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The topic of the current study is of exceptional relevance due to the rather poor knowledge of the life of Eastern Arabia in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the least studied issues in this field of study is the socio-political history of the Bani Khalid emirate, one of the most significant powers of the Arabian Peninsula during the mentioned period. The main purpose of the article is the reconstruction and primary analysis of the main directions of its foreign policy as well as the factors that influenced its formation. The core of the study consists of data from the Arabian chronicles of the 17th-19th centuries. Its systematization and comprehensive analysis showed that the determining factor in the formation of the foreign policy of the newly formed emirate was the weakening of Ottoman influence in the Persian Gulf, which led to the independence of the East Arabian province of Al-Hasa under the rule of the Khalidites. The absence of serious external threats, the large number of the ruling tribe, the wealth of the lands under its control, as well as the specifics of social life of the emirate allowed its rulers to begin active subjugation of one of the main trade routes of the peninsula, which ran through the southern regions of Central Arabia. New chronicle materials also enable division of this process into three main ones, which differ by the strategies of Bani Khalid leaders in achieving their goals. In general, this work is one of the few studies covering this topic that can also serve as a basis for further research on the history of the Arabian Peninsula.

The article is consecrated to exploring the genesis and specific features of the Saudi political system, viewed as a variant of nationhood model, that was shaped in the 20th century in the Arab world and appeared to be in the grip of crisis over the second and third decades of the 21st century. The research is based on a hybrid historic-politological methodology that permits to trace the genesis and evolution of the political system throughout a protracted period in retrospect. The source base of a historic research section is made up of documents compiled by Soviet diplomats as well as diplomatic records of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which detail the steps undertaken by Ibn Saud with the aim of setting up the institutes of political power in the Kingdom and defining its administrative and territorial structure. Drawing on these documents, the politological section of this article identifies three clusters of elements pertinent to the Saudi political model: a universal cluster, whose analogues can be found in the history of diverse state formations, an Arab-Muslim cluster, which is in correlation with the appropriate political culture, and an Arabian one. Other examples are revealed, where the above elements of nationhood have played a crucial role. The Saudi specificity, as shown herein, embraces both traditional and contemporary elements of statehood. A thesis is advanced by the authors regarding the existence of a specifically Arabian model underlying the genesis of a multicomponent state, also the ramifications of such genesis for the development of political system are laid out.

This study explores how the layout of neighborhoods in traditional settlements of Saudi Arabia's Najdi region influence social interactions and urban planning decisions. The study uses a multidisciplinary approach that includes urban morphology, architectural phenomenology, and sociological study methods to investigate the relationships between spatial organization and decision-making processes on both the macro and micro levels of decision-making. The purpose is to look at how collective action decision-making processes affect the urban fabric and how social norms influence spatial organization at different levels. The study applies case study and spatial analysis approaches to investigate how the traditional settlements' spatial structure promotes peace among the inhabitants while also sustaining cultural traditions. The qualitative approach investigates how spatial arrangements influence behaviors, developing a better understanding of how residents interact with their surroundings. According to the study's findings, these spatial layouts sustain customs and assist communities in adapting to environmental changes by retaining cultural activities. The study identifies the significance of balancing development with the retention of important traditional values in the implementation of long-term urban conservation plans. Traditional Najdi towns can serve as urban design examples, emphasizing the need to acknowledge the distinct value of vernacular architecture in modern urban development while also fostering social cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main concern of this paper is to explore and analyze the influence of the environment on the built heritage in Saudi Arabia. It is hypothesized that the environment formed and initiated the main features of the built heritage in Saudi Arabia. This influence, in addition, is adapted through different variables such as cultural, natural, and climate, including religion, traditions, geology, location, land nature and soil, and macroclimate and microclimate. These variables, in fact, formed the main features of the built heritages, including pattern, type and character. Other external factors, to some extent, also influenced the architectural elements of the built heritage, especially the interrelationship with other civilizations (Wang et al in Heritage 4:2942–2959. