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Overview
NEWSPAPERS: Newspapers in the Arab countries can be divided into three categories: those that are government-owned (together with semi-official papers such as al-Ahram in Egypt), those owned by political parties, and the “independent” press. In general, Arab governments seek to restrict…
Introduction
The Hajj, or pilgrimage, is the fifth of the five pillars (duties) of Islam. Every able-bodied Muslim should make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime, finances permitting.
The Hajj takes place annually during the first 10 days of the Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth month of…
Introduction
Arab cuisine mostly follows one of three culinary traditions – from the Maghreb, the Levant or the Gulf.
In theMaghrebcountries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya) traditional main meals are tajines or dishes using couscous.
In theLevant( Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and…
Introduction
Starting around 750 AD, science flourished under the Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad, gradually spreading its influence as far west as Spain and eastwards into Central Asia, over a period of more than 600 years.
By drawing on a variety of texts - Greek, Indian and Persian - and translating…
Pre-Islamic Arabia
The original Arab, the Bedouin
by Philip K Hitti (from "The Arabs: A Short History")
Ancient accounts of Arabia
(from the Internet Ancient History Sourcebook)
Herodotus, c. 430 BCE
Strabo, c. 22 CE
Dio Cassius, c. 220 CE
Ammianus Marcellinus, c. 380 CE
Procopius of Caesarea, c.…
Arabic proverbs
Almost every culture has examples of its own unique proverbs. Here are some translated examples from Arabic:
From 88 Arabic Proverbs:
Avoid the company of liars, but if you can’t, don’t believe them.
The smarter you are, the less you speak.
If you’re unable to reward, then…
Arabic and the Roman alphabet
The writing of Arabic words in English texts presents a number of difficulties, even for those who are familiar with both languages.
In 1926, when T E Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") sent his 130,000-word manuscript of Revolt in the Desert to be typeset, a sharp-eyed…
Arabic words in English
You may think you don't speak Arabic but there are more words of Arabic origin in English than you might expect ...
admiral
adobe
alchemy
alcohol
alcove
alembic
alfalfa
algebra
algorithm
alkali
almanac
amalgam
aniline
apricot…
Is Arabic difficult to learn?
In some ways Arabic is a difficult language for English speakers to learn. For a start, there's a different alphabet. On the plus side, though, the grammar has few irregularities and is relatively straightforward – far less complicated than Latin and probably simpler…
Introduction to Arabic
Arabic is usually ranked among the top six of the world's major languages. As the language of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, it is also widely used throughout the Muslim world. It belongs to the Semitic group of languages which also includes Hebrew and Amharic, the main…
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
