MOFTI

Ebraheem S. Mofti
9/26/2014
Jacob Matig, M.A
Composition and Communication: CIS 110-067

Composition
&Communication

Exploring Culture Essay

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Ebraheem S. Mofti
Fall 2014

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Exploring Culture Essay

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A Deep Look at the Culture of the Eastern Province in the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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By
Ebraheem Sami Mofti

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Abstract:

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The East coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the Eastern province as it is called in
Saudi Arabia shares a lot of values and cultural aspects with most parts of the Arabian world
because of its history and the common religion. However, the Eastern province has a lot of
specialties and differences from the other parts of the Arabian world and Saudi Arabia. The west,
where I am from is totally different than the east. The most significant differences, about which
the research is going to be, are values, communications, weddings, dresses, dealing with time,
celebrating occasions, power distance, food, meaning of the family, people around, collectivity,
jobs and education, masculinity, privacy and disclosure. All of the points will be discussed and
some of them will be compared with my culture in the west coast of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.

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In 2012 I had to move from my home town, Yanbu, which is in the west coast of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to, Al-Khobar, which is in eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to study in
one of the universities over there. However, I did not think that I would be in a different place.
Al-Khobar is in the same country, and it was not that far from my region. When I arrived, I
recognized how different it is. I learned that cultures might be diverse even if they were in the
same country because of some factors, the history of that place for example. Day by day, I started
to recognize more and more differences. Some of them were easy to be recognized, others were
difficult. These differences taught me that I can become a better person even with my old culture.
We need to learn what is good from the other cultures and apply it in our personalities; also,
avoid what might be bad or objects our own values. There are too many specialties and
characteristics about the eastern culture of Saudi Arabia.
One of the first specialties that is recognizable easily about the culture in the eastern
province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is peoples clothes. Men are so special, and not like
anywhere else they wear a white dress called Thoob ( Al-Qhtani, 2014). They also wear a
red peace of headwear called Shemagh over the Shemagh they wear Agal, which is a black
cord, worn as an accessory for men in the east province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Even
though people think that Thoob, Shemagh, and Agal are worn by all the people in the Arabian
countries, that is not true. Each region has its own dresses for men. For example, in Al-Hijaz,

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which is the western region of Saudi Arabia, men wear different-looking Thoob, and over the the
Thoob we wear vests. Also, we wear Omama instead of Shemagh.

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Thoob, Lumar, Saudi Arbia

On the other hand, women dresses there are different than any
part of the world. In Islam, which is the common religion in the Saudi east coast, women have to
wear Hijab when they want to meet a foreign man. Hijab is different than what women wear over
there. Hijab is the scarf which covers the head of a women. It can be in any color or style.
However, in the east women do not just wear the Hijab, they wear a full dress called
Abaya (Al-Qhtani, 2014). Abaya is a black dress that covers all parts of the body, but it keeps
the eyes, hands, and feet uncovered. Some of the Abayas covers the face while some do not, but
in the east most women cover their faces when they wear their Abayas. Arabian men are known
for their jealousy about their wives, and that why they try to keep them safe as much as they can.
Women there do not always wear Abayas as most people think, women only wear it if they are
going to meet foreign men. Thus in their houses or when there is only women in the house they
wear normal clothes. Moreover, women their have their own special dress. women were a dress
with long sleeves called Galabya. it is usually colorful, and has a lot of designs ( Al-Qhtani,
2014).

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Another difference in this culture is the family concept in the eastern province. Unlike my
region where the family is the father, mother, sons, daughters, grand father, and grand mother.
For the eastern people of Saudi Arabia, family might means one of three things: either the
immediate family, extended family or the tribe. First, the immediate family, which contains the
father, mother, sons, and daughters. It is the most important one, and it comes before any thing
else. Then, the extended family comes. The extended family contains the grand fathers, grand
mothers, uncles, aunts, and cousins. the extended family is also very important. If you come
from the east you would always have to keep in touch with them, invite them to invite them to all
your occasions, and to help them. (Bogari,2014)
People in the east come from different tripes and they always have to be loyal to them.
Trips are so important. People in east province of Saudi Arabia carry their trips name as their
last names. This specialty is also found in most of the Arabian countries, but not in west coast of
Saudi Arabia. People there might judge you from your tribe, so people give it a big value over
there. All the tribe members are so important, but they are neither important as the immediate nor
as important as the extended family. People of the same tribe might share a dinner or lunch once
a year or more.
Another thing that I have observed there was difference in the communication style. First,
it is not appropriate to look directly at someoness eyes, even if you are having a direct
conversation with that person. Looking directly at someones eyes in the Eastern Province is
considered as a sign of a disagreement or a problem. They also have a lot of restrictions about
touching someone else, especially when men touch women. Men usually shake hands, which
demonstrate respect and welcoming, in their meeting like everywhere else; however, if a man

