Difference between revisions of "Arabian Peninsula" - New World Encyclopedia

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The Arabian Peninsula

Emirates towers in United Arab Emirates; the eastern part of Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula is a land form in the farthest southwestern corner of Asia that effectively connects the continents of Africa and Asia. The peninsula is bordered on the west by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, on the southeast by the Arabian Sea, and on the northeastern side by the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Persian Gulf. The northernmost edge of the peninsula is marked by a long mountain formation, or uplift. Many geologists feel that the uplift was caused through a series of continental collisions.

The area is considered a vitally important political region for the global political scene, as it contains vast reserves of oil and natural gas. As a political unit the region includes:

Geography

Ras Aljinz, southeastern Arabia (Oman) also known as the 'Turtle Beach'

The climate of the Arabian Peninsula is extremely dry and arid. As is endemic in the neighboring area, the Arabian Peninsula receives very little annual rainfall. Compounding the lack of precipitation, the Arabian Peninsula also has few lakes or permanent rivers, two facts which combine to produce an extremely dry landscape that is not conducive to settled civilizations. The few rivers that do exist in the region, referred to as wadis, are only full during the wet seasons. During any other period of time the wadis are dry. The dry climate, combined with lack of available water, does not permit large scale agricultural development. The only place where cultivation can occur is near the oases, but these are very few locations for a desert so large.

Geographically, the terrain of the Arabian Peninsula consists of a large central plateau, a variety of deserts, marshy coast lands, and stretches of mountains. The main feature of the peninsula is the central plateau, which reaches a breathtaking height of 2,500 feet. Unlike many plateaus, the central plateau of the Arabian Peninsula is not flat; it slowly slopes towards the Gulf. The region as a whole is distinguished by a large variety of geographic variance, ranging from the central plateau to the stony deserts in the north, and the coast lands that are resplendent with coral reefs in the Red Sea. The Arabian Peninsula also boasts the largest uninterrupted sand dune in the world, called the Empty Quarter. The Empty Quarter runs for 40 kilometers and features linear sand dunes.

Some geologists claim that the Arabian Peninsula should be more accurately classified as a subcontinent, due to the fact that the Arabian Peninsula is placed on a tectonic plate that is completely separate from any neighboring continents. To support this theory, the geologists claim that the tectonic plate that the Arabian Peninsula is on is slowly moving away from the plate under northeast Africa.

Economy

The primary exports of the Arabian Peninsula are oil and natural gas, both of which are found abundantly in the region. Because these commodities are desired by industrialized nations around the world, the Arabian Peninsula can use its natural resources as a means to direct political action. The ability to use oil as a political force is most apparent in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that unites all of the oil exporting countries in the region as a political unit. By consolidating the political power of all the oil exporting countries, OPEC is able to guide political action in the world through the threat of withholding oil resources. The influx of wealth from the oil industry also provides many of the necessary services for governments in the region, such as the funds for construction projects or the financial service sector.

History

Wadi Shab, Oman

The old part of Sanaa, Yemen

The earliest inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula were nomadic herdsmen, who passed through the area seeking fresh pastures for their livestock. It is through the movements of the earliest nomadic people in the Arabian Peninsula that it is possible to reconstruct an image of the historic desert area, most particularly through the accounts of Semitic speaking people of Akkadian that passed through the Arabian Peninsula when seeking the Tigris and Euphrates River Valley.^[1]

The earliest civilizations in the Arabian Peninsula were formed in the wetter portions of the peninsula, lying in the extreme south west corner. These early civilizations, the Minaean, the Sabaean, and the Himyarites, capitalized on the Arabian Peninsula's unique geographic position to become major players in international commerce. It is thought by some historians that the Queen of Sheba, mentioned in the Bible, was actually the ruler of the Sabeans during the height of their power. The rise of these kingdoms was facilitated by the abundance of frankincense and myrrh in the area, which fetched a high price on the market. Control of these, and other, spices quickly became a point of contention in the ancient world, leading the prefect of Egypt to launch a military attack to gain control of the trade. The attack failed, and the Himyarites continued to dominate trade in the area until the Romans created trade routes towards the Red Sea. The Persian Gulf was also a vitally important water route to ancient world trade, as sailors could travel along the gulf without ever losing sight of land ^[2]

The power of the Himyarites began to falter in the early 3rd century, when rival economic power Aksum tried to assert political control over the fledging Arabian Peninsula empires. The East African Kingdom of Aksum was particularly interested in territorial expansion, and in their attempt to expand, their desires overlapped with the territory of the Himyarites. At its strongest, the kingdom of Aksum extended into Yemen and western Saudi Arabia, both countries which are commonly included in the Arabian Peninsula.

