Cradle of Islam

The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian Identity

Mai Yamani

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9781845118242
• eBook ISBN: 9780857731104
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Middle Eastern History

Is Saudi Arabia really a homogeneous Wahhabi dominated state? In 1932 the Al Saud family incorporated the kingdom of Hijaz, once the cultural hub of the Arabian world, in to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The urban, cosmopolitan Hijazis were absorbed in to a new state whose codes of behavior and rules were determined by the Najdis, an ascetic desert people, from whom the Al Saud family came. But the Saudi rulers failed to fully integrate the Hijaz, which retains a distinctive identity to this day. In "Cradle of Islam", the product of years spent in Mecca, Medina, Jeddah and Taif, Mai Yamani traces the fortunes of the distinctive and resilient culture of the Hijazis, from the golden age of Hashemite Mecca to Saudi domination to its current resurgence. The Hijazis today emphasise their regional heritage in religious ritual, food, dress and language as a response to the 'Najdification' of everyday life. The Hijazi experience shows the vitality of cultural diversity in the face of political repression in the Arab world.

Praise for Cradle of Islam

‘My father was born in Mecca and much of what I have read here reminds me of my father, grandfather and relations. Mai Yamani has provided us with a unique perspective on the Hijaz. This is an invaluable contribution to the social and political history of a hitherto largely unknown, ignored and unrecognised people. An irrefutably powerful argument for the preservation of cultural identity, respect for human dignity and a celebration of our human diversity.’

— HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan

‘Mai Yamani is consistently the sharpest observer of modern Saudi Arabia and paints a vivid picture of the cauldron of political and religious divisions that are tearing it apart. This is a major contribution to the study of Arab diversity – at a time when the West urgently needs to understand it.’

— Tim Sebastian, BBC Hard Talk

‘A vivid and vibrant picture of Hijazi society and its transformations in the twentieth century, from intimate domestic culture to public performance and political ritual. A particular insight into female society and its active culture.’

— Sami Zubaida, Professor of Sociology at Birkbeck College, University of London

‘Dr. Mai Yamani’s book is a real delight. She penetrates the external Saudi covering layer, to reveal the Hijazi socio-cultural existence, and its customs and social structure in vibrant colours. Her analysis is descriptive interpretation at its best.’

— Joseph Kostiner, co-editor of Tribes: State Formation in the Middle East

‘Mai Yamani’s book is a very rare thing. A detailed, informative and rigorous investigation into the most important but understudied country in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia. Yamani’s book should be required reading for anyone trying to understand the evolution of Saudi Arabia, its place in Middle Eastern politics and why it has come to play such an important role in the international politics of the post-Cold War era.’

— Toby Dodge, Senior Research Fellow, University of Warwick; Senior Consulting Fellow, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London

Cradle of Islam

The Hijaz and the Quest for Identity in Saudi Arabia

Mai Yamani

Paperback edition published in 2009 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd

6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU

www.ibtauris.com

Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY10010

First published in 2004 by I.B.Tauris and Co Ltd

Copyright © Mai Yamani 2004, 2009

The right of Mai Yamani to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978 1 84511 824 2

eISBN 978 0 85773 110 4

A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress

Typeset in Palatino by JCS Publishing Services Ltd

To my father,

AHMED ZAKI YAMANI

who travels with me

in my heart.

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Preface to the Paperback Edition

Prologue: Returning to the Cradle

1. Defining the Hijaz: The Roots of Cultural Resistance

The Cradle of Islam

The Rise of Saudi Power

The Return and Decline of the Ottomans

The End of Hashemite Rule

The Loss of Hijazi Independence

The Hijazi ‘State of Mind’

The Problem of Identity

Placing the Boundaries

The Politicisation of Difference

2. The Hijazi ‘awa’il and the Preservation of Hijazi Identity

A Marginalised Cosmopolitan Elite

Tools of Tradition

The Code of the Hijazi ‘awa’il

Piety’s Purpose

The Meaning of Family

3. The Political Awakening of the Hijazi ‘awa’il

The Displacement of Occupational Tradition

The Ashraf

The Mutawwifin

The ‘ulema

Buyut tijariyya

Oil and Political Dependence

The Privatisation of Resistance

4. The Rites of Passage I: Ceremonies of Birth

Introduction

The Hospital Scene and Modernity: Redefining Birth Ceremonies

Receiving the Newborn into the World

Naming the Child: Reasserting Hijazi Identity

Conferring the Name

The Return of the Mawlid

Conclusions

5. The Rites of Passage II: Marriage and Social Status

Introduction: The Pull of the Tribe

Traditional Governance of Marriage and Divorce

Nationalising Marriage

Wedding Preparations and Ceremonies

The Dukhla and Social Stratification

Conclusions

6. The Rites of Passage III: Death—The Final Vindication

Introduction

The Hijazi Ways of Death

Contemporary Rituals of Death

Religious Spectacle and the Ceremonial Revival

Transforming the Journey to the Burial Ground

The Burial Ground

Conclusions

7. Cultivating the Social Arts I: The Art of Formal Conversation among the Hijazi ‘awa’il

Introduction: Communication and Concealment

Organising Space and Time

Restraints on Scandal and Gossip

Behaviour in the Communal Sphere

Shelter from Scrutiny

Conclusion: The Subtleties of ...

Table of contents

• Contents