It was in the Arab world where people first developed the system of writing; scientific advances were also developed. Rich cultures like Ancient Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia began in this region. The Arab culture has had many influences but Islam has shaped the culture like no other. The message of Islam appeared for the first time in the Arabian Peninsula in the early seventh century, and soon the faith expanded across North Africa, the entire Middle East and extended to the borders of China. A new and dynamic civilization was founded. In fact, while most of Europe was in the dark ages, the Arab/Islamic civilization was at its

People who speak Arabic as their primary language are known as Arabs. Traditionally, they lived on the Arabian Peninsula, but the language and culture of the Arabs spread throughout the Middle East with the expansion of Islam. Arabic is the language of the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Today more than 200 million Arabs live in nations around the world. Arabs constitute the substantial majority of people in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

About fifteen million Kurds live in the mountains between Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. The Kurds are Muslims, but they have the own language and culture. Many Kurds want to keep their traditional lifestyle and resist assimilating into the population of their host nations. A minority of the people of Morocco and Algeria are Berbers. The Berbers are the descendants of the people who lived in North Africa before the Arab invasion. The Berbers have their own traditions, but most have accepted Islam and. speak Arabic.

The majority of Arabian women dress conservatively. Some women dress in clothes that do not cover their faces or hair, while others cover them. For example, a very conservative woman might wear a long black garment called "Abayah" that covers her body from the shoulders down to her feet. Under this cover she could be wearing a traditional Arabian dress in full body length with long sleeves and filled with beautiful beadwork, or she could be wearing the latest style from an internationally known designer. In addition to the Abayah, a very conservative woman would also wear a face and head cover. Some women would wear the Abayah without the head and face cover, while others might wear a scarf-like cover called "Hejab" that covers the hair but not the face.

. On top of the Thagiyah and the Gutrah is the "Ogal", which is a black band surrounding the top of the head to hold everything else in place. When male children reach puberty they are taught to wear the head covering as a sign for entering manhood. Inside the house, the head covering is not needed; when someone has guests in his house he wears it as a sign of respect.

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