File:Kuwait city skyline.jpg

The oil boom in Kuwait converted Kuwait City from a small city to a financial hub.

The early history of trade in the Arabian Peninsula set the stage for modern times, when the area is still noted for its high level of natural resource exportation. One thing that has changed, however, is the main export of the region, which has switched from spices to petroleum products. In the modern world, most industrialized nations require a steady supply of oil to continue production, a fact that launched the Arabian Peninsula into the center of the economic scene. Oil is a particularly strong export of the region, with the Arabian Peninsula boasting the world's largest reserve of petroleum. Most of the oil lies within the political borders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which extends over the majority of the Arabian Peninsula.

Culturally, the Arabian Peninsula is considered to be the homeland of the Proto-Semitic language family. This language family is thought by many linguists to be the original language of the majority of people in the region including: Akkadians, Arabs, Assyrians, and Hebrews. According to this theory, the Arabian Peninsula was the birth place of most Middle Eastern languages. It is also in this region that a few speakers of rare Southern East Semitic languages can be found, and not anywhere else in the world. Most of the population adheres to the tenets of Islam, and are guided by religious law in their everyday lives. This fact is particularly notable in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, which boast higher population levels that other countries in the region. The religious life of the Arabian Peninsula is concentrated in Mecca and Medina, both vitally important cities to the followers of Islam.

Notes

↑ http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/AKKAD.HTM
↑ The Seas of Sindbad. Retrieved 2006-12-11.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Clark, Arthur P., Muhammad A. Tahlawi, William Facey, and Thomas A. Pledge. 2006. A land transformed the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Aramco. Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco). ISBN 9780960116409
Edgell, H. Stewart. 2006. Arabian deserts nature, origin and evolution. Dordrecht: Springer. ISBN 9781402039690
Linzee Gordon, Frances. 2004. Arabian Peninsula. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781741042948
Costantino, Maria. 2001. The Illustrated Flag Handbook. New York: Gramercy Books. ISBN 0-517-21810-0
Lewis, Brenda Ralph. 2002. Great Civilizations. Bath: Paragon Publishing. ISBN 0-75256-141-3

External links

Arabia from History ChannelRetrieved December 19, 2007.
Timeline of Art History of Arabia (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) Retrieved December 19, 2007.
MSN Encarta Retrieved December 19, 2007.
The Arabian Peninsula Retrieved December 19, 2007.

Credits

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Arabian Peninsula ^history

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[1] ttp://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/AKKAD.HTM

