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People from the western Mediterranean countries (Italy, France, Spain) who lived under the Ottoman Empire and their descendants still living in Turkey and the Middle East.
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How did Islam change the way the Ghazu raids worked?
Instead of the various Arabian Bedouins attacking and raiding from each other they would join together and begin to attack and raid the Non-Arab Levantines (in the Byzantine Empire) and the Non-Arab Persians (in the Sassanid Empire). The raids also became more formalized as holy wars or jihads against the Non-Muslim adversaries, as opposed to being a purely economic activity as it was before.
What do levantine people look like?
Most Levantines have Mediterranean coloration. This coloration varies, but includes colors that might be mis-identified with a Southern German at their lightest and may be mis-indentified with Pakistani at their darkest. Nationalities with similar complexions include most Arabs, Southern Italians, Southern Spaniards, Turks, Egyptians, and other North Africans. Most of these groups are characterized as "White" by the United States Census Bureau, regardless of how others may see them.
How does Arabization differ from being born an Arab?
Arabs, Turks, Magyars (Hungarians), and numerous other ethnic groups are not actually homogeneous. They are composed of two historical groups that intermarried and created a unified culture.In the Arab case, it is critical to split the people from Arabia who are "genetically Arab" from the peoples of the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Northern Africa who would be conquered by the Arabs. After conquest, those Levantines, Mesopotamians, and North Africans who converted to Islam began to take on the same mannerisms as the foreign Arabs who had conquered them. They began to speak the same language, dress in the same clothes, and believe in the same general ideologies. This process is well-documented by Arabs and is called Arabization or Ta3arib (تعريب). This is why the Jews and the Christians of the Upper Middle East (the Levant and Mesopotamia) often do not consider themselves Arabs. Unlike their Levantine brothers whose conversion to Islam made them more susceptible to Arabization, they retained their pre-Arabized ethnic sensibility. Conversely, those groups that converted to Islam, but did not speak Arabic, like the Turks, Kurds, Persians, and Amazigh/Berbers were not Arabized.Most "Arabs" today are actually the descendants of Arabized Levantines, Mesopotamians, and North Africans as opposed to the genetic descendants of the people from the Arabian Peninsula.
What ethnic groups do the Palestinians belong to?
Answer 1Almost all modern Palestinians consider themselves Arabs, specifically fellahin, which is usually translated as "Settled Arabs" as opposed to nomadic Arabs like the Bedouin.Answer 2 Palestinians are part of the Greater Syrian ethnicity, usually referred to as Levantine Arabs; levantine in their genetic ancestry from inhabitants of the region such as Canaanites, ancient Hebrews and the Greek Philistines, and Arab in terms of their language, although not their genetics. 'Palestinian' and sometimes 'Palestinian Arab' is usually referred to as a separate ethnicity, especially the latter, as Palestinians have developed a unique culture and linguistic dialect of Arabic, and as a result of their heritage spanning Jews, Samaritans, Greeks, Turks and European Crusaders, they can be genetically seperated from other Levantines/Arabs as a result of their significant Greek (Philistine) blood, which is not present elsewhere. Therefore, the ethnic group of Palestinians is Palestinian Arab, part of the broader Levantine ethnicity shared with Lebanese, Jordanians and Syrians.
What is the difference between Bulgar and Bulgarian?
