Nomadic Arab tribes
Ethnic group
Bedouin Three Bedouin sheikhs, c. 1867–1876
25,000,000[ 1] Arabian Peninsula , Levant , North Africa Saudi Arabia 2,000,000[ 1] Algeria 2,000,000[ 1] –6,000,000[ 2] Iraq 1,500,000[ 1] [ 6] Jordan 1,300,000[ 1] –4,000,000[ 7] Libya 1,300,000[ 1] Egypt 1,200,000[ 1] Morocco 400,000–700,000[ 1] Sudan 1,000,000[ 1] UAE 800,000[ 1] Tunisia 800,000–2,600,000[ 8] [ 9] Syria 700,000[ 1] –2,600,000[ 10] Yemen 500,000[ 1] Iran 500,000[ 1] Kuwait 300,000[ 1] Oman 250,000[ 11] Israel 220,000[ 1] Lebanon 200,000[ 1] Mauritania 70,000[ 1] Bahrain 70,000[ 1] Qatar 50,000[ 1] Palestine 40,000[ 12] SADR 30,000–40,000[ 12] Majority: Arabic (Bedouin dialects ) Minority: Mehri ,[ 13] [ 14] Ḥarsusi Predominantly Sunni Islam Other Arabs and Afro-Asiatic speakers Source for regions with significant population:[ 15]
Bedouins in the Sinai Region , 1967
The Bedouin , Beduin , or Bedu (;[ 16] Arabic : بَدْو , romanized : badw , singular بَدَوِي badawī ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes [ 17] who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula , North Africa , the Levant , and Mesopotamia (Iraq ).[ 18] The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert [ 19] and Arabian Desert but spread across the rest of the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa after the spread of Islam .[ 20] The English word bedouin comes from the Arabic badawī , which means "desert-dweller", and is traditionally contrasted with ḥāḍir , the term for sedentary people .[ 21] Bedouin territory stretches from the vast deserts of North Africa to the rocky ones of the Middle East .[ 22] [better source needed ] They are sometimes traditionally divided into tribes, or clans (known in Arabic as ʿašāʾir ; عَشَائِر or qabāʾil قبائل ), and historically share a common culture of herding camels, sheep and goats.[ 22] The vast majority of Bedouins adhere to Islam , although there are some fewer numbers of Christian Bedouins present in the Fertile Crescent .[ 23] [ 24] [ 25] [ 26]
Bedouins have been referred to by various names throughout history, including Arabaa by the Assyrians (ar-ba-ea ) being a nisba of the noun Arab , a name still used for Bedouins today. They are referred to as the ʾAʿrāb (أعراب ) in Arabic . While many Bedouins have abandoned their nomadic and tribal traditions for a modern urban lifestyle, others retain traditional Bedouin culture such as the traditional ʿašāʾir clan structure, traditional music , poetry, dances (such as saas ), and many other cultural practices and concepts. Some urbanized Bedouins often organise cultural festivals, usually held several times a year, in which they gather with other Bedouins to partake in and learn about various Bedouin traditions—from poetry recitation and traditional sword dances to playing traditional instruments and even classes teaching traditional tent knitting. Traditions like camel riding and camping in the deserts are still popular leisure activities for urban Bedouins who live in close proximity to deserts or other wilderness areas.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Suwaed, Muhammad (2015). Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins . Rowman & Littlefield. p. 10. ISBN 9781442254510 . Retrieved 23 February 2019 .
^ "Algeria | Flag, Capital, Population, Map, & Language | Britannica" . www.britannica.com . Retrieved 7 October 2022 .
^ "Iraqi Census To Focus On Bedouin" . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty . 14 May 2010.
^ Bedouin Census in Iraq (2011): https://web.archive.org/web/20210401113948/https://www.alwatanvoice.com/arabic/content/print/185818.html
^ Ahmed Sousa, Atlas of Modern Iraq, Baghdad, 1953.
^ [ 3] [ 4] [ 5]
^ "Meet the Bedouins: Jordan's desert-dwelling nomads" . Topics . Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022 .
^ "The Sahel Bedouin of Tunisia" . www.prayway.com . Retrieved 7 October 2022 .
^ "Tunisia | History, Map, Flag, Population, & Facts | Britannica" . www.britannica.com . Retrieved 7 October 2022 .
^ Chatty, Dawn (2013). "Syria's Bedouin enter the fray: how tribes could keep Syria together" . Foreign Affairs .
^ "Bedouins in Oman" . www.canvascluboman.com . Retrieved 9 October 2022 .
^ a b Cite error: The named reference unoptbedouins
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ Marzouq, Thamer Abdullah (2017). "BLOWING OFF THE DUST: TOWARDS SALVAGING THE FORGOTTEN MEHRI TONGUE IN SAUDI ARABIA" . Annual Review of Education, Communication, and Language Sciences . 14 : 106. Retrieved 13 October 2022 .
^ "Bedouins of the Empty Quarter" . Matt Reichel .
^ Muhammad Suwaed (2015): Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins . Rowman & Littlefield, 30 October 2015, 304 pages: pp. 10. ISBN 978-1-4422-5450-3 .
^ "Bedouin" . Lexico UK English Dictionary . Oxford University Press . Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
^ Conrad, Lawrence I. ; Jabbur, Suhayl J., eds. (1995). The Bedouins and the Desert: Aspects of Nomadic Life in the Arab East . SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York : SUNY Press . ISBN 9780791428528 .
^ Dostal, Walter (1967). Die Beduinen in Südarabien . Verlag Ferdinand Berger & Söhne.
^ Jallad, Ahmad (2020). "Al-Jallad. A Manual of the Historical Grammar of Arabic" . Academia.edu .
^ Hays, Pamela A.; Iwamasa, Gayle (2006). Culturally Responsive Cognitive-behavioral Therapy: Assessment, Practice, and Supervision . American Psychological Association. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-59147-360-2 .
^ Pietruschka, Ute (2006). "Bedouin". In McAuliffe, Jane Dammen (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān . Brill. doi :10.1163/1875-3922_q3_EQSIM_00046 .
^ a b Malcolm, Peter; Losleben, Elizabeth (2004). Libya . Marshall Cavendish. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7614-1702-6 . Retrieved 19 October 2015 .
^ "Christian Arab Bedouin woman wearing embroidered coat" . Library of Congress . Retrieved 22 July 2019 .
^ "Al Twal Family Story" . www.mariamhotel.com .
^ "Bedouin | Encyclopedia.com" . www.encyclopedia.com .
^ Jaussen, Father Antonin (1 January 1904). "English: Jordanian Bedouin Christians 1904 2" – via Wikimedia Commons.