sheik
Desert tribe head
A sheik is an Arab leader—the head of a tribe, family, or village, or an Islamic religious leader.
The spelling sheikh is also common.
In dated slang, a sheik was a romantically attractive man, from the 1921 film *The Sheik* starring Rudolph Valentino: He thinks he's quite the sheik.
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- caravanTraveling group with goods
- spicesAromatic food flavorings
- silkFine woven insect fiber
- bazaarOpen-air merchant district
oasis · camel · dunes · arabesque · palm · dates · carpet · mirage
Arab noble title
- sultanMuslim royal ruler
- caliphIslamic head of state
- chieftainLeader of a tribe
- tribal leaderHead of indigenous group
clan head · headman · ruler · sovereign · potentate · monarch · imam · authority
Middle Eastern nomadic herder
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
- kinshipState of being related
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- ancestryFamily line of descent
tribesman · heritage · patriarchal · customs · nomad · desert · tent · encampment
Silent era matinee idol
- haremWives' sequestered quarters
- veilFabric that obscures
- passionIntense emotional drive
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
seduction · forbidden · adventure · bodice ripper · pulp fiction · swooning · ravishing
Fortune from petroleum extraction
- palaceMonarch's official residence
- opulentOstentatiously wealthy
- luxuryExpensive nonessential comfort
- goldElement seventy-nine
jewels · fleet · yacht · thoroughbred · falcon · lavish · extravagant · mansion
Wealthy petroleum industrialist
- OPECPetroleum exporters' coalition
- petrodollarRevenue from crude exports
- Gulf statesTerritories near a gulf
- oil wealthFortune from petroleum extraction
petroleum · crude · energy · drilling · pipeline · refinery · reserves · Saudi
exotic
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
bazaar · oasis · camel · dunes · arabesque · palm · dates · carpet · mirage · sandstorm
emir
Arab noble title
tribal leader · clan head · headman · ruler · sovereign · potentate · monarch · imam · authority · commander
Bedouin
Middle Eastern nomadic herder
ancestry · tribesman · heritage · patriarchal · customs · nomad · desert · tent · encampment · hospitality
Valentino
Silent era matinee idol
intrigue · seduction · forbidden · adventure · bodice ripper · pulp fiction · swooning · ravishing
oil wealth
Fortune from petroleum extraction
gold · jewels · fleet · yacht · thoroughbred · falcon · lavish · extravagant · mansion · entourage
oil baron
Wealthy petroleum industrialist
- OPECPetroleum exporters' coalition
- petrodollarRevenue from crude exports
- Gulf statesTerritories near a gulf
oil wealth · petroleum · crude · energy · drilling · pipeline · refinery · reserves · Saudi · Emirati
patriarch
Male head of family
- venerableDeserving honor for dignity
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- sageWisdom keeper or seasoning
respected · revered · elder statesman · advisor · greybeard · senior · learned · time-honored · council · arbitrator
- Middle EastIraq, Baghdad, Cairo, Iran, Jordan
- Bedouinsnomads, camels, tents, desert life, tribes
- Arab PoliticsSaudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain
- Middle Eastern iconscamel, crescent, crescent moon, hamsa, palm tree
- leadersleader, boss, leaders, bosses, chiefs
- noble titlesking, queen, prince, princess, duke