Arabia

- Large peninsula separated from Africa by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on the
west and from Asia by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman on the east. The Indian
Ocean forms the southern boundary, and the deserts of Jordan and Syria isolate the
area from the north.
- For these reasons, the Arabs call the area Jazirat al-Arab (the island of the Arabs)
- More than 80 percent of the 2,590,000, sq. km (1,000,000 sq. mi) peninsula is
occupied by Saudi Arabia.
- The states of Yemen, Oman the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait ring the
peninsula on the south and east.
- The island state of Bahrain lies 21 km (13mi) of the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.
- The peninsulas population is 33,000,000 (1992)
The Arabian Peninsula was occupied by the wealthy Sabean civilization, then
by Babylonians and Egyptians. It was eventually united (7 th century) under the
caliphs of Muhammad and became the cradle of Islam. The western Saudi Arabian
province of Hejaz contains Mecca and Medina, the holiest city of Islam.
People
- The vast majority of people of Saudi Arabia are Arabs, descendants of indigenous
tribes and still tribally affiliated.
- Some Iranians live along the Persian Gulf coast.
- Arabic, the official language spoken by all; various dialects exists. English is
understood by some residents of the eastern oil-producing areas, Riyadh and Jidda.
- About 85% of the population are Sunni Muslims, most of whom are not the strict
Wahhabi sect. About 15% Shiite Muslims found in the east. Because of the strict
adherence to the Islam, the sexes are strictly segregated in public although
educational and job opportunities for women are increasing.
Sunni

Shiite

- Riyadh (the capital), Jidda, Mecca, al-Taif, Medina, Dhahran, al-Damman, and Hofuf
are the major cities.
- Important progress has been made in education in recent years and schooling is
free at all levels.
- Medical care is free for all citizens, but rural health facilities remained limited.
Goverment
- Saudi Arabia is a monarchy and the laws of Islam (Sharia) form the constitution.
The king has both executive and legislative power.
- Almost all the key goverment positions are held by members of the Saud family;
the large, powerful ruling clan.
History
The Minaean kingdom
- existed in southwestern Arabia during the 12 th century B.C
- The Sabaean and Himgyarite kingdoms were loose federation of city-states that
lasted until the 6th century A.D
- In the northwest, the Hejaz region grew in importance by the end of the 6 th century
as a link in the trade of route from Egypt and the Byzantine Empire to the East.
- The birth of Muhammad in Mecca in the year A.D. 570 ushered in a new era in
world history.
- Muhammad began preaching in Mecca but by 622 was forced to move to Medina.
- In 630, he returned to conquer Mecca.
- Muhammad died in 632, but his followers quickly spread the faith across the
Middle East and beyond.
- The capital of this Islamic world was moved to the more centrally located
Damascus by the ruling Umayyads.
- By 692, Arabia lost its political importance and became disunited.
- The Ottoman Empire nominally ruled much of the Peninsula from the 16 th century
until World War I.
- Beginning in 102, Ibn Saud, a follower of the strict Wahhabi sect of Islam,
conquered and unified the Nejd, Hasa, aand the Hejaz regions.
- In 1932, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was created with Saud as King.
- Oil was discovered in 1936 but large-scale drilling did not begin until the end of the
World War II.
- Ibn Saud died in 1953 and was succeeded by his son Saud.
- Saud was deposed in 1964 by the Saud family council and was replaced by Faizal
who began modernizing the country.
- Faisal was assassinated by a nephew in 1975.
- His successor, Khalid, rejected the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty but followed
a moderate policy in the Arab-Israel dispute.
- Upon Khalids death in 1982, Crown Prince Fahd assumed the throne.

Post-Persian War Period

- Saudi Arabia faced a revived debate between a powerful religious elite seeking to
preserve the status quo and a new generation of Saudis seeking the modernization
and liberalization of Saudi politics and society.
- On January 1, 1996, King Fahd handed over management of government affairs to
his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah.
- He remained head of state during this time and resumed control of the
government 6 weeks later.
Historical Periods
Umayyad period (A.D. 661 750)
- Arabic prose literature was limited primarily to grammatical treatises,
commentaries on the Koran, and compiling of stories about Muhammad and his
companions.
- The Umayyad poets, chief whom were al-Akhtal and al-Farazdaq, favored new
poetic forms such as love lyrics(called ghazals), wine songs, and hunting poems.
- These forms reflected the conditions of life and manners found in the territories
conquered by Islam.
Abbasid Empire (750-1258)
- Many forms were invented for Arabic literature, which then entered what is
generally regarded its greatest period of development and achievement.
- Persian influences contributed significantly to this development
Example: Translations from the Persian, such as those of Ibn al-Muqaffa, led to a
new refinement in Arabic Prose called adab, often sprinkled with poetry and utilizing
rhymed prose (saj), the stlye of the Koran.
- The greatest masters of adab were al Jahiz and al-Hariri.
- An inventive type of folk literature, exemplified in The Thousands and One Nights
(popularly known as the Arabian Nights), drew upon the recitations of wandering
sstorytellers called rawis.
- Abu Nuwas (d.c. 810) was acknowledged as foremost among the new poets who
used the Arabic language with greater freedom and imagination.