Recent Recordings of Traditional music from the Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia

The music of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf flourishes predominantly within its own regional boundaries, a function of both the fragmented music distribution channels in the Middle East and the deep imprint that local traditional cultures have left on it. While the music’s popularity is strictly regional, it is full of vitality, supporting an array of male and female song stars whose audiences eagerly await performances and recordings.The distinct sound of Gulf music echoes the internal and external historic influences on the region, interwoven with the highly syncopated rhythms and the stark unaccompanied songs of the Bedouin. Pilgrims brought foreign music influences to Mecca and Medina and left their mark on the musical ensembles of the Arabian cities in rhythms and maqāmāt. The trading and pearling towns on the coasts and in the Peninsula’s interior also saw foreigners come and go, who left their music and songs behind. As a result, a rich and varied yet distinctly Arabian/Khalījī sound developed, echoing the voices and instrumental music of East Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

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Genomic Sequencing and Analysis of Eight Camel-Derived Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Isolates in Saudi Arabia

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v12060611 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 611

Author(s):

Badr M. Al-Shomrani ◽

Manee M. Manee ◽

Sultan N. Alharbi ◽

Mussad A. Altammami ◽

Manal A. Alshehri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Middle East ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

3D Structure ◽

Arabian Gulf ◽

Cell Epitope ◽

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Spike Protein ◽

Dromedary Camel ◽

Gulf Countries

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe respiratory illness in humans; the second-largest and most deadly outbreak to date occurred in Saudi Arabia. The dromedary camel is considered a possible host of the virus and also to act as a reservoir, transmitting the virus to humans. Here, we studied evolutionary relationships for 31 complete genomes of betacoronaviruses, including eight newly sequenced MERS-CoV genomes isolated from dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia. Through bioinformatics tools, we also used available sequences and 3D structure of MERS-CoV spike glycoprotein to predict MERS-CoV epitopes and assess antibody binding affinity. Phylogenetic analysis showed the eight new sequences have close relationships with existing strains detected in camels and humans in Arabian Gulf countries. The 2019-nCov strain appears to have higher homology to both bat coronavirus and SARS-CoV than to MERS-CoV strains. The spike protein tree exhibited clustering of MERS-CoV sequences similar to the complete genome tree, except for one sequence from Qatar (KF961222). B cell epitope analysis determined that the MERS-CoV spike protein has 24 total discontinuous regions from which just six epitopes were selected with score values of >80%. Our results suggest that the virus circulates by way of camels crossing the borders of Arabian Gulf countries. This study contributes to finding more effective vaccines in order to provide long-term protection against MERS-CoV and identifying neutralizing antibodies.

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Epidemiological situation of foot-and-mouth disease in 2014–2015 and the beginning of 2016

Medycyna Weterynaryjna ◽

10.21521/mw.5658 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 131-135

Author(s):

Grażyna Paprocka ◽

Andrzej Kęsy

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Middle East ◽

United Arab Emirates ◽

Indian Subcontinent ◽

Foot And Mouth Disease ◽

Mouth Disease ◽

Reference Laboratory ◽

Serotype O ◽

Virus Serotype ◽

Foot And Mouth

This article presents key information about foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks around the world, based on data from Office International des Epizooties (OIE), World Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (WRL FMD) and the European Laboratory for Foot and Mouth Disease (EURL) at the Pirbright Institute. In the years 2014–2015 and early 2016, FMD caused by immunologically diverse serotypes O, A, Asia 1, SAT 1, SAT 2, SAT 3 occurred in areas of Asia and Africa, but there were no new outbreaks of the disease in South America. Within this period of time the dominating serotype was serotype O. For many years there were no reports about outbreaks caused by serotype C, the last of them occurring in 2004 (Brazil, Kenya). Significant epidemiological events were related to spreading of the virus serotype O (ME-SA/Ind-2001) and A (ASIA/G-VII(G-18)) from the Indian subcontinent to new regions. Serotype O (ME-SA/Ind-2001) spread in the years 2013 – 2015 in the Middle East (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain) and North Africa (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco); it was also detected in 2015 in Southeast Asia (Laos). In turn, the serotype A (ASIA/G-VII(G-18)) was recorded in 2010 in Myanmar, and in 2015 appeared in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Armenia, Turkey). Those events constituted a threat to neighbouring countries and increased the risk of intrusion FMD to Europe. A reason for concern was also given by the numerous outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in South Korea, caused by serotype O (SEA/Mya-98). In European countries there have been no outbreaks since 2011 (Bulgaria). For the record, the last outbreak in Poland was identified 45 years ago, in 1971.

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Wrong from the Start

Destroying Yemen ◽

10.1525/california/9780520296138.003.0005 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Isa Blumi

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Middle East ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

East Africa ◽

Political Actor ◽

Close Inspection ◽

Trade Networks ◽

History Of ◽

New Generation ◽

North And South

The migratory, labor, cultural and administrative history of the both North and South Yemen has been neglected. By exploring through Cold War era documents just how invested various internal actors were in transforming Southern Arabia’s relations with the larger world it is possible to add another angle of interpretation to the larger book’s project. It is argued that by leveraging competing external interests, a new set of operatives within Yemen’s political classes emerge. Looking closely at the manner in which the British global empire provided an interactive context for Yemenis, it is possible to highlight the global threads linking indigenous politics with the larger world. Be they Marxist inspired guerrillas whose use of violence help expel Britain from South Yemen in the late 1960s, the early advocates for a retrenchment of Salafist orthodoxy (with deep links to Saudi Arabia), or those merchant families long servicing the trade networks linking Southeast Asia, East Africa with the Middle East, Yemen’s new generation of political actor receives close inspection throughout this chapter.

