There is a rich and ancient culture in
Eastern Arabia
Eastern Arabia, historically known as al-Baḥrayn ( ar, البحرين) until the 18th century, is a region stretched from Basra to Khasab along the Persian Gulf coast and included parts of modern-day Bahrain, Kuwait, Eastern Saudi Arabia, Unite ...
. The culture in this region has always been
oriented towards the sea.
The semiannual tradition of
Qarqe'an (قرقيعان) is deeply rooted in Gulf culture. The
Eastern Arabian cuisine
Eastern Arabian cuisine, also called Khaleeji cuisine ( ar, المطبخ الخليجي), is the traditional Arabic cuisine variant that is shared by the population in Eastern Arabia and areas around the Persian Gulf. Seafood is a very significan ...
includes
seafood (including
mahyawa
Mahyawa or mehyawa ( fa, مهیاوه) is an Iranian cuisine tangy sauce made out of fermented fish.
History
Mahyawa originates in the southern coastal regions of Iran, but has become a popular food item in the Persian Gulf countries, brought by ...
),
harees,
khubz and
biryani
Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, and usually some type of meat ( chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, fish) or in some cases without any meat, ...
. Other cultural features of the region include
windcatchers (Badgeer) and
Dewaniya
The dewaniya or diwaniya was the reception area where a Middle Eastern man received his business colleagues and male guests. Today the term refers both to a reception hall and the gathering held in it, and visiting or hosting a dewaniya is an impor ...
.
Overview
Cultures in the region include those of
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
, southern
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
,
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
,
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, Eastern Saudi Arabia (
Qatif
Qatif or Al-Qatif ( ar, ٱلْقَطِيف ''Al-Qaṭīf'') is a governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south, and from the Persian Gulf in the ...
and
Al-Hasa),
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
, and
Northern Oman.
Gargee'an
Qarqe'an is an semiannual celebration, observed in Eastern Arabia, that takes place on the 15th night of
Sha'ban
Shaʽban ( ar, شَعْبَان, ') is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called as the month of "separation", as the word means "to disperse" or "to separate" because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water.
The fiftee ...
and on the 15th night of
Ramadan. Qarqe'an is marked with children dressing in traditional attire and going door-to-door to receive
sweets
Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English, New Zealand English), is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, i ...
from neighbours, whilst also singing traditional songs. The tradition has existed for hundreds of years and deeply rooted in Gulf culture.
Although the celebration of Qarqe'an shares superficial similarities with the
Halloween custom of
trick-or-treating
Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". The ...
, practiced in some western countries, Qarqe'an has no connection with horror and no associated origin with Halloween.
Music
A variety of music and dance forms are practised in the region, including
Fijiri
''Fidjeri'' (Arabic: الفجيري; sometimes spelled ''fijri'' or ''fidjeri'') is the specific repertoire of vocal music sung by the pearl divers of Eastern Arabia's coastal Gulf states, especially Bahrain and Kuwait. A lead singer is backed up ...
,
Fann At-Tanbura Fann aṭ-Ṭanbūra ( ar, فن الطنبورة) is a traditional music and dance genre in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, especially Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Musically, the '' tanbūra'' instrument plays a central role, along with several dr ...
,
Sawt,
contemporary Khaliji music,
Yowlah
The yowlah ( ar, اليولة, ''al-yawlah'', or العيالة, ''al-ʿayyalah'' or ''al-ʿiyyalah''), is a weapon dance of the United Arab Emirates, traditionally performed during weddings, celebrations, and other events. The dance is accomp ...
and
Liwa.
;Musical instruments
Traditional instruments include the
Oud
, image=File:oud2.jpg
, image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921
, background=
, classification=
* String instruments
*Necked bowl lutes
, hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum
, ...
, along with a variety of
drums and the ''
manjur''. The ''
Tanbūra'' lyre is also used.
Languages
A number of different dialects of Arabic are spoken in the region, including
Gulf Arabic
Gulf Arabic ( ' local pronunciation: or ', local pronunciation: ) is a variety of the Arabic language spoken in Eastern Arabia around the coasts of the Persian Gulf in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, southern Iraq, eastern Sa ...
and
Bahrani Arabic
Bahrani Arabic (also known as Bahrani and Baharna Arabic) is a variety of Arabic spoken by the Baharna in Eastern Arabia and Oman. In Bahrain, the dialect is primarily spoken in Shia villages and some parts of Manama. In Saudi Arabia, the dial ...
. The
Lurs language of Kumzari is also spoken by
Omani people
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
of
Musandam Peninsula
The Musandam Peninsula ( ar, جَزِيْرَة مُسَنْدَم \ رَأْس مُسَنْدَم, Jazīrat Musandam / Raʾs Musandam), locally known as Ruus Al Jibal ( ar, رُؤُوْس ٱلْجِبَال, ''Ruʾūs al-Jibāl'' Heads of the Mou ...
. Kumzari is the only Iranian language native to the Arab world.
Cuisine
Due to the seafaring nature of the Arabs along the eastern Arabian coast, seafood forms the major part of the cuisine of the region. Camel meat and milk also forms a basic staple for all the population, most prominently for
bedouins who used to usually breed and sell camels to the rest of the population. Dates are usually consumed as snacks in between meals or offered to guests alongside Arabic coffee in the majlis. Other basic meals are rice and meat, chicken, and
strained yogurt. Seafood diet is various with multiple ways to prepare fish for consumption. Squids, oysters, crabs, as well as shrimps all form basic staple food for the coastal Arabs.
Harees is also a popular dish in the majority of eastern Arabian households.
[Charles Perry, "Cooking with the Caliphs", ''Saudi Aramco World'' 57:4 (July/August 2006]
full text
/ref>
Dress
The dress of the region includes long Thobe for men. This is also called Dishdasha in Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Also a Bisht and Ghutra.
Transport
Traditional transport in the region includes boats such as Dhow
Dhow ( ar, داو, translit=dāwa; mr, script=Latn, dāw) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically spo ...
s and Abras.
Other cultural features
Other cultural features of the region include Qarqe'an, Badgeer wind towers, Bukhoor
Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...
and Dewaniya
The dewaniya or diwaniya was the reception area where a Middle Eastern man received his business colleagues and male guests. Today the term refers both to a reception hall and the gathering held in it, and visiting or hosting a dewaniya is an impor ...
.
References
Bibliography
*
*
* "The Gulf's Ethnic Diversity: An Evolutionary History" in ''Security in the Persian Gulf: Origins, Obstacles and the Search for Consensus'', Edited by G. Sick and L. Potter, pp. 284.
*{{cite book, url=http://www12.georgetown.edu/sfs/qatar/cirs/SectarianPoliticsintheGulfSummaryReport.pdf, title=Sectarian Politics in the Gulf, year=2014, editor=Lawrence G. Potter, url-status=dead, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424051325/http://www12.georgetown.edu/sfs/qatar/cirs/SectarianPoliticsintheGulfSummaryReport.pdf, archivedate=2013-04-24
Middle Eastern culture
Arab culture