ARABIC-LEVANTINE Tetrapylon, Palmyra Flickr / Dan DLIFLC DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER 2019 CULTURAL ORIENTATION | LEVANTINE Profile Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6 Geography .................................................................................................................... 8 Geographic Features ..........................................................................................8 Climate ........................................................................................................................... 9 Rivers and Bodies of Water .....................................................................................10 The Euphrates River .........................................................................................10 Lake al-Assad and the Euphrates Dam .........................................................10 The Orontes River ............................................................................................. 11 The Barada River and Al-Ghuta Oasis .......................................................... 11 Major Cities ..................................................................................................................12 Damascus ................................................................................................. 12 Aleppo ................................................................................................................ 12 Homs....................................................................................................................13 Latakia .................................................................................................................14 Hama ................................................................................................................... 15 History ........................................................................................................................15 Early History .......................................................................................................15 The French Mandate ........................................................................................16 Independence .....................................................................................................16 The United Arab Republic ............................................................................... 17 The Baath Revolution ....................................................................................... 17 The Presidency of Hafez al-Assad (1971-2000) ........................................... 17 Bashar al-Assad Presidency ...........................................................................18 Civil War ..............................................................................................................19 State Terrorism...................................................................................................20 Government ................................................................................................................ 20 Media ........................................................................................................................... 21 Economy .................................................................................................................... 22 Ethnic Groups ............................................................................................................. 24 Arabs....................................................................................................................24 Kurds ....................................................................................................................24 Druze ...................................................................................................................25 Turkmen .............................................................................................................25 Other Ethnic Groups .......................................................................................26 Endnotes for Chapter 1: Profile ............................................................................... 27 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 33 2 CULTURAL ORIENTATION | LEVANTINE Religion Introduction ................................................................................................................. 34 Major Religions .......................................................................................................... 35 Islam ....................................................................................................................35 Alawites/Alawi Muslims.....................................................................................36 Druze ...................................................................................................................37 Yazidism ..............................................................................................................38 Christians ............................................................................................................39 Religion and Government ........................................................................................ 39 Influence of Religion on Daily Life ...........................................................................41 Religion and Gender ........................................................................................ 41 Religious Holidays ..................................................................................................... 43 Ramadan .............................................................................................................43 Eid al-Fitr .............................................................................................................44 Eid al-Adha ........................................................................................................44 Christmas and Easter .......................................................................................45 Buildings of Worship .................................................................................................. 46 Behavior in Places of Worship .................................................................................47 Endnotes for Chapter 2: Religion ............................................................................ 49 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 53 Traditions Introduction ................................................................................................................. 54 Formulaic Codes of Politeness ............................................................................... 55 Hospitality and Gift Giving ....................................................................................... 57 Eating Habits and Types of Foods .......................................................................... 59 Dress Codes ...............................................................................................................61 Nonreligious Ceremonies, Holidays, and Festivals ............................................. 62 Other Cultural Traditions ........................................................................................... 63 Honor Killings .....................................................................................................63 Taboos .................................................................................................................64 Gestures ..............................................................................................................64 Dos and Don’ts ........................................................................................................ 65 Dos .......................................................................................................................65 Don’ts ................................................................................................................65 Endnotes for Chapter 3: Traditions ......................................................................... 67 Assessment ................................................................................................................ 69 3 CULTURAL ORIENTATION | LEVANTINE Urban Life Urbanization Issues .................................................................................. 70 Housing .......................................................................................................................71 Healthcare .................................................................................................................. 72 Education and Schools ..............................................................................................74 Restaurants and Cafés ............................................................................................. 75 Marketplaces and Street Vendors .......................................................................... 79 Street Vendors ........................................................................................................... 80 Money, Credit Cards, ATMs ......................................................................................81 Urban Traffic and Transportation ...........................................................................