The Heritage of the Hejaz: Its Culture and Traditions By Chaman Rahim Ph.D Not much has been written on the Heritage of the Hejaz or as it is sometimes called “ The Cradle of Islam” .Its unique culture and traditions is different from many parts of the Arabian Peninsula. This region is often referred to as the’ melting pot’ of cultures because migrants from all around the globe have come for pilgrimage in different periods and often stayed back. These immigrants introduced their culture which amalgamated with the home culture and created a very unique culture of its own. Location and History Hejaz in Saudi Arabia, occupying an area of some 2 million sq km ,is bordered on the west by the Red Sea, on the north by Jordan, on the east by Najd and on the south by Asir. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. As the site of Islam's holy places, the Hejaz has significance in the Araband Islamic historical and political landscape. The Hijaz takes its name and it character from al Hijaz, the barrier formed by the great escarpment that rises to the south like a wall behind Makkah and runs parallel to the coasts as far as Yemen. Historically both nomadic and settled communities inhabited this area but the Hijaz’s urban centers… the Islamic holy cities of Makkah and Madinah as well as Jeddah and Taif have dominated its development during the past 14 centuries. Looking not inland but towards the sea, the Hijaz gained its international reputation for trade and as focus of Haj, which contributed to its relative economic prosperity and enhanced its political significance. ( Yamani) Until recently , very little was known about the early inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula. Modern archeological research and excavations have unveiled some of the mystery 1 The Heritage of the Hejaz: its Culture and Tradition Dr. Chaman Rahim Dar Al Hekma University , Jeddah Saudi Arabia surrounding the prehistoric people of this area.As a result, it is now widely accepted that today’s Arabian deserts were neither all desert nor completely uninhabited . While the history of many regions in Africa, Arabia , Central Asia and India have s not yet been thoroughly researched, it is believed that 100,000 years ago, a wave of Homo Sapiens migrated out of East Africa. Some experts suggest that at the time, Arabia’s now dry rivers and lakes had an abundance of water and offered a lush and welcoming environment for these Stone age hunter gatherers. In their quest for survival, the early nomads used caves as shelter. Excavations in this area have uncovered a wealth of Stone Age tools and illustrations.( Al Hariri) It is thought that about 15000 years ago, a gradual and major weather change resulted in a worldwide warming trend. As a result ,the Peninsula streams dried up, the lakes vanished and the forest shrank. Faced with harsh living conditions some of the early inhabitants migrated north while other settled in the remaining arable land or adopted a nomadic way of life. During this Neolithic period (8500-5000) BC the new agro based communities gave birth to sedentary village life.Sheep goats and cattle were domesticated and some early form of trade around with exchange of certain items. Sedentary life also gave birth to numerous crafts life weaving and pottery.. This resulted in the change of diet, food preparation and preservation.It also introduced a new major trading commodity.(Al Hariri) Culture and Traditions Historically, a festival is defined as “An organized set of special events on a specific cultural man made theme taking place on a specific day or period normally on a specific place gathering people in mutual and direct contact to the festival theme”.(Lyck& Long, 2012) Based on this definition therefore, there is strong implication that management is important to have the festival organized as the definition includes the words „man-made‟ and „cultural‟. The definition also stipulates that festivals usually take place within the confinements of a particular geographical area. .Another aspect on the view of festivals is the fact that since the festivals are 2 The Heritage of the Hejaz: its Culture and Tradition Dr. Chaman Rahim Dar Al Hekma University , Jeddah Saudi Arabia tied up for certain duration of time, and may often recur in occurrence with the period being annual or same season of the year. Based on this detailed analysis of factors surrounding festival, it is therefore acceptable to categorize a wide variety of events in the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia, and specifically in Jeddah as festivals. This contrasts with the popular notion that festivals are simply limited to a certain type of