Bedouin Arabian

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[edit] Bedouin Arabian

about 15,809,000 people scattered in a number of states.

Some tribes have decided to remain outside the cities. They struggle to keep the old way of life. These people are either looked down upon or respected. The younger generation and those who want to embrace a modern lifestyle look down upon them. The older generation and those who want to keep their nomadic heritage respect them.

But these people have to leave their home to find work. Since the 1930s, the government has discouraged Bedouins from living a nomadic lifestyle. They paid them to settle in villages and many have had to migrate to the cities in order to make a living. But when they are not constrained to the city, they travel a half-day’s journey through the desert to their small village of maybe 150 people. As they enter the decorated tent where the men of the village gather, all rise. The visitors round the circle, kissing cheeks, shaking hands and giving the blessing of peace, “Salaam Alaikum,” to each person. After a hospitable welcome of Arabic coffee, tea and dates, the group gathers around a platter of rice and a roasted sheep. The men in this tent are in transition. Although they are now settled in houses with satellite TV, they don’t want to let go of their childhood, which was spent wandering from one oasis to another with their flocks.

Although normally shepherds, they awake at dawn for the Fajr prayer and then venture into the desert to hunt for dinner. After stopping to pray at noon, they set up a tent and take an afternoon nap. They awake a few hours later to pray again and return to hunting. At sunset they stop once more to pray. Their schedules do not determine spiritual practice; spiritual practice determines their daily schedule.

Before sleeping, they again kneel with washed hands, feet and faces to worship Allah.

The Bedouin of Oman are proud and noble people with a reputation for being honest and direct. Some travellers stopped by a small shop by the desert highway to get a soft drink. One spoke Arabic and engaged the shopkeeper in discussion. They were invited to sit and have coffee and dates with a small group of local young men. The Bedouin (are famous for hospitality and friendship. One of the travellers asked, “What is the news, what is the information?” He used traditional Bedouin ways of asking. In surprise, one of the hosts exclaimed, “He is one of us! He knows our ways.” Bedouin ancestral lands are located in what have been isolated parts of Oman. These remote places are now connected to the rest of the country and the world by roads. Many of the graded roads are being paved and other Omanis and foreigners have increasingly frequent encounters with the Bedouin. Many Bedouin still engage in raising camels, fishing and date farming, as their ancestors did for generations. Some are now working in the capital or in the UAE and in the oil and gas sector of Oman. Change is coming rapidly to the Bedouin.