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4.5: Culture

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    151328

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    Learning Objectives

    In this section, students will:

    • learn about the geographical location and national flags of the Arab countries of the Gulf
    • learn about the famous cities, authentic foods, traditional clothing, and famous artifacts in the Arab countries of the Gulf

    Arab Countries of the Gulf are:

    • Kuwait.
    • Bahrain
    • Qatar
    • The United Arab Emirates.
    • Oman.
    • Saudi Arabia.

    Facts to know about Arab Countries of the Gulf

    Kuwait:

    • Official Name: State of Kuwait دولة الكويت Dawlat Al-Kuwait
    • Capital: Kuwait city
    • Population: 4.67 million ( 2022 estimate)
    • Currency: Kuwaiti dinar الدينار الكويتي aldinar alkuwaiti
    • Continent: Asia آسيا asia
    • Official Lagrange: Modern Standard Arabic

    Bahrain:

    • Official Name: Kingdom of Bahrain مملكة البحرين Mamlakat Al-Bahrayn
    • Capital: Manama
    • Population: 1,501,635 ( 2022 estimate)
    • Currency: Bahraini dinar الدينار البحريني aldinar albahrani
    • Continent: Asia آسيا asia
    • Official Lagrange: Modern Standard Arabic

    Qatar:

    • Official Name: State of Qatar دولة قطر Dawlat Qatar
    • Capital: Doha
    • Population: 2,795,484 ( 2020 estimate)
    • Currency: Qatari riyal الريال القطري Qatari riyal
    • Continent: Asia آسيا asia
    • Official Lagrange: Modern Standard Arabic

    The United Arab Emirates:

    • Official Name: United Arab Emirates الإمارات العربية المتحدة Al - Imarat Al--Aranyiah Al- Muttahida
    • Capital: Abu Dhabi
    • Population: 9,282,410 ( 2020 estimate)
    • Currency: UAE dirham الدرهم الإماراتي dirham alimarati
    • Continent: Asia آسيا asia
    • Official Lagrange: Modern Standard Arabic

    Oman:

    • Official Name: Sultanate of Oman سلطنة عمان Saltanat Uman
    • Capital: Muscat
    • Population: 5.107 million ( 2020 estimate)
    • Currency: Omani rial ريال عماني Riyal omani
    • Continent: Asia آسيا asia
    • Official Lagrange: Modern Standard Arabic

    Saudi Arabia:

    • Official Name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia المملكة العربية السعودية Al-Mamlakah al-Arabiya as Suudiya
    • Capital:Riyadh
    • Population: 34,218,000 ( 2019 estimate)
    • Currency: Saudi riyal الريال السعودي riyal saudi
    • Continent: Asia آسيا asia
    • Official Lagrange: Modern Standard Arabic
    Map
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Arabian Gulf Countries Map by furfur via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

    1.1 Arab Countries of the Gulf Capitals and National Flags

    This table shows the Arabian Gulf countries and their national flags

    Arab Countries of the Gulf
    The Country Name in English The Country Name in Arabic The Name of the Capital in English The Name of the Capital in Arabic Flag
    Kuwait الكويت Kuwait الكويت
    Kuwait Flag
    Kuwait
    Bahrain البحرين Manama المنامة
    Bahrain
    Bahrain
    Qatar قَطر Doha الدوحة
    Qatar
    Qatar
    United Arab Emirates الإمارات العربية المتحدة Abu Dhabi أبو ظبي
    United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
     
    Oman عُمان Muscat مسقط
    Oman
    Oman
    Saudi Arabia المملكة العربية السعودية Riyadh الرياض
    Saudi Arabia
    Saudi Arabia
    Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)
    Query \(\PageIndex{2}\)
    Query \(\PageIndex{3}\)

    1.2 Famous Artifacts

    Watch the following videos and learn about the famous artifacts in the Arab countries of the Gulf

    Famous artifacts
    Country Video
    Qatar
    United Arab Emirates
    Oman
    Kuwait
    Saudi Arabia
    Qatar

