Arabian Literature

Arabian Geography
Location
Found in the Middle East between the Persian Gulf
and the Red Sea. It borders Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to
the north, Yemen to the south, and Oman, the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar to the east. The
country, which is divided into 13 provinces, is composed
primarily of desert. Each region has a governor
appointed by the king. With a land area of about 1.96
million square kilometers (756,981 square miles), Saudi
Arabia is about one-fourth the size of the continental
United States. Riyadh, the capital, is located in the
central eastern part of the country.
Cultures and Traditions
Pork is considered unclean and is prohibited. Lunch
is traditionally the days main meal.
Alcohol consumption, nightlife are forbidden.
Saudi Arabian women are required, according to
Islamic law, to cover their bodies in abaya (black
robes and face coverings) as a sign of respect for
Muslim modesty laws.
Large, extended families live together, and nepotism
is encouraged.
Storytelling is another favorite form of artistic
expression, but in keeping with Islamic law,
guidelines govern public performances, and artists
cant make "graven images. Hand-lettered Qurans
are considered sacred art thats to be respected and
kept safe for generations.
For Women
- Adherence to traditional dress varies across
societies.
- Traditional Arab dress features the full length body
cover (abayah, jilbob) and Veil (hijab or chador).
For Men
- Traditional flowing robes to blue jeans, T-shirts and
western business suits.
Headdress pattern might be an indicator of which
tribe, clan, or family the wearer comes from.
However this is not always the case.

reputedly because they were considered sufficiently

outstanding to be hung on the walls of the ka'ba in
Makkah.
The typical poem of this period is the Qasidah
(ode), which normally consists of 70-80 pairs of halflines. Traditionally, they describe the nomadic life,
opening with a lament at an abandoned camp for a lost
love. The second part praises the poet's horse or camel
and describes a journey, with the hardships it entails. The
third section contains the main theme of the poem, often
praises the poet's tribe and vilifying its enemies.

Historical Periods
The history of Arabic literature is usually
divided into periods making the dynastic changes and
divisions that took place within the Islamic world.
A. Umayyad Period (A.D. 661-750)
Arabic prose literature was limited primarily to
grammatical treatise, commentaries on the Koran, and
compiling of stories about Muhammad and his
companions .
B. Abbasid Empire (750-1258)
In the early years of this empire, many forms
were invented for Arabic literature , which then entered
what is generally regarded its greatest period of
development and achievement. It is certain that the
Persian influences contributed significantly to this
development.
An inventive type of folk literature, exemplified
in The Thousand and One Nights (popularly known
as The Arabian Nights), drew upon the recitations of
wandering storytellers called rawis.
C. Modern Period

ARABIAN LITERATURE HISTORY

During the centuries of Ottoman Turkish

domination, Arabic literature falls into decline. Not until
the mid-19th century was it revived by its intellectual
movement known as Nahdah (reawakening), which
originated in Syria and spread to Egypt. From being
imitative to Europeans, Modern Arabic literature, both
prose and poetry has gradually freed itself from centuries
of neglect and has assumed its former place among the
worlds greatest literatures.

Pre-Islamic

Arabic Poetry

The structure of the Arabic language is wellsuited to harmonious word-patterns, with elaborate
rhymes and rhythms. The earliest known literature
emerged in northern Arabia around 500 AD and took the
form of poetry which was recited aloud, memorized and
handed down from one generation to another. It began to
be written down towards the end of the seventh century.
The most celebrated poems of the pre-Islamic period
were known as the Muallgqat ("the suspended"),

There is not much evidence of written literature

among the Arabs before the Islamic period. Oral
traditions, the poetry of the North Arabs, particularly the
Bedouin tribes of the fifth and sixth centuries, are the
most outstanding in artistry and sensuousness of
feelings. Poetry was constructed in elaborate meters of
which sixteen are universally recognized.

All verses are divided into types:

Occasional Poems
Collection or Anthologies

Occasional Poems Consisting 2 to 20 lines whose

themes are usually war and revenge and praise of ones
own tribe.
Collection or Anthologies Al-Muallgqat, a group of
pre-Islamic Odes.