Beduin

Bedouin

A Bedouin family in Oman
Total population
(21,250,700)
Regions with significant populations
Sudan	10,199,000
Algeria	230,000-2,257,000 ±
Iraq	350,000-1,100,000
Saudi Arabia	467,000 (2013)
380,000 (2007)
Libya	916,000
Egypt	902,000 (2007)
UAE	763,000
Syria	620,000 (2013)
Yemen	457,000
Kuwait	290,000
Tunisia	177,000
Morocco	144,000
Israel	250,000 (2012)
Mauritania	54,000
Bahrain	50,000
Lebanon	47,000
Qatar	39,000
Palestine	30,000
Oman	28,000
13,300
Ethiopia	2,000 (2004)
Languages
Arabic dialects:  Bedawi • Hejazi • Najdi • Hassāniyya
Religion
Sunni Islam • Shia Islam
Related ethnic groups
Arabs

The Bedouin (/ˈbɛdu.ɪn/;Arabic: بَدَوِي badawī) are a grouping of Arab ethnic groups, nomadic peoples of the Middle Eastern deserts, especially of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. The term contrasts against 'Hathar' (حضر) which refers to the city or town dwellers in the Arabic language. Bedouin means "Badiyah dwellers" in the Arabic language, as 'Badyah' means literally the visible land (the desert). The Bedouins identify themselves as Arabs or by the names of their tribes. City dwellers in Arabia who descended from known tribes refer to themselves as Bedouins to recognize their native origin to Arabia. The term has lost exact meaning; it is sometimes used in racial profiling, and it is commonly mixed with another term "A-araab" "" which is mentioned in Quran in reference to unruly tribesmen who do not follow the lifestyle codes of bedouin tribes or city dwellers. Bedouin territory stretches from the vast deserts of North Africa to the rocky sands of the Middle East. They are traditionally divided into tribes, or clans (known in Arabic as ʿašāʾir; عَشَائِر) and share a common culture of herding camels and goats.

The Bedouin form a part of, but are not synonymous with, the modern concept of the Arabs. Bedouins have been referred to by various names throughout history, including Qedarites in the Old Testament and Arabaa by the Assyrians (ar-ba-a-a being a nisba of the noun Arab, a name still used for Bedouins today). They are referred to as the ʾAʿrāb (أعراب) in the Quran.

While many Bedouins have abandoned their nomadic and tribal traditions for modern urban lifestyle, they retain traditional Bedouin culture with concepts of belonging to ʿašāʾir, traditional music, poetry, dances (like Saas), and many other cultural practices. Urbanised Bedouins also organise cultural festivals, usually held several times a year, in which they gather with other Bedouins to partake in, and learn about, various Bedouin traditions—from poetry recitation and traditional sword dances, to classes teaching traditional tent knitting and playing traditional Bedouin musical instruments. Traditions like camel riding and camping in the deserts are also popular leisure activities for urbanised Bedouins who live within close proximity to deserts or other wilderness areas.