Art

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Saudi+Arabia+woven&form=QBIR#focal=53a433f8c8f1ec94be196825b6e4789b&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanishingtextiles.com%2Fimages%2F15.jpg

Saudi Arabia is very well known for its big heritage of culture including a huge range of different arts and crafts. Throughout history the Bedouins were the ones who began the weaving of heavy cloth that could either be used as decor or for clothing. Many pieces involved the embelishment with stones and intricate designed weavings. Metal carvings are also very popular among the Saudi and made very intricate jewerly. This helped out a lot with their own finances as they sold their pieces to the desert dwellers "Arts & Crafts of Saudi Arabia."

Picture from: http://americanbedu.com/2008/10/03/traditional-crafts-of-saudi-arabia/

One of the most famous and traditional craft in the Kingdom of Saudi that originated primarily from Makkah and Medinah is the making of prayer beads (al masabeh) "Traditional Crafts of Saudi Arabia."

Sources: "Arts & Crafts of Saudi Arabia." Culture of Saudi Arabia. http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/saudi-arabia/culture-of-saudi-arabia/arts-and-crafts-of-saudi-arabia.html. Accessed June 5, 2009.

"Traditional Crafts of Saudi Arabia." American Bedu. http://americanbedu.com/2008/10/03/traditional-crafts-of-saudi-arabia/. Accessed June 5, 2009.

Recent Article

Breaking News in Saudi Arabia!

In late May, The Council of Ministers announced that the govenrment had extended the mandate in Saudi Arabia in order to have more time to make changes to the current law in Saudi. The local human-rights group and democracy activists were very angry and hostile due to this announcement. The activists (a group of 77 people) wrote a letter to the royal family stating that they want someone outside of the royal family to be appointed as prime minister. The royal family took this letter as a threat and has opposed the statement of the activists strongly. However, they did agree that elections were very important, but they believe that the voters don't see that anyone other than the most likely appointed al-Saud is a good representation for the rights of the people. Basically, the royal family has no interest in sharing any power outside their bloodline.

The history behind Saudi Arabias elections start in 2005 where only men were allowed to vote for atleast 50% of the representatives and 178 municipal councils (the rest were appointed). The legistative branch does not have as much power as it should have, another reason why the elections were set to be delayed. All they do is propose laws and all that happens to them is get put on the side because they don't have the power to enforce them. During this time, no word of woman being allowed to vote when the election comes back has been approved.

Sources: "Saudis' Local Elections Delayed for Two Years." New York Times. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/saudiarabia/index.html. Accessed June 4, 2009

Ruling Power Timeline

This is a timeline for Saudi Arabia that shows the brief covering of history of ruling powers:

570 Jan 19, Mohammed (d.632), "The Prophet", founder of Islam and speaker in the “Koran,” was born into the Quraysh tribe in Makkah. .
620 Mohammad gained about a hundred converts.
624 Muslims engaged non-believers for the 1st time at the Battle of Badr.
632 Jun 8, Mohammed died. Four contenders stood out to succeed him: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. Abu Bakr was chosen as caliph.
634 Aug 22, Abu Bekr died. Omar (Umar) was the next appointed caliph in line.
644CE Nov 4, The 2nd Caliph Umar was assassinated at Medina and Uthman was the next appointed caliph in line and he continued to expand the Muslim empire.
644 When Umar ruled Saudi Arabia he appointed family members as regional governors. This caused a huge riot among other families. So on December 8th an angry mob of 500 murdered him. This gave Ali an opportunity to claim power.
656 Some claim that Ali plotted Uthman’s murder so a civil war broke out.
661 Jan 24, Ali was assassinated and his followers (Shiites) broke from the majority Muslim group.
1400s The Saud dynasty was founded near Riyadh.
1517 Jan 22, Turks conquered Cairo. Cairo and Mecca were captured by the Turks and Arabia came under Turkish rule.
1773 Riyadh fell to Abdul Aziz.
1811 The Turks dispatched Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali to overthrow the Wahhabis and reinstate Ottoman sovereignty in Arabia.
1824 The Saud family established a new capital at Riyadh.
1832 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established.
1860s-1890s Ottoman Empire conquered much of Arabia.
1891 Muhammad bin Rashid, a tribal leader in Hail, captured Riyadh. Rashid had already taken much of Saud territory and concluded a pact with Turkey. Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, leader of the Al Saud family, was forced to leave.
1902 Jan Ibn Saud made an assault on Masmak fort and recaptured Riyadh. He ruled Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964
1927 May 20, Saudi Arabia became independent of Great Britain with the Treaty of Jedda.
1945 Mar 22, The Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt. Saudi Arabia became a founding member of the UN and the Arab League.
1953-1964 King Saud ruled.
1964-1975 King Faisal ruled.
1975 Mar 25, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot to death by a nephew with a history of mental illness. The nephew was beheaded the following June.
1975-1982 King Khaled ruled.
1982 Jun 13, King Khalid of Saudi Arabia died at the age of 69; he was succeeded by a half brother, Crown Prince Fahd.
1996 King Fahd, aged 73, ceded power to his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah, who is considered to be more of a traditionalist.

