The Bedouin (; Arabic: badawī) are an Arab seminomadic group, descended from nomads who have historically inhabited the Arabian and Syrian deserts. Their name means "desert dwellers" in Arabic language. Their territory stretches from the vast deserts of North Africa to the rocky sands of the Middle East. They are traditionally divided into tribes, or clans (known in Arabic as ʿashāʾir; ) and share a common culture of herding camels and goats.