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knows someone, and he has not seen him for a long time they kiss each others cheeks. Because
of the Islamic rules, men can not touch foreign women. Thus, men shake and kiss each other
hands, and women do the same, but men and women can not do that unless they are from the
same family. Moreover, in the eastern side the personal space is not like the western side, where
people keep a wide range between each others, so in the east the personal space is only few
inches.
Furthermore, most of the people in Saudi Arabia share almost the same traditions, but still
eastern people are different than any one else. Eid Al-Feter, Eid Al-Adha, and Ramadan are the
common celebrations in all the Muslim countries. In the east these celebrations are devoted for
families. In Eid Al-feter, for example, each small family makes lunch or dinner for the big family
in all the days of Eid Al-feter. Also, neighbors get together after they pray the Eid prayer in the
Mosque talking and congregating to each other.
Values is another difference between the East and West in Saudi Arabia. People of the
east consider the family before anything else as mentioned previously. Most of the family gather
weekly to see each other and to keep in touch; in addition, it is a sign that the family is unified. It
is part of the collectivity they have. Also, they consider them selves as a good-communicators.
Relationships are measured by the amount of communication, so if you want to keep up a good
relationship with anyone, you need to talk or message that person a lot. These value makes big
conflicts because it is fine elsewhere to keep the relationship without communicating that much.
For example, my friends from the east always complain about the lack of communication I have
with them; however, I think the amount of communication is more than needed. Another value in
the east is generosity, which is considered the most important especially with people you do not

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have an old relationship with. As much you give as much you appreciate the other person, and
that is the reason why sometimes people do things that should not have been done like when they
make dinner in someones honor they make a lot of food to show appreciation. Because
generosity is an important value, people try to show as much as they can. For example, in a small
dinner you will find some people fighting for who will pay for the food, so each one can show
his/her generosity.
The Arabic language is spoken in 21 countries as the first language and more countries
speak it as a second language, and like any other language the dialects usually differ according
to the geographic variation. All of these countries do not speck the formal Arabic. In Saudi
Arabia, dialects are different in each region of the country. Each side has its own accent; the east
is known for its accent which more likely close to the Bahraini accent. People in east take the
word and make very longer they stretch the vowel letters. Also, They use different expressions
and idioms. Some times it is so hard to be understood like when someone wants to say it is so
easy they say Drinking Water which roughly means Piece of Cake. The eastern accents very
hard to follow especially for people who come from foreign countries except the gulf states
countries because their accent is almost the same.
Food is a major difference in the East rather than the west. People in the eastern part eat
rice with either camel meet, goat meet, chicken, or fish. They are very popular of the Kabsa,
which is goat meet or chicken over rice, which usually cooked with: cumin, cloves and some
other ingredients. They are also known for another dish called Mftah, which is almost like
Kabsa but they use different ingredients from the ones in Kabsa. In the West all of the main
dishes are brought from other cultures because the region was taken over by some states from

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different parts of the world. Moreover, people in the east eat international food from different
places of the world, American for example, but not in banquets. In addition to that, the eastern
region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is located in the coast, where people like anywhere else
close to the coast, eat a lot of fish.
One of the specialties about the east, which can also be considered as problem for people
from different parts of the world, is time. Time in the east is not specific. That means people have
uniformed time concept. Things like weddings cards can indicate that the wedding is going to
start at 8:00; however, people usually show up at 10:30, and likewise for a lot of occasions. That
is the case for all the friendly meetings and with normal people, but classes, appointments,
working time are different 7:00 means 7:00. They use the term American Time to show that
we should meet at the assigned time. Moreover, people can use different terms to show the time.
These terms uses the sun or one of the five prayers times. Someone there might ask to meet with
you after the sunset prayer or in the noon which does not indicate 12:00 as in the U.S., but it
indicates after the noon prayer.
The social life in the East does not only mean friends and colleague but it goes beyond
that. People of the east consider neighbors to be a part of their lives. Neighbors have some rights
upon each others. They have to respect them and make them comfortable as much as they can.
People in the east usually gather in the Mosque to have conversations with each others, so if
someone needs help he or she will be helped. Over there, neighbors are very important that some
people might consider them more impotent than the extended family.
In addition, people from the east are very collective. They consider them selfs as one part,
which can not be separated, of the society. The idea they have that a person is not an