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Middle Jurassic planktonic foraminifera in Saudi Arabia - a new biostratigraphical marker for the J30 maximum flooding surface in the Middle East

Stratigraphy ◽

10.29041/strat.15.1.37-46 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 37-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael A. Kaminski ◽

Septriandi A. Chan ◽

Ramona Balc ◽

Hafiz Mehtab Gull ◽

Abduljamiu O. Amao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Middle East ◽

Middle Jurassic ◽

Planktonic Foraminifera ◽

Maximum Flooding Surface

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Fragmentation as a Challenge: Tribal and Sectrarian Identities in the Middle East

11th GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES - Global Conference on Business and Social Sciences Proceeding ◽

10.35609/gcbssproceeding.2020.11(85) ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 85-85

Author(s):

Kleanthis Kyriakidis

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Significant Role ◽

Arabian Gulf ◽

The State ◽

Islamic Revolution ◽

Direct Response ◽

Tribal Identity ◽

Gulf States ◽

The Ideal

In the Arabian Gulf two identities can be really considered almost as important as the national one: the tribal and the sectarian ones. Someone should expect that the reinforcement of these identities is a direct response to inequality and processes of exclusion. Furthermore, parochial tribalism is expected to arise as the protector of cultural heritage, especially in a region where the ex-pats vastly outnumber the locals. Nonetheless, both statements are far from truth. In this paper we will analyze how in the Gulf, sectarian identity came to play a significant role only after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and it keeps on surviving through mainly instigations and Iranian propaganda, provocations and support. It should be noted that Sunni identity has been allegedly subjugated in other Middle East States (mainly in Syria and Iraq) but in the Gulf the sectarian challenge stems from the Shia communities, openly supported by Tehran. Strangely enough, the tribal identity does not pose that much of a challenge, since tribes are more the friend than the enemy of all Gulf States. Actually, these countries could not have survived without the loyalty and commitment of the tribes not only to the Royal families but also to the idea of the State and the ideal of the Nation – and Gulf Nations do protect their cultural heritage. Keywords: Gulf, Globalization, Fragmentation, Sectarianism, Tribalism

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Impact of Local Business Networks on Performance of Korean Firm Subsidiaries Overseas - Focused on Subsidiaries in Middle East/Africa and ASEAN Regions

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS REVIEW ◽

10.21739/ibr.2012.06.16.2.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Hyun Kil Shin ◽

Young Ryeol Park

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

East Africa ◽

Business Networks ◽

Local Business ◽

Korean Firm

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Phytochemicals and Biological Activity of Desert Date (Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile)

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10010032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 32

Author(s):

Hosakatte Niranjana Murthy ◽

Guggalada Govardhana Yadav ◽

Yaser Hassan Dewir ◽

Abdullah Ibrahim

Keyword(s):

Biological Activity ◽

Middle East ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Phenolic Acids ◽

Tree Species ◽

Indian Subcontinent ◽

Therapeutic Agents ◽

Root Bark ◽

Balanites Aegyptiaca ◽

Anti Inflammatory

Many underutilized tree species are good sources of food, fodder and possible therapeutic agents. Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile belongs to the Zygophyllaceae family and is popularly known as “desert date”, reflecting its edible fruits. This tree grows naturally in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Local inhabitants use fruits, leaves, roots, stem and root bark of the species for the treatment of various ailments. Several research studies demonstrate that extracts and phytochemicals isolated from desert date display antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective and molluscicidal activities. Mesocarp of fruits, seeds, leaves, stem and root bark are rich sources of saponins. These tissues are also rich in phenolic acids, flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids and polysterols. Some constituents show antioxidant, anticancer and antidiabetic properties. The objective of this review is to summarize studies on diverse bioactive compounds and the beneficial properties of B. aegyptiaca.

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From detente to containment: the emergence of Iran's new Saudi strategy

International Affairs ◽

10.1093/ia/iiab014 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hassan Ahmadian ◽

Payam Mohseni

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Middle East ◽

Strategic Decision ◽

Key Factors ◽

Peace And Conflict ◽

Key Factor ◽

Decision Making Factors ◽

Containment Strategy ◽

The Persian Gulf

Abstract Iran's strategy with respect to Saudi Arabia is a key factor in the complex balance of power of the Middle East as the Iranian–Saudi rivalry impacts the dynamics of peace and conflict across the region from Yemen to Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Bahrain. What is Iranian strategic thinking on Saudi Arabia? And what have been the key factors driving the evolution of Iranian strategy towards the Kingdom? In what marks a substantive shift from its previous detente policy, we argue that Tehran has developed a new containment strategy in response to the perceived threat posed by an increasingly prox-active Saudi Arabia in the post-Arab Spring period. Incorporating rich fieldwork and interviews in the Middle East, this article delineates the theoretical contours of Iranian containment and contextualizes it within the framework of the Persian Gulf security architecture, demonstrating how rational geopolitical decision-making factors based on a containment strategy, rather than the primacy of sectarianism or domestic political orientations, shape Iran's Saudi strategy. Accordingly, the article traces Iranian strategic decision-making towards the Kingdom since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and examines three cases of Iran's current use of containment against Saudi Arabia in Syria, Yemen and Qatar.

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