神秘的阿拉伯=Mysterious Arab Countries

本书着重介绍了沙特阿拉伯、埃及、迪拜等阿拉伯国家的历史、地理、媒体、经济、教育、婚俗、舞蹈、音乐、服饰及烹饪等方面的内容，旨在为英语爱好者提供一个了解阿拉伯国家的平台。

姜克银，教授，浙江大学文学博士，美国哈佛大学博士后，现任宁夏大学阿拉伯学院副院长，宁夏大学中国阿拉伯国家研究院研究人员，阿拉伯国家研究省部共建协同创新中心研究人员。长期从事外国语言文学、话语与文化等领域的教学与科研工作。出版专著2部，在国内外学术期刊上发表学术论文20余篇。

季春燕，副教授。2000年于宁夏大学外国语学院英语语言文学专业毕业后留校，从事大学公共英语的教学和研究。2006年获得英语语言文学专业应用语言学方向硕士研究生学位。

Unit 1History of Saudi Arabia（）
Unit 2Arabia Geography（）
Unit 3Media in Arab World（）
Unit 4Economic Crisis in Egypt（）
Unit 5Education in Egypt（）
Unit 6Travel in Dubai（）
Unit 7Belly Dance（）
Unit 8Arabia Music（）
Unit 9Egyptian Clothing（）
Unit 10Cuisine in Arabia（）
Unit 11Arabia Marriage（）
Unit 12Yasser Arafat（）
Unit 13Women Writers in Arabia（）
Appendix I（）
Appendix II（）
Appendix III（）

Unit 1
History of Saudi Arabia 

WarmUp Questions

1Which Arab country do you like to go to travel or study or live in? Do you know anything about its history? 2What do you know about the history of Saudi Arabia?3Do you know the location of the Kingdom Center? What do you know about its history? 
Text