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage4040164, 2021). The investigation of the environmental variables, therefore, used to define the influence of each variable on the main features of different buildings of the built heritage, particularly houses, and palaces in Saudi Arabia. The analysis, moreover, focused on the shared features of these buildings in the main regions of Saudi Arabia. The purpose is to define that although the climate and the natural variables may differ in Saudi Arabia, the built heritage shares the main urban pattern and architectural features mostly as a result of the influence of the cultural variable, particularly the religion, traditions, and habits. In other words, cultural variables have a direct influence on defining the shared features of the built heritage. Furthermore, the rationale of this analysis is to prove that the built heritage is highly valuable because it was initiated and developed as a part of its environment. It afforded its residents with their religious, traditions, habits, social, and living necessities. Therefore, it requires protection for the future generations in Saudi Arabia (Alnaim MM (2022b) J Archit Plann 34:223–238. https://doi.org/10.33948/JAP-KSU-34-2-5, 2022b; Spahic in A conceptual framework for sustainability in Islamic architecture: the significance of the islamic concepts of man and the environment. Conference on Technology and Sustainability in the Built Environment, 3–6 January 2010. Riyadh, 2010). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to identify the significant characteristics of the traditional Najdi courtyard in Saudi Arabia in order to comprehend the typology and applicability of courtyard patterns in Najdi dense urban neighborhoods. The study includes a literature review that investigates the socio-cultural influences on courtyard typology and the typological implications of courtyard residences at both the building and urban scales. The study also includes a case study of six Najdi courtyard residences in three settlements in the central region that analyzes the patterns, characteristics, and spatial qualities of these courtyards. The ethnographic approach is used to observe and document a culture, society, or other phenomenon related to the study objectives through participant observation and interviews, as well as making use of the Space Syntax “justified access graphs” method to understand and examine the organization and spatial order of the traditional dwelling. The study indicates that the courtyard acts as a holistic space and place within the home; however, the features of individual courtyards may vary based on geographical and environmental setting. The conclusion of the research is that courtyard typologies have the capacity to satisfy the enduring cultural, social, and climatic demands of residents and hence might be implemented in contemporary urban contexts. The findings of this research suggest that courtyard typology has the potential to create an environment of comfort, privacy, and special efficiency for modern urban households.

This article traces the coffee bean trade from its spread in central Arabia, focusing particularly on two groups of merchants in al-Qasim. The first group includes those who migrated and settled in countries of the Arabian Gulf, Iraq, India, or elsewhere and engaged in the trade in food, including in coffee. They amassed wealth and established large trading networks in the Hijaz, the Gulf coasts, Iraq, and India. The second group comprises traders who traveled from al-Qasim to the ports of the Arabian Gulf to purchase foodstuffs and export them to al-Qasim and other regions of central Arabia. The article emphasizes the strong relationships among these traders, how they were linked by the coffee trade, and how this trade also symbolized the connection between Najd and the wider world, contributing to its integration into the global economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literary stories as a means of communication highlight the deep connection between human and non-human entities and the association of matter and mind. Ahmad Alhokail’s Turq wa Mudan/Roads and Cities, a contemporary Saudi novel published in 2019, elucidates the idea of “storied matter” and the creative and narrative agency of non-human entities. This work draws a narrative map of stories that trace the physical map of Riyadh and the neighboring villages of northern Najd. This map aims to connect culture to nature and thus gives insights to the dynamic relationship between places (non-humans) and their inhabitants (humans). Drawing on material ecocriticism, Barad’s agential realism and the question of creativity, this study attempts to investigate the human and non-human “intra-actions” and highlight the narrative agency of places encountered throughout the novel as well as the storied bodies of traditional poetry and storytelling. It maintains that places and nature are vibrant, agentic matter that have the capacity to embody the history, memories and traditions of the inhabitants of Najd region.