[2] The Seas of Sindbad. Retrieved 2006-12-11.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 [[Image:Emirates towers123.jpg|thumb|200px|Emirates towers in [[United Arab Emirates]]; the eastern part of Arabian Peninsula]]
-The Arabian Peninsula is a land form in the farthest southwestern corner of Asia that effectively connects the continents of Africa and Asia. The peninsula is bordered on the west by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, on the southeast by the Arabian Sea, and on the northeastern side by the Gulf of Oman, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Persian Gulf. The northernmost edge of the penninsula is marked by a long mountain formation, or uplift. Many geologists feel that the uplift was caused through a series of continental collisions.
+The Arabian Peninsula is a land form in the farthest southwestern corner of [[Asia]] that effectively connects the continents of [[Africa]] and [[Asia]]. The peninsula is bordered on the west by the [[Red Sea]] and the [[Gulf of Aqaba]], on the southeast by the [[Arabian Sea]], and on the northeastern side by the [[Gulf of Oman]], the [[Strait of Hormuz]], and the [[Persian Gulf]]. The northernmost edge of the peninsula is marked by a long mountain formation, or uplift. Many geologists feel that the uplift was caused through a series of continental collisions.
 The area is considered a vitally important political region for the global political scene, as it contains vast reserves of oil and natural gas. As a political unit the region includes:
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 [[Image:Ras al jinz flickr01.jpg|thumb|right|Ras Aljinz, southeastern Arabia (Oman) also known as the 'Turtle Beach']]
-The climate of the Arabian Peninsula is extrememly dry and arid. As is endemic in the neighboring area, the Arabian Peninsula recieves very little annual rainfall. Compounding the lack of precipitation, the Arabian Peninsula also has few lakes or permanent rivers, two facts which combine to produce an extremely dry landscape that is not conducive to settled civilizations. The few rivers that do exist in the region, refered to as wadis, are only full during the wet seasons. During any other period of time the wadis are dry. The dry climate, combined with lack of available water, does not permit large scale agricultural development. The only place where cultivation can occur is near the oases, but these are very few locations for a desert so large.
+The climate of the Arabian Peninsula is extremely dry and arid. As is endemic in the neighboring area, the Arabian Peninsula receives very little annual rainfall. Compounding the lack of precipitation, the Arabian Peninsula also has few lakes or permanent rivers, two facts which combine to produce an extremely dry landscape that is not conducive to settled civilizations. The few rivers that do exist in the region, referred to as wadis, are only full during the wet seasons. During any other period of time the wadis are dry. The dry climate, combined with lack of available water, does not permit large scale agricultural development. The only place where cultivation can occur is near the oases, but these are very few locations for a desert so large.
-Geographically, the terrain of the Arabian Peninsula consists of a large central plateau, a variety of deserts, marshy coast lands, and stretches of mountains. The main feature of the peninsula is the central plateau, which reaches a breathtaking height of 2,500 feet. Unlike many plateaus, the central plateau of the Arabian Peninsula is not flat; it slowly slopes towards the Gulf. The region as a whole is distinguished by a large variety of geographic variance, ranging from the central plateau to the stony deserts in the north, and the coastlands that are resplendent with coral reefs in the Red Sea. The Arabian Peninsula also boasts the largest uninterrupted sand dune in the world, called the Empty Quarter. The Empty Quarter runs for 40 kilometers and features linear sand dunes.
-Some geologists claim that the Arabian Peninsula shoudl be more accurately classified as a subcontinent, due to the fact that the Arabian Peninsula is placed on a tectonic plate that is completely seperate from any neighboring continents. To support this theory, the geologists claim that the tectonic plate that the Arabian Peninsula is on is slowly moving away from the plate under northeast Africa.
+Geographically, the terrain of the Arabian Peninsula consists of a large central plateau, a variety of deserts, marshy coast lands, and stretches of mountains. The main feature of the peninsula is the central plateau, which reaches a breathtaking height of 2,500 feet. Unlike many plateaus, the central plateau of the Arabian Peninsula is not flat; it slowly slopes towards the Gulf. The region as a whole is distinguished by a large variety of geographic variance, ranging from the central plateau to the stony deserts in the north, and the coast lands that are resplendent with coral reefs in the Red Sea. The Arabian Peninsula also boasts the largest uninterrupted sand dune in the world, called the Empty Quarter. The Empty Quarter runs for 40 kilometers and features linear sand dunes.
+Some geologists claim that the Arabian Peninsula should be more accurately classified as a subcontinent, due to the fact that the Arabian Peninsula is placed on a tectonic plate that is completely separate from any neighboring continents. To support this theory, the geologists claim that the tectonic plate that the Arabian Peninsula is on is slowly moving away from the plate under northeast Africa.
 ==Economy==
-The primary exports of the Arabian Peninsula are oil and natural gas, both of which are found abundantly in the region. Because these commodities are desired by industrialized nations around the world, the Arabian Peninsula can its its natural resources as a means to direct political action. The influx of wealth from the oil industry also provides many of the necessary services for governments in the region, such as the funds for construction projects or the financial service sector.
