Arab culture is not

monolithic. Arabs follow

different faiths, live in

countries all over the world

and belong to different

types of groups and

societies

Arabic culture is rich in

customs and traditions

that focus largely on the

importance of religion and

family.

Regions in The Arab world :

• Nile Valley: Egypt and Sudan

• Al-Maghrib Al-Arabi: Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and

Mauritania

• Fertile Crescent: Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and

Jordan

• Arabian Peninsula: Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi

Arabia, Oman and the UAE (United Arab Emirates)

• The Arabian Peninsula’s Al-Janoub Al-Arabi: Yemen and Oman

The traditional Islamic families use a patriarchal structure in

which the patriarch is responsible for the well being of his

family in every way. Marriage and family play a significant role

in the social lives of the Islamic world, as a marriage unites two

families as much as it joins the two people being married.

Arab culture teaches that the needs of the group are more

important than the needs of one person.

Women in the Arab world, as in other areas of the world, have

throughout history experienced discrimination and have been

subject to restrictions of their freedoms and rights. Some of

these practices are based on religious beliefs, but many of the

limitations are cultural and emanate from tradition as well as

religion.

Arabic society is, on the

whole, extremely

conservative, and a large

host of social behavior are

prohibited either by law or

by harsh social taboos. This

is especially true for women.

Islam is the central religion of the Arab

world, which began with the prophet

Muhammad's revelation and teachings in

the 7th century.

The Qur’an is the holy book of the Islamic

faith.

Islam is one of the three Abrahamic religions

(additionally Judaism and Christianity) all of

which believe in one God and the

importance of practicing God’s will on earth.

Arabs in general value loyalty and honor.

In relationships, it is important to establish trust. Unlike

most Westerners, Arabs generally take friendships very

seriously. They only call a select group of people "friends"

and discuss others as acquaintances, family friends or

associates.

Arab dress for men ranges

from the traditional flowing

robes to blue jeans, T-shirts

and business suits.

The robes allow for maximum

circulation of air around the

body to help keep it cool, and

the head dress provides

protection from the sun.

At times, Arabs mix the

traditional garb with clothes.

Adherence to traditional dress varies

across Arab societies. Saudi Arabia

is more traditional, while Egypt is

less so. Traditional Arab dress

features the full length body cover

(abaya, jilbāb, or chador) and veil

(hijab). Women are only required to

wear abayas in Saudi Arabia. In

most countries, like Kuwait,

Lebanon,Libya, Jordan, Syria and

Egypt, the veil is not prevalent.

Arabic is a literary language, the

language of Islam as written in

the Koran.

Linguistically, the language shares

many similarities with Hebrew and

Aramaic. As a spoken language,

there exist many regional dialects

that differ greatly among one

another as well as in the written

form. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is a standardized form of the

language used among the educated for media and scholarly

purposes

The Arabic arts take on many

celebrated forms, from

paintings to belly dancing to

calligraphy.

Most art is highly integrated

with religion and spirituality; for

example, Hadra, a Sufi exorcism

ritual, incorporates

improvisational vocal

performances with drums and

resonating strings, followed by a

procession of men who dance

with continuing rapidity toward

a state of trance.

Much Arab music is characterized by an emphasis

on melody and rhythm rather than harmony. Thus much

Arabic music is homophonic in nature.

Some genres of Arab

music are polyphonic,

as the

instrument Kanoun is

based upon the idea

of playing two-

note chords, but

quintessentially,

Arabic music is

melodic.

Originally, the

Arabs of the

Arabian Peninsula

relied heavily on a

diet of dates,

wheat, barley, rice

and meat, with little

variety, with a

heavy emphasis on

yoghurt products,

such asleben.

Arabian cuisine today is the result of

a combination of richly diverse

cuisines, spanning the Arab world

from Iraq to Morocco and

incorporating Lebanese, Egyptian,

and others. It has also been

influenced to a degree by the

cuisines of India, Turkey, Berber, and

others.The Qur’an has specific instructions on how food must be

prepared and that certain foods are off limits entirely.

Any animal sacrificed for others than Allah (God) cannot be

eaten, and that pigs are completely forbidden.