This study examines the regional and sociolinguistic variation in the paradigms of personal pronouns, independent and dependent, in Najdi dialects. The regional dialects are Central, Qassim, and Northern. The social dialects are sub-varieties of the Central dialect: Hamadan, Hawazin, and Sedentary. The data was collected using the sociolinguistic interview of 25 speakers. It was found that there were more variations in the personal pronoun forms than what have been reported in the literature. When comparing forms with Standard Arabic, the Central dialects are more conservative in the number of changes to the forms. However, Qassim and Northern have retained gender distinction in plural forms while Central dialects did not. This study introduced forms of personal pronouns that were never mentioned in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Babylon Center for Humanities Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mosques are among the most advanced forms of religious architecture. With the Muslim community's rapid expansion through modernity along with clearly defined Islamic life needs activities, setting aside an enclosed area in small settlements or large towns became necessary for established communal worship. The purpose of this study is to analyze and develop the structure, structural decoration, and material and design choices made by mosques during the traditional period of Najd, Saudi Arabia's central region. While mosque architecture during the traditional Najdi Muslim period demonstrates its religious identity, as is frequently noted, secular architecture's ideas are not spiritually motivated in a cosmic sense. Indeed, the architectural concept and material selection and the functional and aesthetic uses of an object all contribute to determining what it expresses. A process that incorporates standard materials, skilled labor, innovative ideas, and socioeconomic and geographical factors may be used to construct any magnificent architecture. Thus, this study provides an overview of the historical architecture of the current syntax of "Najd Mosques Architecture" to facilitate knowledge and comprehension when designing contemporary mosques that incorporate elements of history and culture, religion, the environment, and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arts for Linguistic & Literary Studies is the property of Thamar University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This research included four early Arab and Islamic inscriptions, which are found in the “Aliyat Najd” region, and the four inscriptions were found in the “Aliyah Najd” area. A geographical area located in the center of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the following mountains: Mount Zaidi, Mount Shatab, Mount Akithal and Mount Sanfan. These four inscriptions are the focal point of this research. With regard to letters and style, the inscriptions and writings date back to the early Islamic era, and these inscriptions can be dated from the first century AD to the third century AD. The study focused on documenting early Arab inscriptions in the Najd region, and an analytical study of these inscriptions is being conducted. This study is considered the first for these inscriptions, as it was discovered for the first time by the researcher. The study of these inscriptions provides a description, reading, commentary and analysis of their topics in an analytical and descriptive manner, and the paper attempts to analyze the technical features of writing and decorating the inscriptions under study, during the study and analysis of this group, whether form or object. The study proved that this group is similar to the Islamic writings in the entire Islamic world. In addition, the ability of the skill of the old Arab artist shows residents of the desert. The method of writing early Islamic inscriptions in the study area of ​​the Upper Najd Plateau was based on dry Kufic script, noting that the four inscriptions are not dated. Arabic inscriptions and writings are considered one of the most important sources for the history of the Arabian Peninsula, as they record passers-by, travelers, merchants and pilgrims who recorded the events of their era through inscriptions with his hand. And the tool with which these inscriptions were implemented.These inscriptions are evidence of the knowledge of Muslims and Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula to read and write, an acquired talent that goes back many centuries from distant eras. The first beginnings of writing knowledge in the Arabian Peninsula go back more than six thousand years to the present day.

Copyright of Umm Al-Qura University Journal of Social Sciences is the property of Association of Arab Universities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Larq Journal for Philosophy, Linguistics & Social Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal Architecture & Planning is the property of King Saud University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Babylon Center for Humanities Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aims at shedding light on the emergence of the Saudi national resistance in the Diriyah region led, the study also aims to unveil the importance of the historical period in the Arabian Peninsula and to document the most important historical events. Saud managed to convince the Arab community with their ideology, and the extent to which people accepted their views. How Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab and Muhammad ibn Saud managed to control some areas of the Arabian Peninsula, and formed the first Saudi state. The success of the religious reform in Najd region, was a result of the deteriorating conditions, also persuading people and spreading ideologies