Belly dance is a Middle Eastern dance that originated in Egypt, which features movements of the hips and torso. It has evolved to take many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume and dance style; with the Egyptian styles and costumes being the most recognized worldwide due to Egyptian cinema. Belly dancing in its various styles and forms is popular worldwide with many schools around the globe practicing it.
Belly dancer on a Cairo dinner cruise
Belly dancer Randa Kamel performing in Cairo, 2007
La danse de l'almée (The Dance of the Almeh) by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1863
Layla Taj, Egyptian belly dancer, performing in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Arab culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, in a region of the Middle East and North Africa known as the Arab world. The various religions the Arabs have adopted throughout their history and the various empires and kingdoms that have ruled and took lead of the civilization have contributed to the ethnogenesis and formation of modern Arab culture. Language, literature, gastronomy, art, architecture, music, spirituality, philosophy and mysticism are all part of the cultural heritage of the Arabs.
Making Arab carpets in Algiers, 1899
Antara and Abla
Fresco from Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbî, Syria, Ummayad caliphs Palace, built in the early 7th century
The qanun is widely used in Arabic music