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About
the Arab World
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Arabs, name originally applied to the Semitic peoples of the Arabian peninsula; now used also for populations of countries whose primary language is Arabic, e.g., Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, and Yemen. Socially, Arabs are divided into the settled fellahin (villagers) and the nomadic Bedouin. The invasions of Muslims from Arabia in the 6th and 7th cent. diffused the Arabic language and Islam, the Arabic religion. At its peak the Arab empire extended from the Atlantic Ocean across North Africa and the Middle East to central Asia. A great Arab civilization emerged in which education, literature, philosophy, medicine, mathematics, and science were highly developed. In Europe the Arab conquests were particularly important in Sicily, from the 9th to late 11th cent., and in Spain, in the civilization of the Moors. In the 20th cent., Arab leaders have attempted to unite the Arab-speaking world into an Arab nation. Since 1945 most Arab countries have joined the Arab League. In 1982, member nations had a total population estimated at 43 million. Several of these countries control two thirds of the world's oil reserves and are members of OPEC. Since 1948 disputes with the state of Israel have resulted in Arab-Israeli Wars.
Arabia, peninsula, 1,000,000 sq mi (2,590,000 sq km), SW Asia, containing the world's largest known reserves of oil and natural gas. It is politically divided between Saudi Arabia (the largest and most populous nation), Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Jordan and Iraq are to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and the Persian Gulf to the east. Rugged mountains rising to 12,000 ft (3,700 m) in the southwest catch what little moisture is available, making the basin-shaped interior of the peninsula one of the world's driest deserts, with less than 4 in. (10 cm) of precipitation annually.
Middle East, term applied to a region that includes SW Asia and part of NE Africa, lying W of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. It includes the Asian part of Turkey; Syria; Israel; Palestine; Jordan; Iraq; Iran; Lebanon; the countries of the Arabian peninsula, that is, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait; Egypt; and Libya. The region was the site of great ancient civilizations, e.g., Mesopotamia and Egypt, and it was the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It contains much of the world's oil reserves and has many strategic trade routes, e.g., the Suez Canal. In the 20th cent. the area has been the scene of political turmoil and major warfare, e.g., in World War I, World War II, the Arab-Israeli Wars, the Iran-Iraq War, and the Persian Gulf War. The term Middle East is also sometimes used in a cultural sense for that part of the world predominantly Islamic in culture, in which case Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the remaining countries of North Africa are included.
Maghreb or Magrib, Arabic term for NW Africa. It is generally applied to all of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, but more specifically it pertains only to the area of the three countries that lies between the Atlas Mts. and the Mediterranean Sea. The Arab Maghreb Union was established in 1989 and includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. Envisioned initially by Muammar al-Qaddafi as an Arab superstate, it is eventually expected to function as a N African common market.
| Introduction |
I am covering all the bands in Arab world that I feel are warranted in getting on to this list. Therefore, please do not email me with requests to be added if you do not have a at least a demo and have some sort of gigging presence. That is the criteria I am afraid. We are trying to promote Arabian Metal as best we can, and showing the world bedroom and garage bands isnt really the point. If you dont see your band on this list and you know it should be there - it will be. Just give me time to create all this stuff.
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