I.

Introduction

Arabs, name given to the ancient and present-day inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula and often applied to the peoples closely allied to them in ancestry, language, religion, and culture. Presently more than 200 million Arabs are living mainly in 21 countries; they constitute the overwhelming majority of the population in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and the nations of North Africa. The Arabic language is the main symbol of cultural unity among these people, but the religion of Islam provides another common bond for the majority of Arabs. Language and religion are united in the Qur'an (Koran), the sacred scripture of Islam.

II.

History

Arabia was the site of a flourishing civilization long before the Christian era (see Arabia: Ancient Kingdoms). In the centuries following the death of the Prophet Muhammad in ad632, Arab influence spread throughout the Middle East, to parts of Europe, particularly Sicily and Spain, to sub-Saharan Africa, to the subcontinent of India, and to Madagascar and the Malay Archipelago. The cultural and scientific contributions of the Arabs to Western civilization during the Middle Ages was highly significant, especially in astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and philosophy.

III.

Modern Arabs

During the past two centuries of rapid world change, hundreds of years of cultural unity have been disrupted, and the Arabs, led by the people of Egypt and Morocco, have moved more and more into separate national traditions. In some countries, such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Indonesia, minority communities of Arabs retain only language, religion, and histories of their migrations to their present locations.

A.

Religion

The Islamic religion, which originated in the western Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century, predominates in most Arab nations. Forms of both major divisions of Islam—the Sunni and the various Shia sects—can be found in the Arab countries. Almost everywhere, nationalism, which emerged in the late 19th century, is an important force. Nationalists sometimes use the Islamic religious tradition as an ideological tool to justify the power of the ruling class.

B.

Urbanization

Dozens of large cities and hundreds of towns reflect the pronounced urban character of the Arab world; in most of the countries about 40 percent of the people are urban dwellers. All Arab nations suffer from conspicuous economic inequalities, especially the concentration of wealth and power in a ruling elite. Most are also undergoing severe urbanization stresses as the failing rural economies drive poverty-stricken, landless peasants to the cities. The growth of modern cities through rural migration has caused serious problems in these urban centers, including unemployment, housing shortages, and the proliferation of vast slums.

C.

Rural Populations

Most Arab countries have substantial agricultural, village-based populations. In the villages, the land, the family, and religion are still the main influences on attitudes and behavior. The traditional prosperous village cultures were altered and largely destroyed throughout the region during the late 18th and 19th centuries by European penetration and colonization. In most countries today, peasant farming on a subsistence level is pervasive.

D.

Nomadic Arabs

Until the mid-19th century, vast semidesert areas in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula were exploited by nomadic tribes. The camel-breeding Bedouins were well known as warriors and controllers of the caravan routes. Other pastoral tribes specialized in sheep and goat husbandry. In present-day Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti, pastoral economies operating on subsistence levels remain the only means of survival for many poverty-stricken Arab groups.

See also Arabic Language; Arabic Literature; Caliphate; Islam; Islamic Art and Architecture.