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independent. Anyone is responsible for people around him/her; all people around you are
responsible for you. It is very rare to see someone makes a decision without taking some
references from different people. People like the idea of collectivity because of its advantages,
and try to keep away the disadvantages of the collectivity. Some young boys now do not have
any self-reliant, and they can not do anything by themselves. Thus, people are trying to make
balance between what they used to do and what they should do now.
People in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia have the best university and the best job
opportunities. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals takes place in Dhahran, where
the biggest oil fields in world are, that why people study there then they work in the oil fields.
People of the east mostly are educated and have good income, and lots of jobs unlike most of the
other parts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The oilfields have made a lot of people from Saudi
Arabia or other countries to move there looking for jobs. Thus, you can find a big verity of
people from all parts of the world which makes the Eastern Province one of the best places to
live in Saudi Arabia.
Masculinity and femininity has a different approach than the approach in the West Coast.
In the East the man is the one who is responsible for everything; he is the decision maker. Men
and women know exactly what they have to do which make the society more organized. The man
is the responsible for providing the houses needs like: money, food or whatever the family
needs. On the other hand, women are responsible for raising the children, and taking care of
them. That means women do not have to work, but they can if they want. Unlike what most
people think that women are not allowed to work, they are allowed unless there is a need for
them to stay in the house. If a women does not work, her father or husband is in charge to

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provide her needs. The masculinity and femininity meanings there are not associated with who
has the power, yet they mean whom is in charge of each kind of duties.
Marriages have different customs in the Eastern Province it is totally fine to marry your
cuisine actually it usually the case in the east. In addition to that in the weddings men and
women celebrate separately. In the womens side they play music, dance congratulate the bride
and wish her good things. While in the mens section some people stand and say a lot of poetry.
Then, they dance their special dance which is called Aardaa. After all of that, people eat
dinner then they go home. Weddings usually start at 10:00 pm and finish at 3:00 am. Weddings is
a chance to see a lot of people;in addition, usually weddings are so crowded.
Moreover, following the leaders is a big part of the culture. In the east the father,
Chieftain, and the king of Saudi are the important people, and they are always followed. The
chieftain is a selected man from the tribe who is responsible for all the tribes members. In the
Saudi system if you need anything you can ask the king to provide it for you; however, in the
east, people ask their chieftain then he/she goes to ask the king in behalf of the one who is in
need. Also, if there are votes in the area he is the one who is responsible to collect all the votes
and then give it to the government. Parents also have a very high power upon their sons and
daughters. In the east you should always follow you parents orders unless it is not good for them
or you. The reason why parents have this high power upon their children is the religion which
asks people to always be close to their parents all the time.
In conclusion, all of these traditions and customs might be interpreted incorrectly because
people who came from different backgrounds do not understand why they do things this way.
People of the Eastern Province are well educated people, and they are always open for the

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change toward the best for them or for the society, but they also like to keep their traditions. Life
in the east is so special because of the combination of their traditions and the globalization.
Although my experience there was not very long, but it had thought me a lot about them, and
how great they live.

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References
Altubbaji, Hussa, and Lomar Thobe. Thoob. Digital image. LAMODARABIA | GLOBAL
FASHION PORTAL. N.p., 12 May 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <http://www.lamodarabia.com/
2013/05/men-fashion-lomar-thobe.html>.

Al-Qhtani, Mohammed A . (2014, September 26). Personal interview.

Bogari, Anas O. (2014, September 26). Personal interview.
House, K. (2012). Family and Fault Line. In On Saudi Arabia: Its people, past, religion, fault
lines--and future (First ed., p. 72). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Kelly, M. (2010). Clothes, Culture, and Context: Female Dress in Kuwait. Fashion Theory: The
Journal Of Dress, Body & Culture, 14(2), 215-236. doi:10.2752/175174110X12665093381621

Rahhal, Noha. Abya. Digital image. Sans Retouches. Noha Rahhal, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 6 Oct.
2014. <http://sansretouches.com/interviews/hania-luxury-abaya>.

Rahman, S. (2008). The unity of science in the Arabic tradition science, logic, epistemology and
their interactions (First ed.). Dordrecht: Springer.

Zuhur, S. (2012). Food. In Middle East in focus Saudi Arabia (First ed., p. 305). Los Angles:
ABC-CLIO, 2012.

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