Sources for this timeline include information that comes from our class textbook by Dan Smith,
"Saudi Arabia." Timeline of Saudi Arabia. http://timeline/countries/SAUDIARABIA.HTML. Accessed June 3, 2009.

World War 1

Saudi Arabia was part of the Ottoman Empire during WW1 and was considered an antagonist. At the end of WW1 the Ottoman Empire lost its Empire in the Middle East and once it was split-up, Saudi Arabia was one of the Kingdoms that became its own.

Sources: “Explanations.” First World War. http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:iU8444XT3bcJ:www.angelfire.com/mac/egmatthews/worldinfo/wars/wWI.html+was+saudi+arabia+a+part+of+WW1%3F&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us. Accessed June 3 2009.

History from 1258-19222

Starting in 1269 the entire region was overthrown by Egypt. Then throughout the 15th century the Saud dynasty founded the region. In 1517 the Ottoman Empire gains control of the region and when Egypt was conquered then only parts of Saudi Arabia were held under control. In the mid-18th century Mecca was overthrown by the Wahhabis and soon after the Wahhabis were driven out of Mecca by it's people. So by then the Wahhabis and now some Saudis began to slowly reconquer the territory of Riyadah. Then in 1865 the civil war breaks out which leaves Arabia and the Ottoman Empire divided as the dynasty fell apart. Then in 1906 the Saudis re-gain control over Najad.

History During the Years: 661-1258

In Damascus, the Islamic empire was seized by Muawiyah and the Umayyads due to overlordship. The Umayyad caliphs made sure the Holy Cities remained and that they were the only spiritual places of Islam. At that point, the Umayyad caliphs made sure to keep control of power and in Hejaz, Yemen, and Oman they had governors appointed by the caliphs. The Persian Gulf was mostly under power of Iraquian governors and this gulf was very a very important route for trade, which was now mostly in control by the Abbasids. At this time was when the main Islamic religion had its sects formed – the Sunnites and the Shi’ites (“history of Arabia”).

The Umayyad had a continuous fight for power. They defeated the caliph of Hejaz who soon after was killed and from there the domino effect took place: Medina was taken over which led to Mecca was besieged and then the haram was bombed along with the Islamic Ka’bah (the sacred Black Stone talked about in previous blog sections) was set on fire and spilt in three places (“history of Arabia”). Not too long after the rebellion the Umayyads had power they spent a lot of money on their new Holy Cities. This didn’t last too long, the Umayyads collapsed in 750, before the Abbasids. From there, the Abbasids continued their strict religious observance and were devoted to the continuous spending of money on the Holy Cities.

Sources: "history of Arabia." Encyclopædia Britannica 2009.<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/31568/history-of-Arabia>. Accessed May 30 2009.