among them and extending the political influence over the regions of Al-Ahsa, the Hijaz and Amman. The center and east of the island were never under Ottoman rule. This indicates that Muhammad bin Saud and his ally found the appropriate resort to reform the Arab society in the Arabian Peninsula, and to establish a state with national sovereignty, representing the first Saudi state. The study forwards conclusions and outlined some recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sunni revivalist Muḥammad Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (d. 1792) has been subjected to rigorous scrutiny by a number of scholars. Much remains unknown about Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb's life and work, however, not least the rationale behind his idiosyncratic style of authorship. Examining the scholar's theological writings from the vantage point of Arabia's oral vernacular and popular religious traditions casts new light on the particularities of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb's appeal. That appeal, this paper argues, is rooted in phenomena that were seemingly peripheral or even anathema to his puritanical religious mission, namely, poetry and magic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal Architecture & Planning is the property of King Saud University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article is an account of the political mission of Lt Col Robert Edward Archibald Hamilton (later Udny-Hamilton, 11th Lord Belhaven and Stenton, 1871–1950) to the Emir Abd Al-Aziz Al-Saud of Najd in 1917. It particularly draws on Hamilton's private diaries, as well as other reports and notes as well as on Philby's Report on Najd Mission 1917–1918. It contains an account of the political and military background to the mission in the Arab world and Mesopotamia in the context of the First World War, including Ibn Saud's relationships with the Ottomans, Kuwait, the British, Sharif Hussain, and the Ajman tribe. It also contains further biographical information about Hamilton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of the Najdi Sheikhdom of al-Zubayr in southern Iraq is one of the neglected aspects in the modern history of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula. The rise of the First Saudi State and Wahhabism contributed mainly to the growth of al-Zubayr Sheikhdom and the formation of its political entity through the waves of migrations to it from Najd. These migrations were inclusive of all segments of the Najdi society. This article focuses on identifying the gaps in the current historical sources of Al-Zubayr. Specifically, the article critically examines the references and sources of al-Zubayr's history. Indeed, books on al Zubayr have marginalized several historical events and tackled these same events without an in-depth analysis despite the importance of the Najdi Sheikhdom and its role in the history of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula. The selectivity of events also has a share in this criticism, as the article attempts to show the inaccuracy with regard to the structure of the books of Al-Zubayr's history. Finally, the article attempts to raise researchers' awareness of the importance of marginalized history in the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula and calls for deeper consideration of such histories. This will, in turn, contribute to deepening the historical analysis of the social, economic and political relations between the sheikhdoms that existed during the modern history of the Gulf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of University of Sharjah Journal for Humanities & Social Sciences is the property of University of Sharjah - Scientific Publishing Unit and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The history of the Sheikdom of al-Zubayr is an essential aspect of Gulf history as it closely relates to significant events that have helped shape the region. Due to the relative lack of research into this important sheikhdom, this article makes a significant contribution to the historical narrative of al-Zubayr focusing on its links between its sister city states of Najd. This paper notably investigates the political relationship between al-Zubayr and the Najd city states of Harma and Huraymila. In doing so, the article shows how this sheikhdom, has been socially, culturally and politically shaped by the Najdi city states. Hence, the article argues that al-Zubayr also occupies a central position in the political and religious landscape of that time as it acted as a de facto refuge for many powerful Najdi clans during the rise of the Saudi/Wahhabi movement. Based on a review of several Arabic primary sources, it is shown how the Najdi city states' political conflicts were exported to the sheikhdom of al-Zubayr which witnessed a particularly violent political history shaped by the various conflicts between two main Najdi factions, Harma and Huraymila. