Glossary • 469Anglo-Egyptian Treaty: 1936 pact defining Britain's military position in Egypt,
denounced by Egypt in 1951, and officially terminated in 1954
Anglo-Ottoman Commercial Convention: 1838 agreement limiting Ottoman im¬
port tariffs
Anglo-Persian Oil Company: Firm holding petroleum exploration, drilling, and
refining rights in Iran; renamed Anglo-Iranian Oil Company; nationalized by
Mosaddiqin 1951
Ankara: (1) Site of Timur's victory over Bayezid I in 1402; (2) capital of Turkey
since 1923
ansar (an-SAWR): Medinan Muslim converts
Antioch: ancient city in southern Anatolia; important early Christian center
anti-Semitism: Popular term for prejudice against or persecution of Jews
Aqaba (AH-ka-ba): (1) Inlet from the Red Sea; (2) city in southern Jordan
al-Aqsa (el-AHK-sa): Important Jerusalem mosque
al-Aqsa Intifada (in-tee-FAW-da): Palestinian revolt against Israeli rule (2000-)
Arab: (1) Native speaker of Arabic; (2) person who identifies with Arabic cultural
tradition; (3) inhabitant of Arabia; (4) citizen of a country in which the predomi¬
nant language and culture are Arabic; (5) camel nomad
Arab Higher Committee: Palestinian nationalist organization of the 1930s
Arab League: Arab states' political association, founded in 1945
Arab Legion: Former name of the army of Transjordan (or Jordan)
Arab Liberation Army: Syrian-Palestinian group fighting against Israel in 1948
Arab nationalism: Movement seeking unification of all Arab countries and their
independence from non-Arab control
Arab Revolt: British-backed rebellion of Arabs, mainly in the Hijaz, against Otto¬
man rule (1916-1918)
Arab socialism: Ideology advocating state control of Arab economies
Arab Socialist Union: Egyptian political party (1962-1977)
Arabia: Original Arab homeland, a peninsula bounded by the Red Sea, the Ara¬
bian Sea, the Gulf, and the Fertile Crescent
Arabic: (1) Semitic language spoken by Arabs; (2) pertaining to the culture of Arabs
Arafat (a-ra-FAT): Plain near Mecca
Arafat, Yasir (YAH-sir): Palestinian Arab nationalist, founder of al-Fatah, PLO
chairman, and Palestinian Authority's president (1996-2004)
Aramaic: Ancient Semitic language
Aramco: Arabian American Oil Company, which developed the petroleum indus¬
try in Saudi Arabia
Aramean (a-ra-MEE-an): Native speaker of Aramaic
Arian: Pertaining to the belief of some early Christians that Jesus was human, not
of the same substance as God the Father
Arif, Abd al-Salam (AH-ref, AB-dus-sa-LAAM): Arab nationalist leader of Iraq
(1958,1963-1966)