Architectural Wonders

Three Architertural Wonders:

The Great Mosque, Mecca

http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/saudi_arabia/mecca.html

This is the birthplace of the Islamic religion. It is located in Sirat Mountains in Saudi Arabia. It is also the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad. Every year pilgrims take part in a journey to visit this mosque in order to see and kiss the Ka'ba shrine. This is a large sacred stone. This journey is call Hajj and each pilgrim is obligated to perform this journey atleast once in their lifetime if health and finances allow it (they must prepare in advance for this sort of journey) ("Mecca").

Sources: "Mecca." Places of Peace and Power. http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/saudi_arabia/mecca.html. Accessed May 28, 2009.

The Prophet's Mosque, Medina

This mosque was built by Prophet Muhammed after 622AD. It was built in order to read the Qur'an. Originally, the mosque was not this big and was originally built with palm trees and and walls of mud, over time as more and more Muslims began to follow the mosque had to increase in size ("Medina").

Sources: "Medina." Sacred Destinations. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/saudi-arabia/medina-prophets-mosque.htm. Accessed May 28th, 2009.

Old Jeddah

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-17763046.html

One of Saudi Arabias secret cities. It is the gateway into Mecca which during the pilgram journey, Hajj, it ables the Muslims to enter through atleast once in their lifetime. For a long time this city was closed off to tourists, this is why the city is an architectural wonder, because it was hidden behind other marktes and structures for many, many years ("Jeddah").

Sources: "Jeddah." The Coral Sity of Old Jeddan. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-17763046.html. Accessed May 28, 2009.

Traditions & Customs

Saudi Arabia is known for its hospitality and guest care. An ancient custom that is still performed in the Saudi culture is that when a guest is invited into the household that they are offered a cup of coffee and date palms ("Customs & Traditions"). Also, when a guest is invited into the household for a meal then they should leave some food on their plate, this is a sign showing that they were satisfied by the mean ("Customs & Traditions").

Traditional garmets are a must for the Saudi to wear. The key thought to keep in mind when dressing is "conceal rather than reveal." Men are to wear a thobe, which is the traditional dress that expresses equality. Women wear an abayah, which is a black cloak. In public that is all you will ever see a woman wear, however beneath it they do wear fashionable clothing and are very proud of their appearance. ("What to Wear in Saudi Arabia").

Customs and traditions regarding the Islamic religion are based on the tenets in the Quran. One big tradition in this culture occurs during the holy month of Ramadan. During this time Muslims are to fast from dawn to dusk, which includes no eating, drinking, or smoking, and they are not allowed to work more than 6 hours in one day. After the sun sets each night durning Ramadan families and friends come together to celebrate the end of the fasting day where these festivities continue late into the night ("Saudi Society & Culture").

Sources:

"What to Wear in Saudi Arabia." Traditional Saudi Arabia Clothing. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~chern/saudi/clothes.html. Accessed May 30, 2009.

"Customs & Traditions").Culture of Saudi Arabia. http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/saudi-arabia/culture-of-saudi-arabia/customs-and-traditions-in-saudi-arabia.html. Accessed May 30, 2009.

"Saudi Society & Culture." Language, Culture, Customs, & Etiquette. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/saudi-arabia-country-profile.html. Accessed May 26, 2009.

The Role of Islam in Saudi Arabia

Watch this video: Islam: spread of the practice of Islam
Video from "History of Arabia." Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/31568/history-of-Arabia/45985/The-Umayyad-and-Abbasid-periods. Accessed May 24 2009.

The role of Islam is the largest faith in Saudi Arabia. The Islamic faith has a rocognized symbol of a cresent moon and a star. This faith provides the framework of religion for the Muslim way of life in Saudi Arabia ("Islamic Faith"). The framework consists of The Five Pillars of Islam:

FIRST PILLAR; Shahada: "I witness that there is no God but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God"

SECOND PILLAR; Salat: Pray 5 times a day

THIRD PILLAR; Sawm: Abstain each day in the Holy Month of Ramadan

FOURTH PILLAR; Zakat: Giving alms to the poor

FIFTH PILLAR; Hajj: The pilgrimage to Mecca/Makkah





Islam was born in Saudi Arabia around 610BC. It is practiced by all Saudis and governs their lives. Like Jesus brought the bible, Muhammad brought the last book called The Quran. This book is used for guidance ("Saudi Society & Culture").




