Arabia


 * E || * Mecca, a town founded by the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh Bedouin tribe was the leading and most successful town for trade.
 * One of the major reasons for this, was because of the Ka’ba (a religious shrine in pre-Islamic Arabia), which attracted a lot of merchants and customers for Mecca’s bazaars.
 * The Ka’ba also, during times of the year, was known to be the focus of an obligutary truce in the interclan feuds. Because of this, the people did not have to fear assaults from rival groups, which allowed merchants and Bedouins to want to come to Mecca to trade.
 * Another town, Medina, was also known for its trade, where many of the people grew wheat, and date palms (provided seeds and fruit, which could be used to feed camels). The Medinas would then trade with Bedouin travelers, who needed these kinds of things to feed their camels. ||
 * S || * Bedouin, herders (nomadic culture) lived in kin related clan groups and used tents in order to be able to move around quickly. (They followed the basis of a hunting and gathering life-style).
 * Since it was a hard land to produce crops on, many of the loyalties resided on the strict dependence of loyalty to one’s family and clan. To ensure their survival, they had to depend on the cooperation and support from their fellow kin members.
 * If they chose not to cooperate with their kin they would be cut off or expelled from it, which would usually proved to be fatal.
 * Beneath the shaykhs warriors were the slave families, who usually came from remnants of rival clans defeated in war, who would serve the shaykhs and usually the clan as a whole.
 * Women played key economic roles, such as milking camels and weaving cloth, while raising the children.
 * Many of the men from the tribes were often on the move which then allowed both men and women to have multiple marriage partners. (unlike the classical period)
 * Even though the women were allowed to carry careers, they were still no considered equal to men. ||
 * P || * The leaders of the tribes were called shaykhs, were elected from the councils of elder advisors. They were almost always men with large herds, several wives, many children, and numerous retainers.
 * The shaykhs dictates (followers) were usually made up of bands of free warriors whose families made up a large majority of the clan.
 * I || * Women played key economic roles, such as milking camels and weaving cloth, while raising the children.
 * Many of the men from the tribes were often on the move which then allowed both men and women to have multiple marriage partners. (unlike the classical period)
 * Even though the women were allowed to carry careers, they were still no considered equal to men.
 * Medina and Mecca were the two major trade caravans in Arabia. However, due to lack of leadership and inter-clan rivalries Mecca became the better spot for trade than Medina. ||
 * R || * The recognized god for these tribes was Allah.
 * Both their spirits and gods seemed to be associated with night.
 * The main focus of the worship of he spirits usually took place on sacred caves, grooved trees and pure springs, where the bedouin people could escape from the heat and wind. ||
 * I || * One of the main Bedouin aspects of culture was poetry.
 * The poetry however was composed and transmitted orally, because there was yet to be a written language.
 * These poems were generally narrated poems telling of their kinsmen’s hero’s in war and the clans great deeds.
 * There are many blody and brutal battles on record.
 * The safety of the trade routes basically relied on what the nomadic tribes were up to and who would be or was in conflict with who.
 * Interwar in the clans ||
 * T || * They used their spears to hunt and gather their food.
 * Wells were common to see in order to make agriculture occur faster.
 * Oasis's were usually what the towns were bas from. ||
 * Oasis's were usually what the towns were bas from. ||