Cradle of Islam: The Hijaz and the Quest for Identity in Saudi Arabia

In 1932, the Al Saud family officially incorporated the Kingdom of the Hijaz into the new Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Hijazis became a people without a country of their own. Cradle of Islam focuses on contemporary Hijazi life and culture made subservient to the dominant national rules of Saudi Arabia, as dictated by a political and religious elite rooted in the central Najd region of the country. But centralisation was not enough to assimilate or tame Saudi Arabia's distinct regional cultures. The Al Saud family could rule but not fully integrate. This book is an insider's account of the hidden world of the Hijazis including their rituals which have helped to preserve Hijazi identity until now. In 1932 The Al Saud Family Incorporated The Kingdom Of The Hijaz Into The New Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia. The Hijazis Became A People Without A Country Of Their Own, Who Nonetheless Have Since Retained A Separate Cultural Consciousness. Cradle Of Islam Focuses On Contemporary Hijazi Life And Culture, Made Subservient To The Dominant National Rules Of Saudi Arabia, As Dictated By A Political And Religious Elite Rooted In The Central Najd Region Of The Country. Cradle Of Islam Is The Product Of In-depth Research In Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Taif And Other Parts Of The Hijaz. It Documents The Hijazi Urban Elites' Resistance Of The Saudi National Project. Set In Their Historical Context, Accounts Of Hijazis' Everyday Life Reveal Their Response Against 'najdification'. The Hijazis Express Their Identity By Establishing Clear Cultural Boundaries To Distinguish Themselves As Specifically Hijazis. Cradle Of Islam Is Based On An Insider's Account Of The Hidden World Of The Hijazi. In A Climate Of Increasing Interest In Saudi Arabia, This Original Book Makes A Crucial Contribution To A Better Understanding Of The Dilemmas Facing The Saudi State.--jacket. Defining The Hijaz : The Roots Of Cultural Resistance -- The Hijazi ʻawa'il And Preservation Of Hijazi Identity -- The Political Awakening Of The Hijazi ʻawa'il -- The Rites Of Passage I : Ceremonies Of Birth -- The Rites Of Passage Ii : Marriage And Social Status -- The Rites Of Passage Iii : Death : The Final Vindication -- Cultivating The Social Arts I : The Art Of Formal Conversation Among The Hijazi ʻawa'il -- Cultivating The Social Arts Ii : Reasserting Culinary Tradition -- Cultivating The Social Arts Iii : Hijazi Dress To The New Social Order. Mai Yamani. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 203-211) And Index. 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.