Sources: "Islamic Faith." Islam in Saudi Arabia. http://www.toursaudiarabia.com/islam.html. Accessed May 24, 2009.
"SaudiSociety & Culture." Language, Culture, Customs, & Etiquette. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/saudi-arabia-country-profile.html. Accessed May 24, 2009.

Religion

Religious Ruling & Conflict

The official religion of Saudi Arabia is Islam. Saudi Arabia is an Islamic monarchy and has no legal protection for freedom of religions, therefore the country requires that all the citizens to be Muslim. Because of this, the government prohibts any practice that defers from the Muslim religion of Islam. A citizen is allowed to practice non-Muslim religion in private, however it is not always respected ("International Religious Freedom Report").

* Is usually classified as part of Shi'i Islam, but is best considered

an independent regligion.

Table from "Religions".

Sources:

"Religions." Saudi Arabia - Religion. http://looklex.com/e.o/saudi_arabia.religions.htm. (Accessed May 21st, 2009).

"International Religious Freedom Report." Saudi Arabia. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2002/14012.htm. (Accessed May 21st, 2009).

The Old & The Present

Back in Time...

From 8000BC to 2000BC Saudi Arabia was a part of the Arabian Peninsula.

The highlighted region represents the Arabian Peninsula:

The highlighted region in detail:

Both images from: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/02/wap/map.htm

Languages

The current language spoken in Saudi Arabia is Arabic ("Saudi Arabia").

http://www.oman-stamps.com/images/arabic.gif

Man-Made Architectural Features of Saudi Arabia

Concrete and cement where not the founding ingredients in architecture in Saudi Arabia. They used limestone and coral due to its abundance in the area as well as palm trees and tree trunks to make pillars and roofs, all combined made the architeture an art in itself ("Architecture").

Both pictures from: http://www.kookynet.net/148.html

Other architectural features dating back to early century includes the layouts of homes. In most cases floor plans were very big and spacious.

Both pictures from: http://www.kookynet.net/148.html

Sources:

"Architecture". Asia Rooms. http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/saudi-arabia/culture-of-saudi-arabia/architecture-of-saudi-arabia.html. (Accessed May 20th, 2009).

"Saudi Arabia". The World Fact Book. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sa.html. (Accessed May 20th, 2009).

Stereotypes

Stereotypes of Saudi Arabia:

1. They must all wear Keiffiehs (a traditional headdress made of cloth that protects the head and face from the sun, heat, wind, and dust).

2. That all men either have a long beard and/or always carry an AK-47.

3. They are terrorists and are always threatening to blow something up.

http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjE3NWI0MTAzYjVkNzhiMTI3OTUxMDJmN2U5M2E0ODQ=

Camel picture above from: http://gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/Archives/Davies/camel.jpg

Geographics

Saudi Arabia

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/saudi_arabia_rel_2003.jpg

Five major geographical features:

1. Due to harsh, dry, and extreme temperatures the terrain is mostly uninhabited made up of sandy deserts where natural hazards of frequent dust and sand storms occur ("Saudi Arabia").

2. Extensive coastlines of 2,640km on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great access to being able to ship through the Persian Gulf and Suez Canal ("Saudi Arabia").

3. Natural Resources of this country include: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, and copper ("Saudi Arabia").

4. The highest elevation is 133m at Jabal Sawda and the lowest elevation at 0m at the Persian Gulf ("Saudi Arabia").

5. The total land area is 1,960,582km (slightly more than 1/5 the size of the United States) with only 4,350 sq km of that land irrigated ("Saudi Arabia").

* Sources: "Saudi Arabia". Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/525348/Saudi-Arabia. (Accessed May 18, 2009).

<-- Picture of sandy deserts






"Rubʿ al-Khali," Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-art/652831/101411/The-Rub-al-Khali-a-desert-lying-mainly-in-southeastern.