Arabs

The Arabs (, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people (), are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia and Northern Africa, which formally denotes the "Arab homeland". Moreover, a significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. According to the Abrahamic tradition, Arabs are descendants of Abraham through his son Ishmael, who was born in Canaan, a region in the Levant that is now part of Palestine and Israel. Islamic sources state that Abraham brought Hagar and Ishmael to Mecca. The 14th century Arab historian Ibn Kathir mentions that the pre-Islamic Arabs considered Ishmael as their patriarch. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years. In the 9th century BCE, the Assyrians made written references to Arabs as inhabitants of the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Arabia. Throughout the ancient Near East, Arabs established influential civilizations starting from 3000 BCE onwards, such as Dilmun, Gerrha and, Magan, playing a vital role in trade between Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean. Other prominent tribes include Midian, ʿĀd, and Thamud mentioned in the Bible and Quran. The Amorites, likely originating from Arabia, emerged around 2100 BCE in the Levant and Mesopotamia. Around 1300 BCE, the Edomites were found adjacent to Moab in the southern Levant. Later, in 900 BCE, the Qedarites enjoyed close relations with the nearby Canaanite and Aramaean states, and their territory extended from Lower Egypt to the Southern Levant. From 1200 BCE to 110 BCE, powerful Arab kingdoms such as Saba, Lihyan, Minaean, Qataban, Hadhramaut, Awsan, and Homerite emerged in Arabia. During classical antiquity, the Nabataeans established their kingdom with Petra as the capital in 300 BCE, by 271 CE, the Palmyrene Empire with the capital Palmyra, led by Queen Zenobia, encompassed the Syria Palaestina, Arabia Petraea, and Egypt, as well as large parts of Anatolia. The Arab Itureans inhabited Lebanon, Syria, and northern Palestine (Galilee) during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The Osroene and Hatran were Arab kingdoms in Upper Mesopotamia around 200 CE. In 164 CE, the Sasanians recognized the Arabs as "Arbayistan", meaning "land of the Arabs," as they were part of Adiabene in upper Mesopotamia. The Arab Emesenes ruled by 46 BCE Emesa (Homs), Syria.