Nabataeans

The Nabataeans were a trading people of ancient Arabia, whose oasis settlements in the time of Josephus gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea. Their loosely-controlled trading network, which centered on strings of oases and the routes that linked them, had no securely defined boundaries in the surrounding desert. Nabataeans - Culture. Thousands of graffiti and inscriptions document the area of Nabataean culture and testify to wi ...

Including:

• Nabataeans - Culture
• Nabataeans - Origins
• Nabataeans - The Hellenistic and Roman periods
• Nabataeans - List of Nabatean kings
• Nabataeans - Notes

Read more here: » Nabataeans: Encyclopedia - Nabataeans

The Nabataean origins remain obscure. On the similarity of sounds, Jerome suggested a connection with the tribe Nebaioth mentioned in Genesis, but modern historians are cautious about an early Nabatean history. The Babylonian captivity that began in 586 BC opened a power vacuum in Judah, and as Edomites moved into Judaean grazing lands, Nabataean inscriptions began to be left in Edomite territory (earlier than 312 BC, when they were attacked at Petra without success by Antigonus I). Petra or Sela was the ancient capital of Edom; the N ...

See also:

Nabataeans, Nabataeans - Culture, Nabataeans - Origins, Nabataeans - The Hellenistic and Roman periods, Nabataeans - List of Nabatean kings, Nabataeans - Notes

Read more here: » Nabataeans: Encyclopedia II - Nabataeans - Origins

Aretas (Arabic: Haritha), the Greek form of a name borne by kings of the Nabataeans resident at Petra in Arabia. Aretas was a king in the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (2 Macc. v.8). Another Aretas was the father-in-law of Herod Antipas (Josephus, Ant. xviii.5.I,3). In 2 Cor. XI.3.2 he is described as ruler of Damascus at the time of Paul's conversion. Herod Antipas had married a daughter of Aretas, but afterwards discarded her in favour of Herodias. This led to a w ...

Read more here: » Aretas: Encyclopedia - Aretas

The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ʻarab) are a large and heterogenous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. Arab - Who is an Arab?. The definition of who an Arab is has several aspects: Ethnic identity: someone who considers himself to be an Arab (regardless of racial or ethnic origin) and is recognized as such by others. Linguistic: someone whose first language is Arabic (including any of its varieties); this d ...

Including:

• Arab - Who is an Arab?
• Arab - Religions
• Arab - History
• Arab - Traditional genealogy
• Arab - Etymology

Read more here: » Arab: Encyclopedia - Arab

Frankincense or olibanum is an aromatic resin obtained from the tree Boswellia thurifera or B. sacra. It is used in incense as well as in perfumes. Frankincense is tapped from Boswellia trees through slashing the bark and allowing the exuded resins to harden. Tapping is done 2 to 3 times a year with the final taps producing the best resin due to its higher aromatic terpene content. High quality resin can be visually discerned through its level of opacity. Omani frankincense is said to be the best in the world, although q ...

Including:

• Frankincense - Articles
• Frankincense - Related Sites

Read more here: » Frankincense: Encyclopedia - Frankincense

The definition of who an Arab is has several aspects: Ethnic identity: someone who considers himself to be an Arab (regardless of racial or ethnic origin) and is recognized as such by others. Linguistic: someone whose first language is Arabic (including any of its varieties); this definition covers more than 200 million people. Arabic belongs to the Semitic family of languages. Genealogical: someone who can trace his or her ancestry back to the original inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula. Political: ...

See also:

Arab, Arab - Who is an Arab?, Arab - Religions, Arab - History, Arab - Traditional genealogy, Arab - Etymology

Read more here: » Arab: Encyclopedia II - Arab - Who is an Arab?

Medieval Arab genealogists divided the Arabs into three groups: the "ancient Arabs", tribes that had been destroyed or vanished, such as Ad and Thamud; they are often alluded to in the Qur'an as examples of God's power to destroy wicked peoples. the "Pure Arabs" of South Arabia, descending from Qahtan. The Qahtanites (Qahtanis) are said to have migrated the land of Yemen following the destruction of the Ma'rib Dam (sadd Ma'rib). The Qahtanite Arabs were responsible for the ancient civilizations of Yemen, notably ...

