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SUNY Press.Middle East
The Middle East consists of Egypt and the Arab nations to the east of Is-
rael, Turkey, and Iran; and of the North African countries of Algeria, Mo-
rocco, Tunisia, Libya, and the Sudan. Although the following comments
are limited to these nations, the boundaries of the Middle East may be ex-
tended into other nations such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Cyprus as
well. The rise of Islam and the domination of much of the area by the Arab
Muslims beginning in the seventh century A.D. bound together the various
groups of the region under the banner of Islam. Later, the Ottoman Empire
in the thirteenth century further expanded and confirmed the Muslim char-
acter of the region under militant Islamic leadership.
Ancient Egypt during the Middle Kingdom (2040–1785 B.C.) offers
the earliest convincing evidence of systematic martial arts development, not
only in the Middle East, but in recorded history. Painted on the walls of the
tombs of Beni Hassan are pairs engaged in grappling maneuvers (some of
which are as sophisticated as any used in modern Olympic competition),
boxing (including the use of protective equipment such as a forerunner of
modern protective headgear), kicking, and stickfighting. The stickfighting
techniques have been preserved into the present as tahteeb(a martial art
system using sticks and swords). The system continues to be practiced in
the religious schools of the Ikhwaan-al-Muslimeen (Muslim Brotherhood).
The Bedouin continued until the modern era to utilize a staff in a combat
art called naboud.Practice is reported to involve spinning, dancelike forms
with the weapon. Similar whirling dances are associated with other martial
practice in the region, as well as with the mystical sect of Islam called Su-
fism. In addition, the Egyptians developed two-handed spears that could be
wielded as lances, shields, and specialized weapons such as the khopesh,a
sword that could be used to disarm opponents.
At about the same time, the oldest surviving work of literature, the
Mesopotamian epic of Gilgamesh,portrayed the semidivine protagonist as
a wrestler. In this work, Gilgamesh employed his grappling skills to subdue
the wild man, Enkidu, who then swore allegiance and became his ally in fu-338 Middle East