Cradle of Islam

Mai Yamani is a research fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London and has written and broadcast widely on her native Saudi Arabia. She was the first Saudi woman to receive a D. Phil from Oxford University where she conducted the research for this book. She studied at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and taught at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah and the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University.

"'Mai Yamani is consistently the sharpest observer of modern Saudi Arabia and paints a vivid picture of the cauldron of political and religious divisions that are tearing it apart. This is a major contribution to the study of Arab diversity - at a time when the West urgently needs to understand it.' Tim Sebastian, BBC Hard Talk 'My father was born in Mecca and much of what I have read here reminds me of my father, grandfather and relations. Mai Yamani has provided us with a unique perspective on the Hijaz. This is an invaluable contribution to the social and political history of a hitherto largely unknown, ignored and unrecognised people. An irrefutably powerful argument for the preservation of cultural identity, respect for human dignity and a celebration of our human diversity.' HRH Prince Hassan of Jordan" 'Mai Yamani has further established her reputation as one of the foremost scholars on Saudi Arabia with her new book Cradle of Islam: The Hijaz and the Quest for an Arabian Identity.' 'Yamani bases her research on interviews with native Saudis, a task for which her knowledge of Arabic, and particularly of the Hijazi dialect, has uniquely prepared her.' 'Cradle of Islam makes a serious contribution to understanding Saudi society...' 'With Cradle of Islam, Yamani has provided new insight into a notoriously difficult area of study...' Kristen Eichensehr, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, October 2005. 'Yamani writes lucidly and incisively and, apparently without fear, on topics that few others have articulated in an equally authoritative frame.' - Arab Banker

• Acknowledgements * Prologue: Returning to the Cradle * Defining the Hijaz: The Roots of Cultural Resistance * The Hijazi 'awa'il and the Preservation of Hijazi Identity * The Political Awakening of the Hijazi 'awa'il * The Rotes of Passage 1: Ceremonies of Birth * The Rites of Passage II: Marriage and Social Status * The Rites of Passage III: Death - The Final Vindication * Cultivating the Social Arts I: The Art of Formal Conversation among the Hijazi 'awa'il * Cultivating the Social Arts II: Reasserting Culinary Tradition * Cultivatng the Social Arts III: The Adaptation of Hijazi Dress to the New Social Order * Conclusion * Appendix A: Deconstructing the awa'il * Appendix B: A Selection of Polite Phrases * Select Glossary * Bibliography and Further Reading * Notes