See also:

Arab, Arab - Who is an Arab?, Arab - Religions, Arab - History, Arab - Traditional genealogy, Arab - Etymology

Read more here: » Arab: Encyclopedia II - Arab - Traditional genealogy

Before the coming of Islam, most Arabs followed a religion featuring the worship of a number of deities, including Hubal, Wadd, Al-Lat, Manat, and Uzza, while some tribes had converted to Christianity or Judaism, and a few individuals, the hanifs, had apparently rejected polytheism in favor of a vague monotheism. The most prominent Arab Christian kingdoms were the Ghassanid and Lakhmid kingdoms. With the expansion of Islam, the majority of Arabs rapidly became Muslim, and the pre-Islamic po ...

See also:

Arab, Arab - Who is an Arab?, Arab - Religions, Arab - History, Arab - Traditional genealogy, Arab - Etymology

Read more here: » Arab: Encyclopedia II - Arab - Religions

Mentioned in the Qur'an (Sura 53:20), `Uzzā "the Powerful" (derived from the root `zy) was a pre-Islamic Arabian fertility goddess who was one of the three chief goddesses of Mecca. She, Manāh and Allat were known as "the daughters of God". Uzza was worshipped by the Nabataeans, who equated her with the Graeco-Roman goddesses Aphrodite, Urania, Venus and Caelestis. According to Ibn Ishaq's controversial account of the Satanic Verses (q.v.), these verses had previously endorsed them as intercessors for Muslims, but were ...

Including:

• Uzza - Cult of `Uzzā
• Uzza - Uzza the garden

Read more here: » Uzza: Encyclopedia - Uzza

Aqaba (Arabic: العقبة al-ʻAqabah) is a coastal town with a population of 101,290 (2000) and 2% of Jordan's population in the far south of Jordan (29.5167° N 35.0° E). Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport. The town borders Eilat, Israel and there is a border post where it is possible to cross between the two countries. Both Aqaba and Eilat ar ...

Including:

• Aqaba - History

Read more here: » Aqaba: Encyclopedia - Aqaba

The first written attestation of the ethnonym "Arab" occurs in an Assyrian inscription of 853 BC, where Shalmaneser III lists a King Gindibu of mâtu arbâi (Arab land) as among the people he defeated at the Battle of Karkar. Some of the names given in these texts are Aramaic, while others are the first attestations of Proto-Arabic dialects. The Hebrew Bible likewise refers occasionally to peoples called `Arvi (or variants thereof), translated as "Arab" or "Arabian". The scope of the Hebrew term at this early stage is unclear, ...

See also:

Arab, Arab - Who is an Arab?, Arab - Religions, Arab - History, Arab - Traditional genealogy, Arab - Etymology

Read more here: » Arab: Encyclopedia II - Arab - History

33°30' N 36°18' E The Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية العربية السورية) or Syria (Arabic: سوريا) is a country in the Middle East. It borders Lebanon to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north. Israel occupies the Golan Heights in the southwest of the country; a dispute with Turkey over the Hatay Province now seems to have subsided. Historically, Syria has often been taken to include the terri ...

Including:

• Syria - Name
• Syria - History
• Syria - French occupation
• Syria - Independence to 1970
• Syria - 1970 to 2005
• Syria - 2000 to 2005
• Syria - The events from 2005
• Syria - Politics
• Syria - Government
• Syria - Governorates
• Syria - Geography
• Syria - Economy
• Syria - Demographics
• Syria - Culture
• Syria - Holidays
• Syria - Fairs and festivals
• Syria - Miscellaneous topics

Read more here: » Syria: Encyclopedia - Syria

Allat (also al-Lat) was the Arab tribal goddess of the Thaqif who lived in the city of Taif. She is one of three goddesses that the pre-Islamic Meccans referred to as "Daughters of Allah", according to the Qur'an (Sura 53:19). Her name originated as short for al 'ilāhat = "the goddess". There is a saying that her name originated with a Jewish man in Taif who mixed water or clarified butter with barley meal and gave it to pilgrims. This man was reverentially referred to by the name "Al-Lat" for his actions ...

Including:

• Allat - Reference

Read more here: » Allat: Encyclopedia - Allat

Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus or Justinian I (May 11, 483–November 13/14, 565), was Eastern Roman Emperor from August 1, 527 until his death. One of the most important rulers of Late Antiquity, he is best remembered for his reform of the legal code through the commission of Tribonian, and the military expansion of imperial territory that was achieved during his reign, primarily through the campaigns of Belisarius. He is also known as "The last Roman Emperor." He is considered a saint in the Orthodox Church, commemorate ...

