Cradle of Islam: The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian Identity

by Mai Yamani

Overview

Is 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857731104
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/21/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Mai Yamani is an author, broadcaster and lecturer on politics and society in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East. Her other books include Changed Identities: The Challenge of the New Generation in Saudi Arabia and The Rule of Law in the Middle East and the Islamic World (Ed.). She has recently held research posts at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London, the Brookings Institution in Washington and the Carnegie Endowment for Peace in Beirut.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements * Prologue: Returning to the Cradle * Defining the Hijaz: The Roots of Cultural Resistance * The Hijazi 'awa'il and the Preservation of Hijazi Identity * The Political Awakening of the Hijazi 'awa'il * The Rotes of Passage 1: Ceremonies of Birth * The Rites of Passage II: Marriage and Social Status * The Rites of Passage III: Death - The Final Vindication * Cultivating the Social Arts I: The Art of Formal Conversation among the Hijazi 'awa'il * Cultivating the Social Arts II: Reasserting Culinary Tradition * Cultivatng the Social Arts III: The Adaptation of Hijazi Dress to the New Social Order * Conclusion * Appendix A: Deconstructing the awa'il * Appendix B: A Selection of Polite Phrases * Select Glossary * Bibliography and Further Reading * Notes

Editorial Reviews

"Mai Yamani is consistently the sharpest observer of modern Saudi Arabia and paints a vivid picture of the cauldron of political and religious divisions that are tearing it apart. This is a major contribution to the study of Arab diversity — at a time when the West urgently needs to understand it." — Tim Sebastian, BBC Hard Talk

"My father was born in Mecca and much of what I have read here reminds me of my father, grandfather and relations. Mai Yamani has provided us with a unique perspective on the Hijaz. This is an invaluable contribution to the social and political history of a hitherto largely unknown, ignored and unrecognised people. An irrefutably powerful argument for the preservation of cultural identity, respect for human dignity and a celebration of our human diversity." — HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan

"Definitely authoritative, thought-provoking and refreshing...revealing book…a fascinating read…a unique access to a rather unknown area of diversity and cultural richness." — Iftikhar H. Malik, The Muslim World Book Review

From the Publisher