Editing Arabs (section)

===Architecture===
{{Further|Nabataean architecture|Islamic architecture}}
The Arab world is home to around 8%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/stat/|title=Number of World Heritage Properties by region|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=World Heritage Convention|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=21 November 2023}}</ref> of [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s ([[List of World Heritage Sites in the Arab states]]). The oldest examples of architecture include those of [[pre-Islamic Arabia]],<ref name=":05222">{{Cite book|last=Finster|first=Barbara|title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three|publisher=Brill|year=2009|isbn=978-9004161658|editor-last=Fleet|editor-first=Kate|chapter=Arabian Peninsula, art and architecture|editor-last2=Krämer|editor-first2=Gudrun|editor-last3=Matringe|editor-first3=Denis|editor-last4=Nawas|editor-first4=John|editor-last5=Rowson|editor-first5=Everett}}</ref> as well as [[Nabataean architecture]] that developed in the ancient [[Nabataean Kingdom|kingdom of the Nabataeans]], a nomadic Arab tribe that controlled a significant portion of the [[Middle East]] from the 4th century BCE to the 2nd century CE.<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259265552_Nabataean_Architectural_Identity_and_its_Impact_on_Contemporary_Architecture_in_Jordan "Nabataean Architectural Identity and its Impact on Contemporary Architecture in Jordan"], ''Dirasat, Engineering Sciences''.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/naba/hd_naba.htm|title=Nabataean Kingdom and Petra &#124; Essay &#124; the Metropolitan Museum of Art &#124; Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History|date=October 2000 }}</ref> The Nabataeans were known for their skill in carving out elaborate buildings, tombs, and other structures from the sandstone cliffs of the region. One of the most famous examples of Nabataean architecture is the city of [[Petra]], which is located in modern-day [[Jordan]], was the capital of the Nabataean kingdom and is renowned for its impressive rock-cut architecture.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bloom|first1=Jonathan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=un4WcfEASZwC&pg=PA79|title=Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set|last2=Blair|first2=Sheila S.|date=2009|publisher=OUP US|isbn=978-0195309911}}</ref>

Prior to the start of the [[Early Muslim conquests|Arab conquests]], Arab tribal client states, the [[Lakhmid kingdom|Lakhmids]] and [[Ghassanids]], were located on the borders of the Sassanid and Byzantine empires and were exposed to the cultural and architectural influences of both.{{Sfn|Shahîd|1995a|pp=401–403}}{{Sfn|Flood|Necipoğlu|2017|p=58}} They most likely played a significant role in transmitting and adapting the architectural traditions of these two empires to the later Arab Islamic dynasties.{{Sfn|Shahîd|1995a|pp=391, 402}}{{sfn|Ettinghausen|Grabar|Jenkins-Madina|2001|pp=4–5}}
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The Arab empire expanded rapidly, and with it, came a diverse range of architectural influences. One of the most notable architectural achievements of the Arab Empire is the [[Umayyad Mosque|Great Mosque of Damascus]] in Syria, which was built in the early 8th century, was constructed on the site of a Christian basilica and incorporated elements of Byzantine and Roman architecture, such as arches, columns, and intricate mosaics. Another important architectural is the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]] in [[Jerusalem]], which was built in the late 7th century. The mosque features an impressive dome and a large prayer hall, as well as intricate geometric patterns and calligraphy on the walls.<ref>Fletcher, Banister [https://books.google.com/books?id=ULcsAAAAYAAJ&q=islam A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method] 4th Edition, London, p. 476.</ref><ref name="Krautheimer2">Krautheimer, Richard. [https://books.google.com/books?id=WXwX7fQ2DkUC&q=islam Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture] Yale University Press Pelican History of Art, Penguin Books Ltd., 1965, p. 285.</ref>