    1.3 Famous Cities:

    • Riyadh: is the largest city in Saudi Arabia and its the capital.
    • Jeddah: is one of the Saudi Arabia's major resort cities.
    • Makkah Almukarramah: is the holiest city in Islam because of the kabaa (house of God) which is the focal point of pilgrimage rituals.
    • A-lMadina Al-Munawwarah: is a city in Saudi Arabia. Is the burial site of prophet Mohammad (SWA) Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi.
    • Dubai: is a city in United Arab Emirates. Which is known for modernistic architecture and luxury shopping.
    • Abu Dhabi: is the capital city of United Arab Emirates.
    • Muscat:is the capital of Oman. It is located on Gulf of Oman, and it is surrounded by mountains and desert.
    • Salalah: is the third largest city in Oman. There are many gardens within the city where vegetables and fruits grow due to the climate of region.
    • Manama:is the capital and largest city in Bahrain.
    • Doha: is the capital city of Qatar.
    • Kuwait city: is the capital city of Kuwait.

    Watch the following videos in this table and learn about the famous cities in the Arab countries of the Gulf.

    Famous cities in the Arab countries
    City Name City Name in Arabic Pronunciation Video
    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia الرياض Riyadh
    Makkah Almukarramah, Saudi Arabia مكة المكرمة Makkah Almukarramah
    fig-ch01_patchfile_01.jpg
    Makkah Almukarramah by Najamuddin Shahwani; CC BY 3.0
    A-lMadina Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia المدينة المنورة A-lMadina Al-Munawwarah
    المدينة المنورة
    AlMadina AlMunawwarah; CC BY-SA 4.0
    Dubai, United Arab Emirates دبي Dubai
    Muscat, Oman مسقط Muscat
    Manama, Bahrain المنامة Manama
    Doha, Qatar الدوحة Doha
    Kuwait City, Kuwait الكويت Kuwait

    Arab countries of the Gulf share similar traditional foods. Watch the following videos and learn about their traditional foods.

    Traditional Foods
    Food in English Recipe /Video
    Kuwait Tradition Food
    Bahrain Tradition Food

    Qatar Traditional Food
    Oman Tradition Food
    Saudi Arabia Tradition Food

    1.5 Traditional Clothing

    Traditional clothing for women in Arabian Gulf countries is almost the same. Most women wear Abaya and Hijab (head scarf called shalya) in public. Abaya is a long black dress that covers all but the hands, feet, and face. Some Abayas are simple and plain; others are with embroidery and different design borders. Also, some women wear a veil called "Boshiya". Men wear a dishdasha or Thobe and headpiece. The dishdasha is a traditional long robe that covers the whole body, except the head, hands and feet. The headpiece consists of three pieces: a gahfiya (knit skull-cap, Ghitraa (large cotton head scarf which either plain white or with red and white checkered pattern), and Agal (black cord that keeps the Ghitraa in place). In addition, men wear a long cloak called "Bisht" ( used for ceremonies and occasions) and Sirwal (loose undergarment pants, usually white). In Oman women wear long dress (thobe) worn over trousers ( Sirwal) and a headdress ( lihaf). Men wear Disdasha and Muzzar (turban).

    Watch the following videos and learn about the traditional clothing in Arab countries of the Gulf

    Traditional clothing
    Country Clothing
    Tradition Clothing in Bahrain
    Tradition Clothing in Qatar
    Tradition Clothing in Oman
    fig-ch01_patchfile_01.jpg
    Tradition Omani Men Clothe; CC BY2.0
    Tradition Clothing in Saudi Arabia
    fig-ch01_patchfile_01.jpg
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Copy and Paste Caption here. (Copyright; author via source)
    Tradition Clothing in United Arab Emirates
    Presentational Activity

    You traveled to Oman. You sent a postcard to your family. Tell them about the famous cities, capital, historical places, and famous dishes.

    This page titled 4.5: Culture is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Hana Kassas, Layla Bahar Al-Aloom, Sameera Murtada, Maysaa Toma, and Roula Aoneh (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)) .