+The primary exports of the Arabian Peninsula are [[oil]] and [[natural gas]], both of which are found abundantly in the region. Because these commodities are desired by industrialized nations around the world, the Arabian Peninsula can use its natural resources as a means to direct political action. The ability to use oil as a political force is most apparent in the [[Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries]] (OPEC) that unites all of the oil exporting countries in the region as a political unit. By consolidating the political power of all the oil exporting countries, OPEC is able to guide political action in the world through the threat of withholding oil resources. The influx of wealth from the oil industry also provides many of the necessary services for governments in the region, such as the funds for construction projects or the financial service sector.
 ==History==
@@ Line 38: / Line 36: @@
 The earliest inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula were nomadic herdsmen, who passed through the area seeking fresh pastures for their livestock. It is through the movements of the earliest nomadic people in the Arabian Peninsula that it is possible to reconstruct an image of the historic desert area, most particularly through the accounts of Semitic speaking people of Akkadian that passed through the Arabian Peninsula when seeking the Tigris and Euphrates River Valley.<ref>http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/AKKAD.HTM{{Verify credibility|date=September 2007}}</ref>
-....
+The earliest civilizations in the Arabian Peninsula were formed in the wetter portions of the peninsula, lying in the extreme south west corner. These early civilizations, the [[Minaean]], the [[Sabaean]], and the [[Himyarites]], capitalized on the Arabian Peninsula's unique geographic position to become major players in international commerce. It is thought by some historians that the [[Queen of Sheba]], mentioned in the [[Bible]], was actually the ruler of the Sabeans during the height of their power. The rise of these kingdoms was facilitated by the abundance of frankincense and myrrh in the area, which fetched a high price on the market. Control of these, and other, spices quickly became a point of contention in the ancient world, leading the prefect of [[Egypt]] to launch a military attack to gain control of the trade. The attack failed, and the Himyarites continued to dominate trade in the area until the [[Roman]]s created trade routes towards the Red Sea. The Persian Gulf was also a vitally important water route to ancient world trade, as sailors could travel along the gulf without ever losing sight of land <ref>{{cite web
-The better-watered, higher portions of the extreme south-west portion of the Arabian Peninsula supported three early kingdoms. The first, the Minaean, was centered in the interior of what is now Yemen, but probably embraced most of southern Arabia. Although dating is difficult, it is generally believed that the Minaean Kingdom existed from 1200 to 650 B.C.E. The second kingdom, the Sabaean (see [[Sheba]]), was founded around 930 B.C.E. and lasted until around 115 B.C.E.; it probably supplanted the Minaean Kingdom and occupied substantially the same territory. The Sabaean capital and chief city, Ma’rib, probably flourished as did no other city of ancient Arabia, partly because of its controlling position on the caravan routes linking the seaports of the Mediterranean with the frankincense-growing region of the [[Hadhramaut]] and partly because a large nearby dam provided water for irrigation. The Sabaean Kingdom was widely referred to as Saba, and it has been suggested that the [[Queen of Sheba]] mentioned in the Bible and the [[Quran]], who visited [[King Solomon]] of Israel in Jerusalem in the 10th century B.C.E., was Sabaean. The Himyarites followed the Sabaeans as the leaders in southern Arabia; the [[Himyarite]] Kingdom lasted from around 115 B.C.E. to around AD 525. In 24 B.C.E. the Roman emperor [[Augustus]] sent the prefect of Egypt, Aelius Gallus, against the Himyarites, but his army of 10,000, which was unsuccessful, returned to Egypt. The Himyarites prospered in the frankincense, myrrh, and spice trade until the Romans began to open the sea routes through the Red Sea.
-In the 3rd century,  The East African Christian Kingdom of Aksum began interfering in South Arabian affairs, controlling at times the western [[Tihama]] region among other areas. The Kingdom of Aksum at its height extended its territory in Arabia across most of [[Yemen]] and southern and western [[Saudi Arabia]] before being eventually driven out by the [[Persians]]. There is evidence of a Sabaean inscription about the alliance between the [[Himyar]]ite king Shamir Yuhahmid and Aksum under King [[`DBH]] in the first quarter of the 3rd century AD.  They have been living alongside the Sabaeans who lived across the Red Sea from them for many centuries:
-<blockquote>''Shamir of Dhu-Raydan and Himyar had called in the help of the clans of Habashat for war against the kings of Saba; but Ilmuqah granted . . . the submission of Shamir of Dhu-Raydan and the clans of Habashat.''<ref>Stuart Munro-Hay. ''Aksum: A Civilization of Late Antiquity''. Edinburgh: University Press. 1991. pp. 66.</ref></blockquote>
-The ruins of [[Siraf]], a legendary ancient port, are located on the north shore of the [[Iran]]ian  coast on the [[Persian Gulf]]. The Persian Gulf was a  boat route between the Arabian Peninsula and [[India]] made feasible for small boats by staying close to the coast with land always in sight.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200504/the.seas.of.sindbad.htm
 |title=The Seas of Sindbad
 |publisher=
-|accessdate=2006-12-11
-}}</ref> The historical importance of Siraf to ancient trade is only now being realised. Discovered there in past archaeological excavations are ivory objects from east [[Africa]], pieces of stone from [[India]], and [[lapis]] from [[Afghanistan]]. Sirif dates back to the [[Parthia]]n era.<ref>{{cite web
-|url=http://www.chnpress.com/news/?Section=2&id=5935
-|title=Foreign Experts Talk of Siraf History
-|publisher=Cultural Heritage News Agency
 |accessdate=2006-12-11
 }}</ref>