Simple Answer:Bulgars are a Turkic Tribe that conquered and ruled Bulgaria. The Bulgarians are the Slavic and Thracian Roman peoples who lived in the area and remained the most populous population. Eventually the Bulgars were absorbed into the general Bulgarian population and lost any non-Slavic distinctiveness.Complex Answer:There are numerous non-homogenous ethnicities (see below for a discussion of a non-homogenous ethnicity). This usually happens when a conquering tribe overtakes the land of sedentary people and rules over them. Usually, the conquerors impose or impart their "ethnic qualities" on the conquered people. In Bulgaria, the reverse happened and the conquerors became a part of the indigenous peoples.The Bulgars were a Turkic/Scythian/Sarmatian mix of a tribe that lived in what is now southern Ukraine. Under the leadership of Khan Asparukh in 680 CE, between 30,000-50,000 Bulgars moved out of "Ukraine" and into the southern Balkans and created the First Bulgarian Empire in what is now Bulgaria and Romania. The Byzantine Empire recognized this new empire in 681 CE.The Bulgars were outnumbered by the Slavic and Thracian Roman peoples who were indigenous to the land and who began to identify themselves by the name of the Empire: Bulgarians. Over the next three centuries, the Bulgar conquerors began to take on Slavic characteristics like Slavic language (as opposed to Turkic or Scythian Language) and Byzantine Rite Christianity (the forerunner to Orthodox Christianity). Eventually, the Bulgars became indistinguishable from the Bulgarians they had conquered.Non-Homogenous Ethnic GroupsArabs and numerous other ethnic groups are not actually homogenous. They are composed of two historical groups that intermarried and created a unified culture. In the Arab case, Arab nomads from Arabia conquered the Levant region and brought it under their rule. During that period, those Levantines who converted to Islam began to take on the same mannerisms as the foreign Arabs who had conquered them. They began to speak the same language, dress in the same clothes, and believe in the same general ideologies. This process is well-documented by Arabs and is called Arabization or Ta3arib (تعريب). This is why the Jews and the Christians of the Upper Middle East (the Levant and Mesopotamia) often do not consider themselves Arabs. Unlike their Levantine brothers whose conversion to Islam made them more susceptible to Arabization, they retained their pre-Arabized ethnic sensibility. Therefore, although Levantines call themselves Arabs, the majority do not and should not have lineages that go back to Arabia, but to pre-Arab ancestors in the Levant region, likely Jews, Christians, and Pagans in the Byzantine Empire.
How did battles with the Berbers affect Muslim rule?
Generally speaking, the Amazigh (proper term for Berber) in the lowland and coastal areas capitulated relatively quickly to the Arab Muslim Armies and converted to Islam, in order to participate in the the booty collection from future conquests. This allowed the Arab Muslim Armies to be bolstered at each point of conquest and would eventually allow there to be a conquering force large enough to conquer Spain in the 8th century. It was the lack of battles in key Amazigh lowland and coastal regions that allowed Islam to continue to expand westward.However, the Amazigh who lived in the Atlas Mountains or further in the Sahara militarily resisted the Arab Muslims for centuries. This centralized Arab control of these countries in the lowland regions because the superior mountain positions could not be taken. For example, this is why all four of Morocco's historic capitals, Rabat, Fez, Meknes, and Marrakesh, are in lowland areas and not anywhere near the Atlas Mountains. Similarly, almost all settlement by Arabs in Algeria is within 50 kilometers of the coast. If the Amazigh in the more remote areas did not resist Arab Muslims, they would have been culturally assimilated to the degree where they would no longer have retained a distinct Amazigh identity, in much the same way that Muslim Mesopotamians and Muslim Levantines lack a distinct ethnic identity - e.g. they are Arabs.
Why did Aryans consider themselves the 'supreme race'?
Nazi's believed the Nordic Race which came to be called the Aryan Race in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, represented a pure white race. The Nazis believed the Aryans formerly dwelt on the lost, mythical continent of Atlantis. The believed other white Europeans like Slavs and Indo-Iranians had blood from non-European ancestors and were therefore inferior.
WHERE DID THE TURKS ORIGINALLY FROM?
Answer 1We are originally from Central Asia, near China.Answer 2Turks, Arabs, Magyars (Hungarians), and numerous other ethnic groups are not actually homogenous. They are composed of two historical groups that intermarried and created a unified culture. In the Turkish case, Oghuz Turks from what is now Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan conquered the Anatolia and parts of the Balkans and brought it under their rule. During that period, those Byzantine Greeks and Jugoslavs who converted to Islam began to take on the same mannerisms as the foreign Turks who had conquered them. They began to speak the same language, dress in the same clothes, and believe in the same general ideologies. This process is well-documented by the Turks and is called Turkification or Türkleşme in Turkish. This is why the Jewish and the Christian communities of the Seljuq and Ottoman Turkish Empires did not consider themselves to be Turks. Unlike their Anatolian brothers whose conversion to Islam made them more susceptible to Turkification, they retained their Byzantine ethnic sensibility. Therefore, although most citizens of Turkey believe that they are descended from the Oghuz Turks of Central Asia, the majority do not and should not have lineages that go back to Central Asia, but to pre-Turk ancestors in Anatolia region, likely Jews, Christians, and Pagans in the Byzantine Empire.(In the Arab case, Arabians conquered numerous populations outside of Arabia and implemented Arabization or Ta3arib (تعريب) to turn numerous non-Arabs such as Levantines, Mesopotamians, Persians, and Amazigh into Arabs. Arabization was not much different than Turkification. The Magyars made the sedentary population of the Hungarian Empire into Hungarians through conversion to the Catholic Church and the proliferation of the Hungarian Language and customs.)
