My mother is from HAIFA, PALESTINE (b. 1939), after Al-Nakba, raised in Beirut, Lebanon. My father is Sicilian American. My great grandparents on father side are from MARINEO, SICILY.
My roots are deep in Palestine and Sicily for over 1000 years. When I checked my DNA, it came back 75% Arab! Wow, right? Lots of Arab DNA in Sicily. Love it all
In this video, these ladies compare some of the common words between Sicilian (sicilianu) and Arabic (العربية) with Gaia, representing Sicilian, and Rita, as the Arabic speaker. Check it out
Starting in the 9th century, following the Abbasid conquest of Sicily, for over two centuries, the islands of Sicily and Malta were under Muslim rule, known as the Emirate of Sicily. During this period a variety of Arabic, known as Sicilian Arabic (Siculo-Arabic), was formed.
A series of battles eventually led to the fall of Muslim rule and the re-establishment of Christian control over Sicily and Malta. However, Sicilian Arabic continued to be spoken under the new state for a few ensuing centuries until it eventually went extinct.
The Sicilian language today still retains many Arabic words which had entered its lexicon centuries ago. Arabic continued to be influential for centuries following the Christian reconquest. Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily in the early 13th century, was able to speak Arabic.
In fact, in the ensuing years, a form of culture, known as the Norman–Arab culture (or at times referred to as the Norman–Arab–Byzantine / Norman–Sicilian culture) formed as a result of the mixing through the interactions that took place between the Arab, Latin, Norman, and Byzantine Greek cultures.
The heritage of the Arabic language is also present in several Sicilian toponyms which are derived from Arabic.
If you would like to participate in a future video, please be sure to follow them on Instagram: / bahadoralast
Arabic is a Central Semitic language and has official/national status in Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, SADR, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Sicilian is a Romance language primarily spoken on the Italian island of Sicily.
