West Asia Abstract.docx

ABSTRACT The people of western Asia are heirs to the first civilizations known to man, and their landscape is rich with examples of culture and tradition, from the oldest religions to the newly established ones. Western Asia is relatively different when comparing it to other countries, be it Asian or non-Asian. Other countries, while having distinct religions, can still stand alone as a “country” and can have an identity that is independent of their religious identity. This means, when the religious aspect of other countries are taken away from them, those countries can still be distinguished from one another because they have different sets of culture and tradition that are directly connected to the country itself – be it its people or geography. On the other hand, western Asia’s culture and traditions are very dependent of its religious beliefs. This means, when the religious aspect of western Asia countries are taken away, it may be hard for people to be able to spot some sort of uniqueness in them. Western Asia is composed of the following countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Gaza Strip, Georgia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Yemen. And its three major religious groups are the three largest religions in the world: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. On the other hand, its smaller minority religions are the following: the Bahá'í Faith, Druze, Nusairism, Manichaeism, Sabianism, Bábism, Yazidism, Mandaeism, Gnosticism, Yarsanism, Samaritanism, Zoroastrianism.

Shabakism,

Ishikism,

Ali-Illahism,

Alevism,

Yazdânism

and

While the religious aspect of western Asia has different spectrums, the same cannot be said when talking about its overall culture and tradition. Despite the fact that western Asia is composed of different religions, it can be said that western Asia is mainly dominated by Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And despite the existence of different religions, it is highly evident that most of the practices practiced by those religions are almost similar, if not exactly similar, to the three dominant religions mentioned. In this paper, western Asia’s culture and tradition shall be, if not thoroughly, sufficiently explained. Different aspects shall be tacked: food, prayer life, religious practices, symbolisms, food and proper manners.