celebrations. In accordance with this broad perspective, Hejaz festivals may include both Religious and Non- Religious Festivals such as Jeddah Youth Festival, Jeddah Ghair Festival, Jeddah shopping Festival, Historic Jeddah Events, Jeddah Economic Forum, Saudi Food, Hotels & Hospitality Exhibition and even Hajj. Religious Festivals There are several Religious festivals that take place in the Hijaz such as, Eid al Fitr, EidAdha, Weddings Rahmani and some more. This paper will shred a glimpse of some of the important ones. Ramadan It is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast. Ramadan is an Arabic word; its root “ArRamad” means “dryness/heat.”Muslims who are physically able are required to fast each day of the entire month, from sunrise to sunset. The evenings are spent enjoying family and community meals, praying, and reading from the Qu'ran .During Ramadan, every part of the body must be controlled. The tongue must be controlled from gossip. The eyes must control themselves from looking at prohibited things. The hand must not touch or take anything that does not belong to the person. In such a way, every part of the body observes the fast. Ramadan is the most peaceful month of the year, and all Muslims look forward to its arrival with eager anticipation. During Ramadan, fasting takes place from sunrise to sunset, but as soon as the call for prayer is heard, the fast is broken, usually with dates and Arabic coffee. Many varieties of food are spread out on the„sufra‟(Table) . Most of the families in Saudi Arabia gather at the head of the family‟s house, this usually being the grandfather, where they will eat either Eftar (breakfast), and/or Sahoor(late dinner). 3 The Heritage of the Hejaz: its Culture and Tradition Dr. Chaman Rahim Dar Al Hekma University , Jeddah Saudi Arabia Even with mosques in every area , people still like to listen to the Adaan of Magrib( the call for prayer) on TV, where the channels show the prayer in Makkah and Madinah. However, children find great excitement in waiting on the roofs of their houses for the Adaan, then running and shouting to tell everybody that it’s time to eat. In some areas of Saudi, it is traditional to fire a canon at Magrib to notify the people that it’s eating time. The typical activities during Ramadan would be Sahoor: Meal before dawn and the first prayer of the day. th Iftar: breaking of the fast at Sunset (coincides with the 4 daily prayer). Ziarat: Social gatherings e.g. visiting relatives, sharing food with neighbours, friends, and the poor. Tarawih: Optional Prayers at early night (20-21hrs) Qiraat: Reading of the Qur’ãn during free time. Qiam: Optional late-night prayers in the last 10 days (02-04hrs). Misaharaty Another interesting thing that took place ( and still exists in the old town and villages) is that people would be woken up for Suhur by ‘Misaharaty’. This is the name given to the person who walks and beats a drum in residential areas to wake people up to eat their Suhor (a meal eaten before the beginning of the fast) before morning prayers. El Misaharaty was always accompanied by the children of the neighborhood who enjoyed helping him in beating his drums and calling out:”Es ha yanayem…Wahed el dayem….Ramadan Karim…Es ha yanayem… Wahed el razaq…” meaning "Awake, oh faster and praise Allah. Welcome to you Ramadan, month of forgiveness." He would start his round at 3:00 am . Laylat al Qader A particularly holy time during Ramadan, Laylatal Qadir commemorates the anniversary of the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet (Pbuh),No one knows exactly 4 The Heritage of the Hejaz: its Culture and Tradition Dr. Chaman Rahim Dar Al Hekma University , Jeddah Saudi Arabia when it takes place except that it was on an odd day during the last 10 days of Ramadan.During that period, almost 3 million people perform prayers at the Haram Mosque. Eid al Fitr Eid al Fitr takes place at the end of one month of Holy Ramadan and is the most celebrated festival , among all Muslims everywhere.This festival has been celebrated in the region for over 1400 years. It has since evolved and yet, there are strong traditions regarding it that are still celebrated today. The people of Hijaz start celebrating Eid since the moon is sighted on the night before. Although most celebrations last for 3 days, some people celebrate up to six days. On the Eid day, men and women wear new clothes and head for the Masjid early in the morning, where they offer their Eid prayers. After the prayer, people hug and greet each other, usually saying “Eid Mubarak”. The families head to the “big house”, which is usually the house of the eldest member of the family, to enjoy breakfast.