How did Islamic rule affect the Persians?
The Arab Islamic Invasion of Persia from the 600s C.E. until Persia became independent again in the 900s C.E. had a profound effect on Persia and Persian culture. Some of the myriad of changes that occurred domestically within Persia included:Islam Replacing Zoroastrianism: Persia had previously had its own unique religion called "Zoroastrianism". Under the Parthians and Sassanids, Zoroastrianism had become the majority religion in Persia and was the religion of the rulers and aristocrats. Under Islamic Rule, Zoroastrians were persecuted, in some cases violently, but in most cases simply by repressive taxes and social sanction. In order to maintain their position in the nobility, most nobles were required to convert to Islam or face the "horrible" life of a commoner. Within three centuries, Persia had become majority-Muslim.Arab-Persian Ethnic Conflict: For most of Persian history up to this point, the Persians had seen the Arabs as a distant nuisance on the Arabian Peninsula and scarcely paid them more heed than they would common thieves or vandals. Persia concerned itself with controlling civilized regions and settled peoples, like the Mesopotamians, the Levantines, the Anatolians, the Egyptians, and the Khorasanis. In almost all cases, when the Persians conquered these areas, they were well-respected as civilized, organized, and cultural rulers. Conversely, when the Arabs overran Persia, they destroyed Persian cultural buildings; had little regard for Persian organizational systems; understood nothing of Persian literature, history, or values; and, worst of all, asserted themselves as superior to the Persians. This set up a centuries-long rivalry between the Arabs and Persians where the former saw the latter as second-class Muslims (Mawali) since they refused to leave their old heathen language behind and embrace Arabic (in contrast to the Mesopotamians, Levantines, and Egyptians) and where the latter saw the former as uncivilized barbarians who had the audacity to trample all over 4000 years of culture and development. Neither side has really made overtures to heal the cultural rift and today, Saudi Arabia, the center of the Arab World, and Iran remain bitter enemies.Arabic Influence in Persian: During the Arab Islamic Caliphates, the Persian language was substantially modified with numerous Arabic loanwords that led to a massive transformation of the language. Additionally, Arabic forms of poetry became popular in Persia. It would take the influence of the later giants of Persian literature like Ferdowsi, Khayyam, and Nizami to "re-Persianify" the Persian language. However, the Arabic literary stylings became integrated into a wider Persian ambit of literature and culture in the Persian tradition of taking the best from "lesser cultures".Pax-Islamica and Persian Science: Because of the vast size of the Umayyad and Abbassid Empires, Persia benefited from an exchange of knowledge and goods with the Amazigh of North Africa and the Iberians of Spain, not to mention the Levantine populations who were physically close, but under Byzantine control previously. This allowed for a flowering of Persian science and mathematics during the wider Islamic Golden Age. In fact, many of the key figures of the Islamic Golden Age were Persians, like al-Khwarizmi, Rumi, Nasir ad-Din al-Tusi, and Ibn Sina.
How Islamic rule affect the Persians?
The Arab Islamic Invasion of Persia from the 600s C.E. until Persia became independent again in the 900s C.E. had a profound effect on Persia and Persian culture. Some of the myriad of changes that occurred domestically within Persia included:Islam Replacing Zoroastrianism: Persia had previously had its own unique religion called "Zoroastrianism". Under the Parthians and Sassanids, Zoroastrianism had become the majority religion in Persia and was the religion of the rulers and aristocrats. Under Islamic Rule, Zoroastrians were persecuted, in some cases violently, but in most cases simply by repressive taxes and social sanction. In order to maintain their position in the nobility, most nobles were required to convert to Islam or face the "horrible" life of a commoner. Within three centuries, Persia had become majority-Muslim.Arab-Persian Ethnic Conflict: For most of Persian history up to this point, the Persians had seen the Arabs as a distant nuisance on the Arabian Peninsula and scarcely paid them more heed than they would common thieves or vandals. Persia concerned itself with controlling civilized regions and settled peoples, like the Mesopotamians, the Levantines, the Anatolians, the Egyptians, and the Khorasanis. In almost all cases, when the Persians conquered these areas, they were well-respected as civilized, organized, and cultural rulers. Conversely, when the Arabs overran Persia, they destroyed Persian cultural buildings; had little regard for Persian organizational systems; understood nothing of Persian literature, history, or values; and, worst of all, asserted themselves as superior to the Persians. This set up a centuries-long rivalry between the Arabs and Persians where the