History is the soul of a nation, to know something about a nation, know its history first The history of Saudi Arabia, the largest country in the Middle East in terms of area, an ancient trade center, as a state, begins with its foundation in 1932 by Abdul Aziz alSaud, although the history of what was to become Saudi Arabia goes back to the beginnings of human habitation in Arabia up to 20000 years ago Brief History of Saudi Arabiahttp://wwwsaudiembassynet/about/countryinformation/history/Saudi Arabia traces its roots back to the earliest civilizations of the Arabian Peninsula Over the centuries, the peninsula has played an important role in history as an ancient trade centerSince King Abdul Aziz alSaud established the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, its transformation has been astonishing In a few short decades, the Kingdom has turned itself from a desert nation to a modern, sophisticated state and a major player on the international stageEarly HistoryThe first concrete evidence of human presence in the Arabian Peninsula dates back 15000 to 20000 years Bands of huntergatherers roamed the land, living off wild animals and plantsAs the European ice cap melted during the last Ice Age, some 15000 years ago, the climate in the peninsula became dry Vast plains once covered with lush grasslands gave way to scrubland and deserts, and wild animals vanished River systems also disappeared This climate change forced humans to move into the lush mountain valleys and oases No longer able to survive as huntergatherers, they had to develop another means of survival As a result, agriculture developed—first in Mesopotamia, then the Nile River Valley and eventually spreading across the Middle EastThe development of agriculture brought other advancesPottery allowed farmers to store food Animals, including goats, cattle, sheep, horses and camels, were domesticated, and people abandoned hunting altogether These advances made intensive farming possible In turn, settlements became more permanent, leading to the foundations of what we call civilizationlanguage, writing, political systems, art and architecture An Ancient Trade CenterLocated between the two great centers of civilization, the Nile River Valley and Mesopotamia, the Arabian Peninsula was the crossroads of the ancient world Trade was crucial to the areas development Caravan routes became trade arteries that made life possible in the sparsely populated peninsula The people of the peninsula developed a complex network of trade routes to transport agricultural goods highly sought after in Mesopotamia, the Nile Valley and the Mediterranean Basin These items included almonds from Taif, dates from the oases, and aromatics such as frankincense and myrrh from the Tihama plain Spices were also important trade items They were shipped across the Arabian Sea from India and then transported by caravan The huge caravans traveled from what is now Oman and Yemen, along the great trade routes running through Saudi Arabias Asir Province and then through Makkah and Madinah, eventually arriving at the urban centers of the north and westThe people of the Arabian Peninsula remained largely untouched by the political turmoil in Mesopotamia, the Nile Valley and the eastern Mediterranean Their goods and services were in great demand regardless of which power was dominant at that moment—Babylon, Egypt, Persia, Greece or Rome In addition, the peninsulas great expanse of desert formed a natural barrier that protected it from invasion by powerful neighbors The First Saudi StateIn the early 18th century, Shaikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, a scholar and reformer who believes in Islam, began advocating a return to the original form of Islam Abdul Wahhab was initially persecuted by local religious scholars and leaders who viewed his teachings as a threat to their power bases He sought protection in the town of Diriyah, which was ruled by Muhammad bin SaudMuhammad bin Abdul Wahhab and Muhammad bin Saud formed an agreement to dedicate themselves to restoring the pure teachings of Islam to the Muslim community In that spirit, bin Saud established the First Saudi State, which prospered under the spiritual guidance of bin Abdul Wahhab, known simply as the SheikhBy 1788, the Saudi State ruled over the entire central plateau known as the Najd By the early 19th century, its rule extended to most of the Arabian Peninsula, including Makkah and Madinah The popularity and success of the AlSaud rulers aroused the suspicion of the Ottoman Empire, the dominant power in the Middle East and North Africa at the time In 1818, the Ottomans dispatched a large expeditionary force armed with modern artillery to the western region of Arabia The Ottoman army besieged Diriyah, which by now had grown into one of the largest cities in the peninsula Ottoman forces leveled the city with field guns and made it permanently uninhabitable by ruining the wells and uprooting date palmsModern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Its EconomyThe young AbdulAziz was determined to regain his patrimony from the AlRashid family, which had taken over Riyadh and established a governor and garrison there In 1902, AbdulAziz, — accompanied by only 40 followers — staged a daring night march into Riyadh to retake the city garrison known as the Masmak Fortress This legendary event marks the beginning of the formation of the modern Saudi state After establishing Riyadh as his headquarters, AbdulAziz captured all of the Hijaz, including Makkah and Madinah, in 1924 to 1925 In the process, he united warring tribes into one nationOn September 23, 1932, the country was named as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an Islamic state with Arabic as its national language and the Holy Quran as its constitutionWhen the modern Kingdom was established, the Arabian Peninsula was an agricultural society depending on farming and commerceespecially date exports and tradegenerated by pilgrims coming to Makkah and Madinah The discovery of oil in commercial quantities in 1938 changed that Soon after World War II, steady oil exports provided the funds to build a basic infrastructure of roads, airports, seaports, schools and hospitals While the economy largely depended on oil revenues, Saudi leaders resolved to bring about basic improvements in the countrys economic structure with the objective to diversify the economy away from oil into other fields Achievement of such an economic transformation required deliberate planning and careful implementation of a development program with clearly defined objectives The quest for economic development and growth began in earnest with the introduction of the First Development Plan in 1970 by MOEP, Ministry of Economy and Planning in Saudi ArabiaThis triggered a series of ongoing fiveyear development plans to build a modern economy capable of producing consumer and industrial goods that previously had been imported The first phase of this process was to establish an infrastructure that could support a modern economic base and allow industry and commerce to flourish The next was to develop the human resources necessary to help bring about the planned economic transformation Finally, the focus could shift to economic diversification, including expansion of the industrial, agricultural and other sectors, an expansion that is now well advancedThe establishment of the physical infrastructure was accomplished in stages during the first three development plans As the infrastructure was taking shape, the government launched a major effort to expand the industrial base This was done along two separate, but parallel, courses One aimed at the expansion of the countrys oil industry and the other at establishing a modern nonoil industrial sector In addition to optimizing revenues from Saudi oil production, the modern oil industry plays an equally important role in the development of the nonoil industrial sector by providing the raw materials and feedstock that facilitate the growthThroughout the course of the development plans, Saudi Arabias steady but dramatic industrial and economic transformation has been accomplished through the careful guidance and active support of the government Today, Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest developing countries in the world
New Words

trace ［treIs］v to go back over again追溯（由来）；上溯；回溯
monotheistic ［