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most analyses of the fate of the Hijaz and the Muslim pilgrimage after the First World War have focused on the struggle between Hashemites and Saudis. But in actuality the Egyptians were heavily involved in this dispute, for the Hijaz had been for centuries part of a geopolitical system based on the Red Sea littoral states. Indeed, this was a tripartite struggle, which afforded much more room for maneuver than a simple bilateral one. This article covers the maneuvers of all three parties, demonstrating how they tried to gain possession of the hajj, and all that meant for world Islamic leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a re-discussion of the question of the number of genders in Arabic. Only varieties of Arabic that display gender distinction in the plural are considered here. In these varieties, it is argued, all nouns fall into one of three distinct agreement classes (or genders), and this in spite of the fact that only two separate genders surface at the morphological level. In other words, a discrepancy exists between the number of target genders and that of controller genders. This situation is not unique to Arabic, and finds parallels in other languages of the world. In addition, the article discusses the role of feminine singular agreement with plural controllers. This type of agreement is not restricted to any particular controller type and always exists in variation with plural agreement. Therefore, it is not to be regarded as a separate agreement category, but rather as an indicator of the referent's level of individuation. Finally, the last section of the article concentrates on the possible diachronic implications of the analysis proposed above [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is about an aspect of the Ottoman-Rashidi partnership in the late Ottoman Empire that deeply influenced the order of things in Arabia and resulted in both the Ottomans and the Rashidis becoming more significant actors in regional politics. The main argument is that this partnership made a great contribution to the visibly increasing Ottoman influence in Najd (i.e., central Arabia) and the Persian Gulf in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. At the same time, the Rashidi family’s alliance with the Ottoman Empire paved the way for their emergence as a regional power. Since scholarship on the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century history of Najd and the Arab lands has tended to neglect the importance of this collaboration, the article sets out to analyze it from its inception until its end, drawing on documents from Ottoman, British, German, and Austrian archives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigates the history of Saudi folk heritage as well as the different historical and cultural factors that shaped Saudi folklore. Based on studies by eminent scholars of folk literature, such as William John Thoms, Walter J. Ong, Campbell, James Wynbrandt and Zwettler Michael, this study explains how folk elements pass down from generation to another, how they function significantly as a vehicle to transmit the nation's experience and demonstrate how such genres are relevant to the present human life. Saudi Arabia is a rich country in folkloric elements represented by the two most compelling folk genres of oral poetry and music. This research opens much-needed criteria of research on diverse heritage of a country that inherited from different cultures. Discussion in this study helps familiarize the readers with history of this country because an account of modern Saudi Arabian folk heritage without discussing these realities would be incomplete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the problem of the establishment and development of the commercial and political relations between the Soviet Union and the states of Arabian Peninsula in the 1920-1930's. Soviet Union was the first country to establish full diplomatic relations with Hijaz (the name of the Saudi state until 1932). However, relations cooled later on due to the reaction of the Western countries, especially Great Britain.

The Kindih tribe was a major Ghahtanid tribe of Yemen, inhabiting areas near Hadhramawt, before they migrated to Najd. Because of the effective role played by Ash‘ath ibn-i Gheys-i Kindi and his clan in a number of events of early Islam, familiarization with his tribe’s past in the pre-Islamic Jahiliyyah period is of considerable importance. Investigating this topic helps us to have a better understanding of some ambiguous and dark corners of the early history of Islam such as the Riddah incident, the Islamic conquests and other topics of the kind in which Ash‘ath and his family had been involved one way or another.

For thousands of years mud houses have represented the practical wisdom and spirituality of people, particularly those of desert regions, who learned how to use local materials to build homes that fitted the environmental and cultural conditions, in which they lived. As a case study, the central region of Saudi Arabia exhibits a tradition of earth architecture that is unique in style, culture and sustainability. Aiming to contribute towards the local debate of the suitability of the traditional mud architecture for today's lifestyle of Saudis, this paper explores the sustainable nature of the traditional adobe architecture of this hot arid region from environmental, social and technical points of view. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Precambrian intrusive rocks in the Arabian–Nubian Shield emplaced within and around the Najd Fault System of Saudi Arabia feature a great compositional diversity and a variety of degrees of deformation (i.e. pre-shearing deformed, sheared mylonitized, and post-shearing undeformed) that allows placing them into a relative time order. It is shown here that the degree of deformation is related to compositional variations where early, usually pre-shearing deformed rocks are of dioritic, tonalitic to granodioritic, and later, mainly post-shearing undeformed rocks are mostly of granitic composition. Correlation of the geochemical signature and time of emplacement is interpreted in terms of changes in the source region of the produced melts due to the change of the stress regime during the tectonic evolution of the Arabian–Nubian Shield. The magma of the pre-shearing rocks has tholeiitic and calc-alkaline affinity indicating island arc or continental arc affinity. In contrast, the syn- and post-shearing rocks are mainly potassium rich peraluminous granites which are