is in Asia.

  • Iraq: The Republic of Iraq (Arabic: العراق ; Kurdish: عيَراق) is located in southern Asia

  • Jordan: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, commonly called Jordan (Arabic أردنّ, Urdunn)

  • Kuwait,

  • Lebanon, Libya,

  • Mauritania, Morocco,

  • Oman, Palestine,

  • Qatar, Western Sahara,

  • Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.



Arabs seen as nomads

  • The stereotype of Arabs as nomads is misleading because nomads makes up around 5% of the total Arabs today.

  • Traditional Arab society is tribal-nomadic, with its outstanding trait being clan loyalty.



The tribe: a foundation for personal and group existence

  • The tribe made up the exclusive social-cultural unit

  • The head of the tribe was the sayid [from the verb saada = to be eminent, rule] or leader/representative, who was chosen by the elders, and was first among equals in status. The heads of tribes are the “Jemaa” or council of tribal leaders.

  • The “Jemaa” is entrusted with resolving inter-tribal disputes.

  • It is a place for clarifications and intertribal agreements. From this, the Arabs accumulated immense experience in conducting negotiations.

  • The most important framework was preserving tribal solidarity. The 14th c. father of sociology, Ibn Khaldoun called it [al`asabiyyah].

  • Refusal to submit to the decision of the Jemaa results into a razzia [ghazaa = invade] to enforce the decision.

  • Hierarchy within the tribe: see chart.

  • Hierarchy among tribes by specializing in knowledge; some in war; other in craft; and labor.

  • Each tribe uses its competitive edge: i.e., the warrior tribe provides protection during invasion [razzia]; while the learned tribe reciprocates by providing knowledge. This create intertribal solidarity for the life of the arrangement.





The Arab society

  • Hierarchical in structure: Usrah; ‘Aylah; blood relationship is key since it defines the origins of a person’s lineage and the social status known as “al-Asl” or the true descent/origins.

  • Emphasis is placed on kinship, clientelism, called Wasata (intermediaries) in the Machrek. Ma’rifah = acquaintances and Lektaf = shoulders; or piston = connections in the Maghrib. For those not well-connected, importance is upon diplomas, titles, experience and seniority.

  • Stress upon indivisible, inalienable, not transferable land ownership of the extended family “arch or Melk” in NA;

  • Constant reference to what one does in life, which family he belongs to, and what title one holds. These affect almost all aspects of life [family status is at the heart of relationships/intermarriages / business].



Patriarchal Family structure

  • Gender and age play a big role in specifying responsibilities [preeminence of anyone who older than you. Proverb: “Mam faatak bliilah, faatak bHiilah” = Born a night before, has a trick more.”

  • The father is usually the head of the family and the provider, while the mother plays a major role in raising children and taking care of the house [huge difference between rural vs. urban women].


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