Each region’s culture has its unique characteristics specific to the people living there. These features can be expressed in the material component of the lifestyle: national cuisine, traditional costumes, architectural style, or ancient artifacts. At the same time, the most critical element is also intangible culture, expressed in customs, traditions, values, and moral principles. This essay aims to explore and describe the traditions and characteristics of the Middle East region.
Material Culture
The cultural heritage of the Middle Eastern countries is rooted in the deep history of humanity. The states of this territory almost entirely belong to the countries of the eastern part of the Islamic world. The most significant elements of this world are Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Each of these countries has made an enormous contribution to both the history and culture of the region.
The Middle East has brought a unique style of dress to human culture. Long dresses are a distinctive feature of the traditional attire of the peoples living in this region. The length of the clothes and light colors are dictated by practicality, making it easier to endure a hot climate. The second characteristic of this area is the recognizable architecture, represented by such famous monuments as the Giza pyramid complex. The Middle East cuisine is also in a unique position, which has a particular specificity due to the climate. For example, the most common foods are beans and lamb, but pork is avoided due to the prohibitions of Islam. Finally, the East’s modern world also has its distinctive features, which are especially pronounced in the UAE. The largest city of this country, Dubai, which is the most important commercial and financial center of the region, is also home to the tallest building in the world – Burj Khalifa. Thus, the Middle East possesses a huge material cultural heritage, both from ancient times and created by man not so long ago.
Nonmaterial Culture
Traditions and customs that have come from the Middle East are no less important for all humanity. First of all, this region is a place that is rightfully called the Cradle of Civilization. It was in these lands that the very first human civilizations of Mesopotamia originated. The early empires also appeared here, thereby creating a substantial cultural basis for all future cultures. For example, the Arabic numeral classification was invented here based on the decimal positional system, although it was initially invented in India.
In addition to this fact, the Middle East has become the birthplace of the two most widespread world religions at the moment, namely Christianity and Islam. The first teaching was formed in the first century AD in the territory of Palestine, a historical area that spans the borders of modern Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. In Mecca, in the west of the Arabian Peninsula, Islam appeared at the beginning of the 7th century. Thus, the Middle East contains tremendous religious significance for the whole world, since there are three holy cities on its territory – Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina.
Finally, many cultural trends and moral laws are associated with the spread of the Muslim religion in the Middle East. It is due to the relative youth of Islam compared with other religions, its flexibility, simplicity, and, most importantly, the full coverage of a person’s entire experience. Muslim teaching governs the whole life of a person, including the economic, social, and family side. The most striking manifestation of this influence is a clear division of gender roles and women’s subordination to men. The intangible culture of this region is no less precious than its material heritage.
Thus, the Middle East’s cultural world is vibrant and varied in both environmental values and monuments, as well as a vast ethnic heritage. Each aspect of this environment is essential for humanity since this region is the cradle for many concepts and principles of the modern world order. Consequently, the Middle East’s culture must be carefully guarded and scrutinized as one of the most fabulous creations of humankind.