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

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.

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.
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.

Islam is the central religion of the

Arab world, which began with the
prophet Muhammad's revelation
and teachings in the 7th century.
The Quran 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 Gods 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, jilbb, 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,
improvisational

incorporates
vocal

performances with drums and

resonating strings, followed by a
procession of men who dance

Much

Arab

music

is

characterized

by

an

emphasis

onmelodyandrhythmrather thanharmony. Thus much

Arabic music ishomophonicin nature.
Some genres of Arab
music arepolyphonic,
as

the

instrumentKanounis
based upon the idea
of

playing

notechords,

twobut

quintessentially,
Arabic

music

is

Originally, the
Arabs of the
Arabian Peninsula
relied heavily on a
diet ofdates,
wheat, barley, rice
and meat, with little
variety, with a
heavy emphasis on

Arabian cuisine today is the result of

a

combination

of

richly

diverse

cuisines, spanning the Arab world

from

Iraq

to

Morocco

incorporating

Lebanese,

and

It

others.

influenced

to

has

and

Egyptian,
also

degree

by

been
the

cuisines
of India,
Turkey, Berber,
and on how food must be
The Quran
has specific
instructions
others.
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.