The Ancient Middle East (300 B.C.-200 A.D.) and Arabic Literature

Practice flashcards covering geographical facts, historical milestones, and literary traditions of the Middle East, including the Abbasid period and highlights from One Thousand and One Nights.

Arabic, Turkish, and Persian

The most common languages spoken in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia

The largest country in the Middle East by land area.

Mesopotamia

The ancient name given to the land between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers where the Ancient Sumer civilization lived from about 4000BC; today this area is Iraq.

Dead Sea

A landlocked salt lake that is the lowest point on earth at $420\,m$ below sea level.

Burj Khalifa

A skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, known for being the world's tallest building at $2,717\,ft$.

Arabian camel

The national animal of Kuwait.

Middle East

A region located in South-Western Asia and North-Eastern Africa comprising 18 countries and serving as the birthplace of all monotheistic religions.

Mua'allaqat

A collection of poems from the Arabian Peninsula (mid 500s-early 600s) renowned for their beauty that characterizes Pre-Islamic Arabic literature.

Abbasid (750-1258)

The classical period of Arabic literature where poetry remained the dominant form, with romantic praise of a beloved as the most common theme.

One Thousand and One Nights

Also called The Arabian Nights, a collection of largely Middle Eastern and Indian stories compiled during the Islamic Golden Age.

Aladdin

A lovable street urchin from Agrabah who stumbles upon a magic oil lamp and a genie in one of the best-known tales from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.

Ali Baba

A poor woodcutter who discovers a cave of riches belonging to 40 thieves that can only be opened by the command "Open, Sesame!"

Morgiana

A slave who saves Ali Baba's life twice, first by pouring hot oil into jars to kill hiding robbers and later by protecting him from their leader.

Islamic Golden Age Literature

Literature characterized by the appreciation and amalgamation of knowledge and protagonists fighting against oppressive powers.

Modern Arabic Literature (19th century)

Literature focused on the clash of traditional Arabic culture with Western ideals and the struggle of a protagonist to find a cultural identity.