Including:

• Justinian I - Life
• Justinian I - Legal activities
• Justinian I - Military activities and the campaigns of Belisarius
• Justinian I - Suppression of non-Christian religions
• Justinian I - Ecclesiastical policy
• Justinian I - Ecclesiastical Relations with Rome
• Justinian I - Bibliography

Read more here: » Justinian I: Encyclopedia - Justinian I

Longinus. Longinus, a Greek literary critic who may have lived in the 1st century CE, wrote a treatise On the Sublime. Bishop Longinus was a missionary working among the Nabataeans during Emperor Justinian I's reign. Gaius Cassius Longinus may be: Cassius, who helped assassinate Julius Caesar Gaius Cassius Longinus, a 1st century jurist Johannes Longinus is the Latin version of the name of Jan Długosz,

Read more here: » Longinus: Encyclopedia - Longinus

Sabian is a term that has been more or less inaccurately used to describe at least three religious groups (see Mandaeanism, Harranians or Sabeans, and Sabaeans). The term derives from the Arabic term "Sabi" (plural Sabiyah) meaning proselyte (i.e., one who has converted through Baptism but also reminiscent of a word meaning light) which was an appellation for a now obscure Arabic religious group. They are first mentioned in the Qur'an and later appear again in the writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Despite their clear documentation in traditions stemming from Islam, the actual nature of the group remains a matter o ...

Including:

• Sabians - Islamic reference
• Sabians - Sabi-Harran connections
• Sabians - Sabi-Mandaean connections
• Sabians - In the Bahá'í writings
• Sabians - New-Age Sabians
• Sabians - Conclusion

Read more here: » Sabians: Encyclopedia - Sabians

Arabization is the gradual transformation of an area into one that speaks Arabic and is part of the Arab culture. It can also mean the replacement or displacement of a native population with Arabs, although this rarely happened in ancient times, as there weren't nearly sufficient numbers of original Arabs to replace or displace existing populations. There were significant pre-Islamic Arab migrations out of the Arabian Peninsula (see: Ghassanids, Nabataeans); however, full Arabization of the Middle East took place after the coming of I ...

Including:

• Arabization - In modern times

Read more here: » Arabization: Encyclopedia - Arabization

Jonathan was one of the sons of Mattathias Maccabaeus. His father was a Kohen credited as the founding figure of the rebellion of the Maccabees against Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire. However Mattathias died in 167 BC while the rebellion was only begining. He was survived by Jonathan and his brothers Eleazar, Johanan, Judas Maccabeus, Simon Maccabaeus. They were sworn to continue the rebellion of their father. Judas soon became thei ...

See also:

Jonathan Maccabaeus, Jonathan Maccabaeus - Leader of the Jews, Jonathan Maccabaeus - Turn of fate, Jonathan Maccabaeus - High Priest., Jonathan Maccabaeus - Victory over Apollonius., Jonathan Maccabaeus - Under Demetrius II., Jonathan Maccabaeus - Friendship with Rome and Sparta., Jonathan Maccabaeus - Diodotus Tryphon

Read more here: » Jonathan Maccabaeus: Encyclopedia II - Jonathan Maccabaeus - Leader of the Jews

The descriptions of Strabo, Pliny the Elder, and other writers identify Petra as the capital of the Nabataeans and the centre of their caravan trade. Walled in by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream, Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress but controlled the main commercial routes which passed through it to Gaza in the west, to Bosra and Damascus in the north, to Aqaba and Leuce Come on the Red Sea, and acros ...

See also:

Petra, Petra - History, Petra - Petra today, Petra - The speculative future of Petra, Petra - Petra in movies and popular culture, Petra - Gallery

Read more here: » Petra: Encyclopedia II - Petra - History

Moab - Origins. The Moabites were likely pastoral nomads settling in the trans-Jordanian highlands. They may have been among the nomadic raiders referred to as habiru by the Egyptians. Whether they were among the nations referred to in the Ancient Egyptian language as Shutu or Shasu is a matter of some debate among scholars. The existence of Moab prior to the rise of the Israelite polity can be seen from the colossal statues erected at Luxor by Pharaoh Rameses II. On the base of the second statue in front of the northern pylon of Rameses' temple, Mu'ab is listed among a series of n ...

See also:

Moab, Moab - Etymology, Moab - Geography, Moab - History, Moab - Origins, Moab - Biblical Narrative through the conquest by Israel, Moab - Reassertion of Independence, Moab - Decline and Fall, Moab - Economy, Moab - Religion, Moab - In Jewish law, Moab - Bibliography, Moab - Resources

Read more here: » Moab: Encyclopedia II - Moab - History