Arabian Peninsula

I

Introduction

Arabian Peninsula, great desert peninsula in extreme south-west Asia, bordered on the north by Jordan and Iraq, on the east by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on the south by the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and on the west by the Red Sea. With an area of about 3 million sq km (1,160,000 sq mi) and a population (1989 estimate) of about 32 million, the Arabian Peninsula is one of the most sparsely populated areas of the world. It encompasses the independent nations of Saudi Arabia (which occupies nearly three-quarters of the peninsula), Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, and the island state of Bahrain.

II

Land and Resources

The peninsula is essentially a vast plateau, bordered on the west and south by mountains that rise steeply from the Red Sea. In the east, the peninsula slopes gently to the Persian Gulf. It contains some of the world's largest sandy desert areas, notably the Rub‘ al Khali ('Empty Quarter') in the south and An Nafūd in the north. The climate is extremely arid; few places receive more than 178 mm (7 in) of rain a year and no permanent streams exist. Hot, dry winds sweep the peninsula, and summer temperatures can reach as high as 54.4° C (130° F). Various minerals, including gold, silver, sulphur, and salt, are produced. The region, however, owes its modern economic life and importance to the vast reserves of oil and natural gas, found mainly in the area around the Persian Gulf. Major cities include Riyadh, Mecca, Medina, Aden, Jiddah, Sana'a, Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait.

III

History

Until comparatively recent times knowledge of the Arabian Peninsula was limited to that provided by ancient Greek and Roman writers and by early Arab geographers; much of this material was unreliable. In the 20th century, however, archaeological exploration has added considerably to the knowledge of the area.

The earliest known events in Arabian history are migrations from the peninsula into neighbouring areas. About 3500 bc, Semitic-speaking peoples of Arabian origin migrated into the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia, supplanted the Sumerians, and became the Assyro-Babylonians (see Sumer). Another group of Semites left Arabia about 2500 bc and settled along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea; some of these migrants became the Amorites and Canaanites of later times.

A

Ancient Kingdoms

The better-watered, higher portions of the extreme south-west portion of the Arabian Peninsula supported three early kingdoms. The first, the Minaean, was centred 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 bc. The second kingdom, the Sabaean (see Sheba), was founded about 930 bc and lasted until about 115 bc; 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, who visited King Solomon of Israel in Jerusalem in the 10th century bc, was Sabaean. The Himyarites followed the Sabaeans as the leaders in southern Arabia; the Himyarite Kingdom lasted from about 115 bc to about ad 525. In 24 bc 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.