France Meyer - Marhaba! An Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic (Part 1)

12.8 Cultural Note

Famous Archaeological Sites - Petra A heritage in Stone

Petra is one of the most dazzling archaeological sites in the world.

Today, it is a symbol of Jordan, as well as this country's most visited tourist attraction. It lies on the slope of Jebel al-Madhbah, in a basin, among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Wadi Araba, the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra was home to about 30,000 people and flourished for centuries, even after it was taken over by the Roman Empire in A.D. 106. Eventually Rome moved the centre of its trade away from Petra which declined rapidly. In 363 an earthquake destroyed many buildings, and crippled the vital water management system. The last inhabitants abandoned the city, further weakened by another major earthquake in 551, when the Arabs conquered the region in 663.

Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

One of its most famous monument is the Treasury or Al-Khazneh . It was carved by the Nabateans, a tribe of Semitic nomads, into the red cliff face of a remote sandstone canyon and is likely the tomb or a monument to King Aretas IV who ruled over the Nabataeans from 9 B.C. to 40 A.D. It became familiar to the Western world cinema aficionados when it was used as the unforgettable setting for the ending of the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Middle Eastern Musical Instruments - The Oud

The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in Arab, North African, Greek, Turkish, Persian and Central Asian music. The construction of the oud is similar to that of the lute, and alongside the lute, the oud is considered an ancestor of the guitar.

Renowned oud musicians include Naseer Shamma, an Iraqi oud player who started playing the oud at the age of 12, and Joseph Tawadros, an Australian oud musician of Egyptian background.

The following video clips on YouTube provide examples of oud music. They are located at the links at youtube.com and youtube.com.

Arab Cuisine - Kanafeh

Kanafeh also spelled knafeh or kunafeh, is a cheese based dessert soaked in sugar syrup. It is a speciality of the Levant region and northern Egypt. Knafeh is considered a first cousin of the Greek kadaifi and the Turkish knefe and ekmek kadayf.

An easy recipe can be found on YouTube with the link youtube.com.

For in-depth learning, students can purchase Ahlan Wa Sahlan Functional Modern Standard Arabic for beginners Textbook, authored by Mahdi Alosh and revised by Allen Clark, at yalebooks.com.