former saw the latter as second-class Muslims (Mawali) since they refused to leave their old heathen language behind and embrace Arabic (in contrast to the Mesopotamians, Levantines, and Egyptians) and where the latter saw the former as uncivilized barbarians who had the audacity to trample all over 4000 years of culture and development. Neither side has really made overtures to heal the cultural rift and today, Saudi Arabia, the center of the Arab World, and Iran remain bitter enemies.Arabic Influence in Persian: During the Arab Islamic Caliphates, the Persian language was substantially modified with numerous Arabic loanwords that led to a massive transformation of the language. Additionally, Arabic forms of poetry became popular in Persia. It would take the influence of the later giants of Persian literature like Ferdowsi, Khayyam, and Nizami to "re-Persianify" the Persian language. However, the Arabic literary stylings became integrated into a wider Persian ambit of literature and culture in the Persian tradition of taking the best from "lesser cultures".Pax-Islamica and Persian Science: Because of the vast size of the Umayyad and Abbassid Empires, Persia benefited from an exchange of knowledge and goods with the Amazigh of North Africa and the Iberians of Spain, not to mention the Levantine populations who were physically close, but under Byzantine control previously. This allowed for a flowering of Persian science and mathematics during the wider Islamic Golden Age. In fact, many of the key figures of the Islamic Golden Age were Persians, like al-Khwarizmi, Rumi, Nasir ad-Din al-Tusi, and Ibn Sina.
What is the origin of the Palestinians?
The Palestinians are the result of the fracturing of the Levantine Arab identity in the 20th century according to the lines drawn by the British and French when colonizing the Levant. The Levantine Arab identity came from the descendants a number of various Canaanite, Phoenician, Jewish, Armenian, and Arab peoples who underwent a collective process of Arabization in the Southern Levant during the 12th-14th centuries.More Clarity on ArabizationArabs, Turks, Magyars (Hungarians), and numerous other ethnic groups are not actually homogenous. They are composed of two historical groups that intermarried and created a unified culture. In the Arab case, Arab nomads from Arabia conquered the Levant region and brought it under their rule. During that period, those Levantines who converted to Islam began to take on the same mannerisms as the foreign Arabs who had conquered them. They began to speak the same language, dress in the same clothes, and believe in the same general ideologies. This process is well-documented by Arabs and is called Arabization or Ta3arib. This is why the Jews and the Christians of the Upper Middle East (the Levant and Mesopotamia) often do not consider themselves Arabs. Unlike their Levantine brothers whose conversion to Islam made them more susceptible to Arabization, they retained their pre-Arabized ethnic sensibility. Therefore, although Palestinians call themselves Arabs, the majority do not and should not have lineages that go back to Arabia, but to pre-Arab ancestors in the Levant region, likely Jews, Christians, and Pagans in the Byzantine Empire.(The Turks "Turk-ified" the formerly Byzantine population of central Anatolia and most of modern Turkey and had some effect elsewhere in the Balkans. The Magyars made the sedentary population of the Hungarian Empire into Hungarians through conversion to the Catholic Church and the proliferation of the Hungarian Language and customs.)
How can Palestinians claim their homeland as Palestine?
Arabs, Turks, Magyars (Hungarians), and numerous other ethnic groups are not actually homogenous. They are composed of two historical groups that intermarried and created a unified culture. In the Arab case, Arab nomads from Arabia conquered the Levant region and brought it under their rule. During that period, those Levantines who converted to Islam began to take on the same mannerisms as the foreign Arabs who had conquered them. They began to speak the same language, dress in the same clothes, and believe in the same general ideologies. This process is well-documented by Arabs and is called Arabization or Ta3arib (تعريب). This is why the Jews and the Christians of the Upper Middle East (the Levant and Mesopotamia) often do not consider themselves Arabs. Unlike their Levantine brothers whose conversion to Islam made them more susceptible to Arabization, they retained their pre-Arabized ethnic sensibility. Therefore, although Palestinians call themselves Arabs, the majority do not and should not have lineages that go back to Arabia, but to pre-Arab ancestors in the Levant region, likely Jews, Christians, and Pagans in the Byzantine Empire. (The Turks "Turk-ified" the formerly Byzantine population of central Anatolia and most of modern Turkey and had some effect elsewhere in the Balkans. The Magyars made the sedentary population of the Hungarian Empire into Hungarians through conversion to the Catholic Church and the proliferation of the Hungarian Language and customs.)
