Cradle of Islam: The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian IdentityIs Saudi Arabia really a homogeneous Wahhabi dominated state? In 1932 the Al Saud family incorporated the kingdom of Hijaz, once the cultural hub of the Arabian world, in to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The urban, cosmopolitan Hijazis were absorbed in to a new state whose codes of behavior and rules were determined by the Najdis, an ascetic desert people, from whom the Al Saud family came. But the Saudi rulers failed to fully integrate the Hijaz, which retains a distinctive identity to this day. In "Cradle of Islam", the product of years spent in Mecca, Medina, Jeddah and Taif, Mai Yamani traces the fortunes of the distinctive and resilient culture of the Hijazis, from the golden age of Hashemite Mecca to Saudi domination to its current resurgence. The Hijazis today emphasise their regional heritage in religious ritual, food, dress and language as a response to the 'Najdification' of everyday life. The Hijazi experience shows the vitality of cultural diversity in the face of political repression in the Arab world. |
Contents
The Hijazi awail and the Preservation of Hijazi Identity | |
The Political Awakening of the Hijaziawail | |
Ceremonies of Birth | |
Marriage and Social Status | |
DeathThe Final Vindication | |
The Art of Formal Conversation among the Hijazi | |
Reasserting Culinary Tradition | |
The Adaptation of Hijazi Dress to the | |
Conclusion | |
Other editions - View all
Cradle of Islam: The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian Identity Mai Yamani No preview available - 2004 |
Cradle of Islam: The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian Identity Mai Yamani No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
Abdul Aziz adhan Allah Arab Arabian Peninsula Ashraf Asir Aziz Al Saud become Bedouin behaviour bid‘a birth bride burial celebration ceremony communal sphere competition condolence considered countries criteria death deceased dishes display distinctive dress dukhla economic especially established event evil eye expression extended family Faisal family’s formal gathering groom guests hadith hajj Hashemite Hijazi awa’il Hijazi culture Hijazi elite Hijazi identity Hijazi society Hijazi ulema Hijazi women honour Hussain important innovation Islamic Jeddah King lineage male marriage mawlid meal Mecca and Medina Medina men’s merchant mosque Muhammed Muslim mutawwifin Najd Najdi occasions official one’s Ottoman patronymic group piety pilgrims political practices prayer Prophet Quran regional relations relative religious rituals Riyadh rules sabu Saudi Arabia served Sharif shirk idolatry significance social status someone Sufi Sufism sura takbir traditional tribal tribe ulema unification urban Hijazis Wahhabi wealth wear wedding Western wifyan woman