Little Arabia is an

ethnic enclave In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...

in western

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, the center for

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

's Arab Americans, who number more than 24,000 (). It has been referred to as "Little Gaza" which was a riff on the nearby Garza Island neighborhoods.Arellano, Gustavo (2 November 2006) "Grub Guide" ''OC Weekly'' (Anaheim, CA) Little Arabia grew significantly in the 1990s with the arrival of immigrants from the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, and is the home to thousands of Arab Americans predominantly hailing from Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Yemen. The district is centered on Brookhurst Street in

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, near the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) between La Palma Avenue and Katella Avenue. Businesses include halal butcher shops, beauty salons,

jewelry Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western ...

stores, Arabic and Islamic clothings, travel agencies, bakeries,

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

restaurants, and

hookah A hookah (Hindustani language, Hindustani: (Nastaleeq), (Devanagari), IPA: ; also see #Names and etymology, other names), shisha, or waterpipe is a single- or multi-stemmed instrument for heating or vaporizing and then smoking either tobacco ...

cafes. There are also numerous

mosques A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...

and a few churches in the enclave.

History

Along with most of Anaheim, the area in which Little Arabia falls was mostly developed in the 1950s due to its proximity to

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

and the economic outgrowth it brought to the region that had long been used for orange groves. The neighborhood lost residents over time and fell into disrepair until the 1980s when the area was revived by the emigration and immigration of Arabs that make up much of the population today.

Reaction to the "Arab Spring"

In 2011, Little Arabia became the center of Arab American activities supporting the wave of Arab revolutions known as the "

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...

". On February 4 a demonstration in support of the Egyptian revolution took place on Brookhurst Street followed by a celebration on February 11 after Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was ousted and another one on February 12. A series of pro democracy protests in support of the Syrian revolution were also held. On October 20, local Libyan-Americans greeted the death of Moammar Gaddafi with joy. During the

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in t ...

trial, local restaurants, including Nara Bistro and Nubia Cafe, were packed with people glued to TV screens watching live coverage of the trial until 5 am. In August 2011, a restaurant named "Medan el-Tahrir" or "Tahrir Square" opened on Magnolia Avenue. The restaurant hosted an event for the Syrian American Council, an organization opposed to Bashar al-Assad's rule, on August 13. The event featured a representative of the Syria
Local Coordinating Committee
addressing the attendees via Skype, as well a

editor of the "Syrian Revolution News Round-up."

Efforts for district status

Arab American business owners and activists pushed for the area to be recognized as an official district of the city of Anaheim for decades. In 2021, a majority of registered voters in the neighborhood favored the notion of receiving official recognition by the city as well as official signage noting the ethnic enclave. In 2022, the city officially recognized a mile-long stretch of Brookhurst Street.

Economy

Little Arabia is known for its popular

lounges. More than a dozen businesses that serve hookah and/or sells hookah supplies exist in the district. Established restaurants that serve hookah include Nara Bistro and Nubia Cafe. Popular hookah lounges include Hidden Cafe, Fusion Ultra Lounge, and Dream Cafe. Anaheim made national news in 2005 when the city banned belly dancing in Little Arabia's hookah bars. In its annual "Best of OC" awards, the OC Weekly awarded Olive Tree Restaurant, located on Brookhurst St. and Orange, the 2011 Best Middle Eastern Restaurant award.OC Weekly, http://www.ocweekly.com/bestof/2011/award/best-middle-eastern-restaurant-1144016/ The restaurant is known for its "daily special" dishes. Each day, one or two specials, such as "

Maqluba Maqluba or Maqlooba ( ar, مقلوبة) is a traditional Iraqi, Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Syrian dish served throughout the Levant. It consists of meat, rice, and fried vegetables placed in a pot which is flipped upside down whe ...

", "Sayadeia" (marinated, grilled whole fish), and " Kabsa".

References

External links

Website
{{Ethnic enclaves Arab-American culture in California Culture of Anaheim, California Tourist attractions in Anaheim, California Egyptian-American culture in California Lebanese-American culture in California Ethnic enclaves in California Neighborhoods in Anaheim, California Palestinian-American culture Syrian-American history Moroccan-American history Yemeni-American culture pl:Mała Gaza