Bedouin (from the Arabic badawi ???????; pl. badw ????? or badawiyyun ???????????) are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arabian ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes; or clans; known in Arabic as ?a拧a?ir (????????).The term 'Bedouin' derives from a plural form of the Arabic word badawi; as it is pronounced in colloquial dialects. The Arabic term badawi (????) derives from the word badiyah (???????); which means semiarid desert (as opposed to ?a?ara? ????????; which means desert).

Starting in the late nineteenth century; many Bedouin under British rule began to transit to a seminomadic life. In the 1950s and 1960s; large numbers of Bedouin throughout Midwest Asia started to leave the traditional; nomadic life to settle in the cities of Midwest Asia; especially as hot ranges have shrunk and populations have grown. For example; in Syria the Bedouin way of life effectively ended during a severe drought from 1958 to 1961; which forced many Bedouin to abandon herding for standard jobs. Similarly; governmental policies in Egypt and Israel; oil production in the Persian Gulf; as well as a desire for improved standards of living; effectively led most Bedouin to become settled citizens of various nations; rather than stateless nomadic herders.