typically associated with post-orogenic uplift and collapse. This variation in geochemical signature is interpreted to reflect the change of the tectonic regime from a compressional volcanic arc nature to extensional within-plate setting of the Arabian–Nubian Shield. Within the context of published geochronological data, this change is likely to have occurred around 605–580 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout history and up until the middle of the twentieth century, available information about Najd, the vast central region of the present-day Saudi Arabia, had generally been scarce, especially in languages other than Arabic. Najd of the past had a unique and distinctive culture that deserves to be known in the West. This article aims at briefly examining available information concerning Najd from antiquity up until the middle of the twentieth century, showing that more than one factor participated in the shortage of information concerning Najd of the past and its culture. The objective of this article is to define the physical features of Najd in order to show how these features had participated in its external isolation and eventually the lack of information encompassing the unique culture of Najd of the past. A brief review of the history of Najd provides the necessary information on how Najd had suffered from neglect, misunderstanding, and underestimation of its culture. This article ends by referring to the fact that time, with its change of circumstances, has brought and is still bringing more on the past of Najd and its inhabitants and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Wadi Al-Jufair, a tributary of Wadi Nisah, is one of the important wadis of Najd region (Saudi Arabia) sheltering a rich diversity of higher plants. The study area is extended into approximately 15km2 encompassing the commonest geomorphological features encountered in desert wadis. The wadi supports several rare plants, including Maerua crassifolia Forssk., a regionally endangered tree, and Acacia oerfota (Forssk.) Schweinf., a rare shrub with restricted distribution. The present study aims to analyze the vegetation of wadi Al-Jufair and propose its designation as an important plant reserve. The vegetation type is fundamentally of chamaephytic nature with some phanerophytes, and distinguished into associations where the dominant perennial species give the permanent character of plant cover in each habitat. Four vegetation groups were identified with the application of TWINSPAN, DCA and CCA programs and named after the characteristic species as follows: Lycium shawii; A. oerfota; Acacia raddiana–Rhazya stricta and Artemisia monosperma. These plant associations demonstrate significant variation in soil texture, moisture, organic matter, pH, EC, and minerals of Wadi Al-Jufair. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Dirasat: Human & Social Sciences is the property of University of Jordan and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ten global positioning system (GPS)–gravity profiles were conducted to provide sub-surface geometry of two sections of the Najd Fault System (NFS) Ruwah and Ar Rika faults, six in the Afif and four in the Al Muwayh area about 500 and 650 km west of Riyadh, respectively. GPS surveys were collected in differential GPS (DGPS) mode, allowing a large area to be covered in limited time. DGPS is utilized for the advantages of accuracy, economy, and speed. Output DGPS location coordinates were used in free-air and Bouguer reductions; terrain corrections were applied using a 3-arcsecond digital elevation model; finally, isostatic and decompensative corrections were applied. Integration of the resulting decompensative isostatic residual anomalies and aeromagnetic map has mapped the NFS very accurately. Modeling the gravity field crossing the Ruwah fault zone revealed that it is associated with low gravity anomalies probably due to a complex of lower density crushed rocks and modeled the geometry of the subsurface structure of Ar Rika fault as an inclined fault with reverse movement that would imply a compression component (post-dated the shearing) parallel to the plane of the cross-section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet bulletin boards provide an important window into public discourse in relatively restrictive societies like Saudi Arabia. Examining the discourse on two Saudi Internet bulletin boards, one representing a Najdi tribe, the other a Shi'ite community in eastern Saudi Arabia, it is possible to observe the complex and often competing ends toward which new media in the Middle East are used. The bulletin board of the Najdi and Qahtan tribe reveals a community engaged in intensive debates over issues such as intermarriage between tribal and non-tribal Saudis and the participation of women on tribal Internet forums. The discussions on the Qahtan board represent an attempt to defend the largely state-supported prerogatives of tribal exclusivism and gender segregation against encroachment by women and non-tribal minorities, whose voices can be increasingly heard through the cracks of the Internet. The discussions on the Al-Ahsa Cultural Board show other important dynamics within the Saudi state. Here, young Saudi Shi'ites congregate to discuss cultural and political concerns from (in the context of Saudi society) what might be termed a countercultural perspective. A review of Internet bulletin board use among disparate social groups within Saudi society reveals the way in which discussion forums can allow for more freedom in the exchange of religious and political ideas, while at the same time enabling the reinforcement and entrenchment of traditional values and norms within a contemporary context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]