-There is a [[lost city]] in The [[Empty Quarter]] known as [[Iram of the Pillars]]. It is estimated that it lasted from around 3000 B.C.E. to the first century AD.
+The power of the Himyarites began to falter in the early 3rd century, when rival economic power Aksum tried to assert political control over the fledging Arabian Peninsula empires. The East African [[Kingdom of Aksum]] was particularly interested in territorial expansion, and in their attempt to expand, their desires overlapped with the territory of the Himyarites. At its strongest, the kingdom of Aksum extended into Yemen and western Saudi Arabia, both countries which are commonly included in the Arabian Peninsula.
-==Medieval history==
-{{main|Muslim conquests|Arab Empire|Islamic Golden Age}}
-==Modern history==
 [[Image:Kuwait city skyline.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The oil boom in Kuwait converted [[Kuwait City]] from a small city to a financial hub.]]
-The [[Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]] covers the greater part of the peninsula.  The majority of the population of the peninsula lives in [[Saudi Arabia]] and in [[Yemen]]. The peninsula contains the world's largest reserves of [[petroleum|oil]]. It is home to the [[Islam]]ic holy cities of [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]], both of which are in Saudi Arabia. The [[UAE]] and [[Saudi Arabia]] are economically the wealthiest in the region. [[Qatar]], a small peninsula in the Persian Gulf on the larger peninsula, is home of the famous [[Arabic language|Arabic-language]] television station [[Al Jazeera]] and its English-language subsidiary [[Al Jazeera English]].  [[Kuwait]], on the border with [[Iraq]], was claimed as an Iraqi province and invaded by [[Saddam Hussein]] during the first [[Gulf War]]; it is an important country strategically, forming one of the main staging grounds for coalition forces mounting the [[invasion of Iraq]] in 2003.
-The peninsula is one of the possible original homelands of the [[Proto-Semitic language]] ancestors of all the [[Semitic languages|Semitic]]-speaking peoples in the region &mdash; the [[Akkadians]], [[Arabs]], [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Hebrews]], etc.  Linguistically, the peninsula was the cradle of the [[Arabic language]] (spread beyond the peninsula with the [[Islamic religion]] during the expansion of [[Islam]] beginning in the 7th century AD) and still maintains tiny populations of speakers of [[Southern East Semitic]] languages such as [[Mehri]] and Shehri, remnants of the language family that was spoken in earlier historical periods to the East of the kingdoms of [[Sheba]] and [[Hadramout]] which flourished in the southern part of the peninsula (modern-day [[Yemen]] and [[Oman]]).
+The early history of trade in the Arabian Peninsula set the stage for modern times, when the area is still noted for its high level of natural resource exportation. One thing that has changed, however, is the main export of the region, which has switched from spices to petroleum products. In the modern world, most industrialized nations require a steady supply of oil to continue production,  a fact that launched the Arabian Peninsula into the center of the economic scene. Oil is a particularly strong export of the region, with the Arabian Peninsula boasting the world's largest reserve of petroleum. Most of the oil lies within the political borders of the [[Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]], which extends over the majority of the Arabian Peninsula.
+Culturally, the Arabian Peninsula is considered to be the homeland of the Proto-Semitic language family. This language family is thought by many linguists to be the original language of the majority of people in the region including: Akkadians, Arabs, Assyrians, and Hebrews. According to this theory, the Arabian Peninsula was the birth place of most Middle Eastern languages. It is also in this region that a few speakers of rare Southern East Semitic languages can be found, and not anywhere else in the world. Most of the population adheres to the tenets of Islam, and are guided by religious law in their everyday lives. This fact is particularly notable in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, which boast higher population levels that other countries in the region. The religious life of the Arabian Peninsula is concentrated in [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]], both vitally important cities to the followers of [[Islam]].
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 73: / Line 55: @@
 ==References==
-{{Wiktionary}}
 * Clark, Arthur P., Muhammad A. Tahlawi, William Facey, and Thomas A. Pledge. 2006. ''A land transformed the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Aramco''. Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco). ISBN 9780960116409
 * Edgell, H. Stewart. 2006. Arabian deserts nature, origin and evolution. Dordrecht: Springer. ISBN 9781402039690
 * Linzee Gordon, Frances. 2004. ''Arabian Peninsula''. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781741042948
+* Costantino, Maria. 2001. The Illustrated Flag Handbook. New York: Gramercy Books. ISBN 0-517-21810-0
+* Lewis, Brenda Ralph. 2002. Great Civilizations. Bath: Paragon Publishing. ISBN 0-75256-141-3
 == External links ==
-* [http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=201334 Arabia from History Channel]
+* [http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=201334 Arabia from History Channel]Retrieved December 19, 2007.
-* [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/02/wap/ht02wap.htm    Timeline of Art History of Arabia (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) ]
+* [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/02/wap/ht02wap.htm    Timeline of Art History of Arabia (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) ] Retrieved December 19, 2007.
+* [http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556449/Arabian_Peninsula.html, MSN Encarta]  Retrieved December 19, 2007.
+* [http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/parabia.htm, The Arabian Peninsula] Retrieved December 19, 2007.
 {{Regions of the world}}